RICHARD K. SULLIVAN JR.
BOSTON – Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs and former Westfield Mayor Richard K. Sullivan has been appointed Chief of Staff to Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick.
Patrick, who has stated he will not seek reelection this year, referred to Sullivan as “an extraordinary leader” and “great manager” who “has enormous respect within the administration and beyond.”
“I’m absolutely humbled that the Governor has asked me to step into this new role for him in his last six months,” Sullivan said yesterdday. “I think it will be exciting, certainly a huge professional lerning experience. There’s always a hint of trepidation when you’re walking into something new, and this is a big responsibility as we go to close out the Governor’s aggressive agenda in the last six months.”
First elected Mayor for the City of Westfield in 1994, Sullivan left that post in 2007 when he was appointed commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation by Patrick, who had just been elected to his first term as Governor.
Sullivan was then appointed Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs in 2011 at the start of Patrick’s second term, in which he oversaw the Departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation & Recreation, Agricultural Resources and Fish & Game. He also serves as Chairman of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
“When I came in as Secretary, there was a very aggressive agenda on clean energy, and I think we have followed through on the policies that the Governor put in during his first term,” Sullivan said. “Today, we’re number one in the nation in energy efficiency, we’ve grown the solar industry from three megawatts in 2007 to just about 500 megawatts.”
Sullivan listed among his proudest achievements while with the EEA the creation and marketing of the Commonwealth’s water innovation cluster and an emphasis on environmental issues.
“The work around land preservation and conservation – we now have over 110,000 acres of land thats in protection today that was not in protection in 2007 – and being able to work with our environmental agencies to deploy clean, renewable energy and efficiencies,” he said. “We’re bringing the Governor’s vision to fruition in terms of how energy and the environment can work together.”
Brendan Ryan, Patrick’s current Chief of Staff, is departing the post in order to lend his services to the Together PAC, the Governor’s political action committee.
“I know that he (Patrick) will be well served by Rick Sullivan, who has been a leader in this Administration for many years,” said Ryan. “(Sullivan) is the right person to lead a talented and dedicated Governor’s office for the duration of this year.”
Asked what his plan is for the post-Patrick era, Sullivan said he is focused on the here and now.
“Of course everybody thinks of what’s next because we all know January 7 is circled on the calender and the Patrick Administration will come to an end.” he said. “I will have to see what’s next, I can’t tell you exactly what that is, but there will be a next chapter.”
“I certainly never rule out public service at all – I’ve had 20 years plus of public service and am proud of that service – but I also would not rule out going back to the private sector,” Sullivan continued. “We’ll see whats out there. I feel good about where I am personally, but I’m really more happy about where Governor Patrick has taken the state.”
Undersecretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett will take over for Sullivan. Bartlett has also held several other posts in state government and with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
