Former Massachusetts acting governor Jane Swift is backing Republican Elizabeth Dionne for state treasurer.
Dionne announced the endorsement Tuesday, October 13. She is a Belmont Select Board member and attorney running against Democratic incumbent Deborah Goldberg, who is seeking a fourth term. Voters will decide the race November 3.
Swift served as lieutenant governor under Republican Paul Cellucci from 1999 to 2001. She then served as acting governor from 2001 to 2003.
Her endorsement focused on household costs, Dionne’s work in Belmont and state aid for western Massachusetts.
“Massachusetts taxpayers are being crushed by rising energy, housing, and utility costs,” Swift said in the campaign’s announcement. “As a local government official, Elizabeth Dionne implemented sound fiscal policies, protecting taxpayers and growing economic opportunities in Belmont.”
Swift also called for more attention to the state’s four western counties.
“Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties deserve their fair share of Lottery distributions and local aid allocations,” she said.
The treasurer chairs the Massachusetts Lottery Commission. The Lottery provides money for cities and towns to spend on local needs. The treasurer also manages state cash and borrowing and chairs boards that oversee pension investments and help pay for public school construction, according to the state treasurer's office.
Swift said Dionne would work across party lines and help return more state aid to western Massachusetts.
Dionne thanked Swift and praised her work on education, her response to the September 11 attacks and her handling of the fiscal problems that followed.
She also pointed to the scrutiny Swift faced as a working mother in the governor’s office.
“Her steadfast and compassionate leadership paved the way for generations of working mothers and younger women to seek elected office in Massachusetts,” Dionne said.
