Addressing Public Health in the Age of COVID-19

We can’t gather in large groups, but we can still get together electronically, so get your own bagels, make your own coffee, and join us virtually from your own kitchen via Zoom!

Cindy F. Friedman was elected to the Massachusetts Senate on July 25, 2017. She represents the Fourth Middlesex District, which includes Arlington, Billerica, Burlington, Woburn, and precincts 1-2 and 4-7 of Lexington. Prior to becoming a state Senator, Cindy worked as a public-school teacher, an executive in the high-tech industry and later served for nearly a decade as chief of staff to the late Senator Ken Donnelly.

Cindy has played an instrumental role in crafting and passing legislation to:

• Combat the opioid and mental health crisis
• Secure a $15 minimum wage and statewide paid family medical leave program
• Reform our pretrial bail system
• Increase funding for training of unemployed and underemployed workers

As a former teacher, Cindy has been a leading advocate for greater access to civics education and increased public school funding so that every student can have an equal opportunity for success. She currently serves as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and holds leadership or membership roles on many other committees, caucuses and commissions.

Public activism has been a passion for Cindy ever since she first marched to protect women’s reproductive rights in the 1970s. Fifteen years later, she worked with Planned Parenthood to defeat the 1986 referendum that would have allowed Massachusetts to regulate a woman’s right to choose.

By 1980, Cindy had moved to Arlington and established deep roots in the community. During this time, Cindy co-founded the Arlington Education Foundation, and her three children and two grandchildren attended Arlington Public Schools. As her passion for civic engagement continued to grow, Cindy became a Town Meeting member, founded Schools are a Priority in Our Town (SPOT) and was chair of the Arlington No Place for Hate Committee.

Finally, Cindy served as the statewide campaign manager for the gubernatorial campaign of Don Berwick and as a local campaign coordinator for the gubernatorial campaign of Deval Patrick and the state Senate campaigns of Ken Donnelly.

Cindy holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Roger Williams University and a master’s degree in special education from Lesley University. She currently lives in Arlington Center with her husband of 35 years, John Page. When she’s not working at the State House, Cindy enjoys working in her perennial garden, discovering new recipes to cook for dinner, and attending monthly book club meetings.

Log in to view Zoom details.