Alan Silvia | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 7th Bristol district | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Aguiar |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Fall River,Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University Salve Regina University |
| Occupation | Politician,police officer |
Alan Silvia is an American state legislator representing the 7th Bristol District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2013 as a member of the Democratic Party. [1] [ full citation needed ].
Silvia was born on October 11,1951,in Fall River,Massachusetts. [2] Silvia served in the United States Marine Corps from 1970 to 1972 and later pursued higher education,obtaining a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University in 1976 and a master's degree in human development and administration from Salve Regina University in 1986. [3] Silvia served in the Fall River Police Department for over twenty years as a patrolman and later a detective,retiring in 1998. [4]
Following the election of Robert Correia as Mayor of Fall River in 2007,Silvia was designated chairman of Correia's "Inaugural Gala Committee" [5] and later received an appointment to the Fall River Planning Board from Correia in July 2008. [6] On March 1,2010,Silvia announced he was challenging incumbent State Representative Kevin Aguiar (D-7th Bristol) in the Democratic primary,citing Aguiar's "lack of communication" with South End residents as the impetus for his campaign. [7] On September 6,2010,Silvia was defeated by Aguiar by only 280 votes, [8] with Aguiar going on to win reelection over his Republican opponent. The following year,Silvia was again involved in city-level politics when he served as campaign manager for Cathy Ann Viveiros during her unsuccessful campaign against Mayor William A. Flanagan. [9]
In 2012,Silvia announced he would again challenge Rep. Aguiar in the Democratic primary, [10] with the absence of Republican or other candidates meaning the winner would be assured election in November. On September 6,2012,preliminary results saw Silvia leading Aguiar by only seven votes:2,091 to 2,084;with both candidates expressing concerns about the integrity of the ballots and Aguiar declaring he would pursue a recount. [11] A recount process proceeded,with the final certified results reaffirming Silvia's victory over Aguiar;the margin expanding to 26 votes for a final total of 2,153 over 2,127. [12] Silvia was unopposed in the 2012 general election, [13] and did not have any opposition in 2014 [14] [15] and 2016. [16] [17]
During his first term in the General Court,Silvia was fined twice in relation to actions of his 2012 campaign committee,paying a $400 fine in February for appointing a public employee as his campaign treasurer,with an additional $20,000 in fines levied by the OCPF in August due to campaign finance violations. [18]
In 2018,Ian Tompkins,a candidate for the Fall River City Council a year prior,announced he would challenge Silvia in the general election as a member of the Green-Rainbow Party, [19] but ultimately dropped out of the race on August 29 and did not appear on the ballot, [20] leaving Silvia unopposed for the fourth consecutive general election. [21] [22]