GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE EVAN FALCHUK ANNOUNCES RUNNING MATE, ANGUS JENNINGS FOR LT. GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release    April 2, 2014                            
Contact:  Jen Beltz, Falchuk for Governor
Ph: (857) 239-1444 jbeltz@falchuk2014.org

Boston – United Independent Party candidate for Governor of Massachusetts Evan Falchuk today announced his pick for Lt. Governor, professional planner Angus G. Jennings, a housing and land use expert.

Jennings is a highly regarded land planning professional and small business owner who has worked with state agencies and municipalities throughout the Commonwealth.  He joins Falchuk in calling for smart, brave reform of Massachusetts’ politics, economy and government, and a shift away from partisan sound bites toward pragmatic, common-sense decision making.

Born in Springfield and raised in Wilbraham, Jennings is now a resident of Concord. He attended Trinity College in Hartford and earned his Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University. He then returned to Massachusetts, where his work in public and private sectors has been focused on public interest objectives.

“Planning as a profession is founded on optimism, and a belief that the future can be better than the present,” Jennings said. “The outcomes of planning decisions are profoundly important to the day-to-day lives of people throughout the Commonwealth, and the decision making process can be as important as the outcome.”

Falchuk noted Jennings’s accomplishments in the critical area of housing played a leading role in his decision to ask Jennings to join his campaign. “Angus’s housing expertise and longtime experience working productively with everyone from state agency personnel and city mayors to municipal decision makers and community activists make him an ideal choice,” Falchuk said. “The cost of living in our state has risen steadily while incomes have remained stagnant – and the two biggest drivers of those increased costs have been health care and housing. For today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities, it’s easy to see the inherent value of having such a respected voice in housing on the ticket. My selection of Angus is reflective of the approach I’d take in filling other government posts. I will seek out valuable, real-world experience and a track record of meaningful accomplishment.”

Jennings is immediate past president and current board member of the non-profit Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors. He brings to the Falchuk/Jennings ticket a unique problem-solving skill set applied in Town Meetings and City Council hearings across the Commonwealth. He has served successful tenures as Town Planner for the Town of Marshfield and Director of Land Use Management for the Town of Westford.  In the private sector, he has worked as a planning consultant with communities all over the Commonwealth including Plymouth, Kingston, Brockton, Great Barrington, Lynnfield, Fitchburg, Belmont, Reading, Attleboro, Marblehead, Pittsfield, Cohasset, Somerville, Milton, Chatham, and Maynard.  Prior to his work in Massachusetts, Angus also worked both at the US Department of Justice and at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Falchuk sees a promising opportunity in Jennings’s understanding of how the actions, or inactions, of state policy affect actual challenges on the ground in municipal government and local development. ”With Angus as Massachusetts’ Lt. Governor, our state government will have a knowledge of how cities and towns operate, and how we can work together better as partners in our state’s government,” he said. “Massachusetts communities today face real challenges in their work with the state on issues of housing and economic development. Unfunded state mandates effectively dictate local priorities, yet the state has failed to provide the legal tools, professional resources and predictability needed to create conditions for housing and economic growth. Angus can lead in helping solve these problems.”

Jennings, his wife Kristen, an early childhood education professional, and their young daughter Carolann live in what he describes as a “modest, two-family house in the center of Concord, where we can walk to transit, coffee shops, restaurants, open space – everything a family needs for a good quality of life. Throughout Massachusetts, people of all ages are looking for this sort of neighborhood – but we’re just not seeing enough of it. As Lt. Governor, I can help change that.”

Falchuk added that it’s time to re-examine the role of Lt. Governor in Massachusetts, and put it to much better use. “I see this as a chance to modernize the role of Massachusetts’ Lt. Governor into an office with a substantial policy portfolio, in a way that applies the skills and experience of the person in that role,” he said. “I believe this can and should be a role that better serves people throughout the Commonwealth. I know when it comes to meeting our housing and economic development needs through coordinated state and local policy, in Angus we’d have someone with the skills, relationships, experience and passion to build thriving communities. That’s a big part of the smart, brave reform that is a foundation of this campaign.” 

About Evan Falchuk

Evan Falchuk (www.Falchuk2014.org) is the United Independent Party Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. A Massachusetts native and global business executive, Falchuk is calling for smart, brave reform of our politics, economy and government.  Founded in January 2013 by Falchuk and supporters from throughout Massachusetts, the United Independent Party (UIP) is committed to moving from the outdated “small government versus big government” debate between Democrats and Republicans to one focused on greater fiscal accountability to voters, stronger protection of social freedoms, and more innovative, pragmatic solutions that improve the day-to-day lives of individuals, families and communities.

About Angus Jennings

Angus G. Jennings (www.Falchuk2014.org/Jennings) is the United Independent Party Candidate for Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, running mate with Evan Falchuk for Governor of Massachusetts. Jennings is calling for smart, brave reform of our politics, economy and government, with a particular emphasis on building thriving communities. A highly regarded land planning and housing professional, Jennings has earned awards and recognition for his work throughout the Commonwealth.

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