By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Northborough – As Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito presided over a ceremony Jan. 15 to swear-in Worcester Country District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr., members of Early’s family and staff were in attendance. But there were also hundreds of other guests watching with great interest – students at the Robert E. Melican Middle School. That’s because the ceremony actually took place at the school after a presentation by Ellen Miller, Early’s community outreach director, on cyber safety.
As his mother, Marilyn, held a Bible that had belonged to his late father, U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Early Sr., Early repeated after Polito the solemn words of oath for the office of the district attorney. After he finished and was congratulated by Polito, the students cheered with great gusto.
Early and Polito then spent some time telling the students a bit about themselves and their jobs and answering questions, of which there were many.
Early has been the Worcester County District Attorney for the last eight years, winning re-election in 2014 for another term. As DA, he has two missions, he told the students: prosecuting crimes and instituting programs to prevent crimes.
“This is the best part of my job,” he said, “going into schools and talking to kids. I know that part of preventing crimes is keeping kids busy after school.”
As such, his office took monies from drug dealers and directed those funds into after-school programs.
“Remember the ‘Golden Rule,’” he said. “Treat others like you want to be treated, like the way you wanted to be treated. Never say anything to anyone that you wouldn’t want said to your brother or sister.”
“Say yes to good things and no to bad things. Be disciplined,” he added. “And don’t lie because it will always come back to haunt you.”
The swearing-in ceremony was one of the first official acts as lieutenant governor for Polito who was sworn into that office just the prior week.
She herself was a mother, she told the students, to two young children who attended school in neighboring Shrewsbury.
Now that she was officially sworn in as lieutenant governor, she woke up every day, she said, “ready and eager to go to work.’
“It’s an awesome responsibility but also a great honor,” she added. “I want to help Gov. [Charlie] Baker make every part of our state great.”
In response to the question of what her main responsibility would be in her new position, she thought for a moment before answering.
“I would have to say, that it would be honoring the office by doing all of the work that needs to be done with focus and education,” she said. “It’s important to talk and listen to people and then follow-up to make sure things get done.”
Like Early, she too was inspired to serve by the example of those in her family, she said, particularly her grandfather, who was a former school committee member.
“We always had conversations on how to make good change,” she said. “I learned it’s important to take risks and work hard.”
Photos/courtesy Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
- Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, the DA’s wife Judy Early and their daughter Jackie after the DA took the oath of office for a third term.
