​Michelle Ciccolo is the State Representative for the 15th Middlesex District in Massachusetts, which includes all of the Town of Lexington and part of the City of Woburn. She serves on four Joint Committees, which include Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities; Elder Affairs; Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture; and State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. She is an active participant in a number of legislative member organizations, including the Progressive Caucus, the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, the Food System Caucus, the METCO Caucus, the Italian Caucus, the Regional Transit Authority Caucus, the Small Business Caucus, the Climate Alliance Caucus, the Cancer Awareness Caucus, and the National Guard Caucus.
​​Massachusetts has a thriving economic engine, with leading Life Sciences, Finance, Information Technology, Higher Education, and Advanced Manufacturing sectors. But we also have a severe deficit of skilled labor, and the sixth highest rate of income inequality in the nation. It is imperative that we create pathways to success and employment opportunities for residents of all skills levels. Widely available vocational and technical education is key, as well as support of small business ownership and downtown economies. Further, we must support land use reforms that makes business startup easier and more straightforward.
Similarly, I will always support the right to collective bargaining. I see the role of a legislator as multifaceted – co-sponsoring and supporting pro-labor legislation, picketing in support of workers, advocating for workers facing problematic employers, and using the office as a bully pulpit to further the goals of working women and men.