Jim Marzilli - State Representative
Principled Leadership. Proven Results.

Endorsed for the State Senate by

• The Boston Globe
• Boston Teachers Union
• Sierra Club of Massachusetts, September 2007
• United Auto Workers, September 2007
• Mass Alliance, the united voice for progressive Massachusetts
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU) # 509
• SEIU #1199
• Blue Mass Group
• Boston Phoenix
• Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters
• National Association of Social Workers
• Massachusetts Nurses Assocation

Fighting and winning for our cities and towns

Jim Marzilli is in his ninth term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing Arlington and West Medford, and is on the Committees on Transportation and Municipal & Regional Government. He is one of the state’s leading advocates for working families, for progressive tax reform, for long term care and for an environmentally sound energy policy.
Jim has twice led successful fights to increase the minimum wage, giving the state the highest minimum wage in the nation. For three years he has led the effort to increase the pay for the lowest paid human service workers, increasing the salary account to its highest level ever this year. He was given the “Self Sufficiency” award by the Massachusetts Association of Community Action Program award in 2006 for his work on behalf of low wage workers.
Jim wrote the law that expanded the earned income tax credit benefiting low wage workers. He initiated the effort to provide tax relief to seniors living on fixed incomes who pay high property taxes, the state’s “circuit breaker” law. He also led the effort to restore the capital gains tax in Massachusetts.
Jim convened the Olmsted Group on long term care, to make sure that every person receives the care they need at an affordable price. He has been named “Legislator of the Year” three times, by the Massachusetts Human Services Providers Council, the Association of Developmental Disability Providers and the Alliance for Retarded Citizens for his work in this area.
Jim was named “Environmental Legislator of the Year” by the Environmental League of Massachusetts in 2001 for his work linking environmental protection and tax policy. His Green Building Tax Credit would provide tax incentives to builders who use environmentally sound building practices that reduce energy and water consumption, reduce storm water runoff and use non-toxic materials. His Clean Car Initiative would create a sliding scale sales tax based on a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Jim co-chairs the Energy & Environment Committee of the Council of State Governments. He has participated in four rounds of the Kyoto climate change treaty negotiations of the United Nations and led a delegation of state elected officials to the negotiations in Montreal. He has spoken on energy and environmental policy, and climate change in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, England, Italy, India and China.
Jim was the political commentator at New England Cable News TV from 1993 to 1994. He is a frequent guest lecturer at area colleges in public policy and civic participation, most recently teaching “Health Care Policy and Politics” at the Boston University Graduate School of Public Health.
Jim has a B.A. degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts. He is the President-elect of the New England Wild Flower Society and a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.