REGION – The Community Advocate is profiling the candidates running in the newly-formed 19th Worcester District, which includes all of Southborough; precincts 1, 2 and 3 of Northborough; precincts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of Westborough and Precinct 21A of Framingham.
The state election will take place on Nov. 8.
Republican: Jonathan Hostage
The seventh of 10 children, Hostage has been a resident of Southborough since 2003. He has four children who have been educated in Southborough schools, and his daughter is a special education teacher in town.
A 1988 graduate of Northeastern University, Hostage began a small print and marketing business with his brother, Jeff. He was also an assistant coach for Northborough/Southborough T-Hawk football.
Hostage decided to run for office because he was concerned about what was happening in the schools.
“I watched a lot of what happened during COVID, and I didn’t like the way parents were being treated” when they asked about the “inappropriate” books being presented to children, he said.
“I was going to run for School Committee when I heard that the Republicans were looking for people to run for the seats created by redistricting. So I contacted Jim Lyons [the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party] and said I’d like to run.
“We need to get a more balanced representation on Beacon Hill,” he said. “We may not get this blue state red, but if we can lighten the shade a bit, or make it more purple, that would work.”
“We need to get a more balanced representation on Beacon Hill,” he said. “We may not get this blue state red, but if we can lighten the shade a bit, or make it more purple, that would work.”
Information: http://jonathanhostage.com/.
Democrat: Kate Donaghue
Donaghue grew up in Quincy, one of eight children. She attended Notre Dame Academy of Hingham on a scholarship, studied medical technology at UMass and computer science at WPI.
She worked for nearly four decades in computer operations, retiring in 2019 as a vice president for a local credit business.
Donaghue has lived in Westborough for nearly 50 years. She and her late husband, Kimball, used their love of hiking to get involved in trail making and maintenance, development and membership. They helped run a successful campaign to preserve the Long Trail in Vermont.
Locally, Donaghue has served on the Westborough Open Space Preservation Committee. She is also on the boards of the Green Mountain Club and the Westborough Community Land Trust.
Donaghue decided to run because “it’s an opportunity to make a difference.”
Should she be elected, Donaghue said she would focus on health care for seniors, the opioid epidemic, climate change, K-12 education and public transportation.
Donaghue said that bills she would support in the state legislature include the full funding of universal school meals.
She also hopes to push for improvements in addiction treatment in Massachusetts. This cause is personal — her son, Brian, died of an overdose in 2018. After his death, Donaghue organized lobbying days on Beacon Hill to talk to legislators and policymakers.
Information: https://www.katedonaghue.org/
