Daniel Wolf (Massachusetts)
Daniel A. Wolf is a former Democratic member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing the Cape and Islands district. He was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
In July 2013, Wolf entered the 2014 Democratic primary race to succeed Deval Patrick as Governor of Massachusetts.[1] Following a conflict-of-interest ruling by the state ethics commission regarding his company's contracts with the Massachusetts Port Authority, Wolf was forced to suspend his gubernatorial campaign. Furthermore, he announced his resignation from the state senate, which was to take effect on August 29, 2013. Dowever, the commission granted Wolf an extension, giving him until September 19.[2][3] At the deadline, the commission granted Wolf an indefinite extension that left the status of his campaign uncertain, and he eventually decided to exit the race altogether on October 21, 2013.[4][5][6][7]
Biography
Wolf earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Wesleyan University in 1980. Wolf's professional experience includes co-founder and CEO of Cape Air and Nantucket Airlines, flight instructor, manager of the Chatham Municipal Airport, and aircraft mechanic. Wolf earned his private pilot's license in Chatham, and his commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates in Hyannis.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Wolf served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Labor and Workforce Development Joint, Chair |
| • Steering and Policy, Chair |
| • Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Joint |
| • Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Joint |
| • Revenue Joint |
| • Community Development and Small Businesses Joint |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Wolf served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Community Development and Small Business Joint |
| • Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Joint |
| • Labor and Workforce Development Joint, Chair |
| • Public Service Joint |
| • State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Joint, Vice chair |
| • Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Joint |
| • Veterans and Federal Affairs Joint |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Wolf served on these committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Joint |
| • Health Care Financing Joint |
| • Labor and Workforce Development Joint, Chair |
| • Municipalities and Regional Government Joint, Vice chair |
| • Public Service Joint |
| • Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Joint |
| • Veterans and Federal Affairs Joint |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2014
State Senate
Elections for the Massachusetts State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on September 9, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Dan Wolf was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Ronald Beaty, Jr. defeated Allen Waters in the Republican primary. Wolf defeated Beaty in the general election.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Dan Wolf Incumbent |
59.8% | 46,960 | |
| Republican | Ronald Beaty, Jr. | 35.5% | 27,902 | |
| None | Blank Votes | 4.2% | 3,279 | |
| Republican | Allen Waters (write-in) | 0.5% | 360 | |
| None | All Others | 0.1% | 75 | |
| Total Votes | 78,576 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Ronald Beaty, Jr. |
56.5% | 5,439 |
| Allen Waters | 43.5% | 4,186 |
| Total Votes | 9,625 | |
Governor of Massachusetts
Wolf began his campaign for Governor of Massachusetts in July 2013 but was forced to suspend his campaign one month later due to a conflict-of-interest ruling by the state ethics commission. The ruling rendered him ineligible to run for, or hold, public office in Massachusetts, and Wolf subsequently petitioned the commission to adjust the ruling.[9][10][11] After it met on September 19, the commission voted to draft an exemption and once again extended Wolf's compliance deadline, this time "indefinitely," according to Wolf's spokesman.[7] The uncertainty about if and when he could resume campaigning resulted in Wolf's decision to officially withdraw from the race on October 21, 2013.[12]
2012
Wolf won re-election in the 2012 election for Massachusetts State Senate Cape and Islands District. Wolf was unopposed in the September 6 Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[13]
2010
Wolf won election to the Cape and Islands seat in 2010. He defeated Sheila Lyons in the September 14 Democratic primary. He defeated the winner of the Republican primary in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| Massachusetts State Senate - Cape and Islands District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Daniel Wolf (D)
|
44,886 | |||
| James H. Crocker, Jr. (R) | 33,247 | |||
| All Others | 22 | |||
| Blanks | 3,152 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Massachusetts scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 4 through November 15. The legislature held an informal session from November 16 to January 2.
- Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes."
- Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 6 through July 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 7, 2015, through January 5, 2016.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 14 through August 1.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 2 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 4 through July 31.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 5 through November 16.
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Noteworthy events
Ethics investigation
The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission ruled on August 2, 2013 that Wolf could no become governor or hold his current state senate seat unless he sold his 23 percent holding in Cape Air.[14][15] Wolf founded Cape Air 25 prior, and it had since become an employee-owned business. The company had contracts with the Massachusetts Port Authority, a quasi-public agency whose board was controlled by the Governor.[14]
Wolf denied there was a conflict of interest, despite the agreements between Cape Air and the Port Authority, because the agreements went back to 2002 and were automatically renewed. He stated, "The fees paid by Cape Air are not negotiated but are set by Massport in accordance with Federal regulations and apply to all airlines flying in and out of Logan. Neither Cape Air nor Massport have taken any affirmative action on these agreements since 2002. Let me be clear: Massport took no affirmative action on these contracts while I was a State Senator and Cape Air took no action on these contracts while I was State Senator. There is no discretion to do so, based on federal standards and requirements."[16]
The Ethics Commission ruling was made following a request from Wolf to have his ownership in the company reviewed so that he would not violate the state's conflict of interest law. Wolf also claimed to have received an informal opinion on the issue saying that there would be no conflict of interest before he was elected in 2010. Additionally, he stated that his filings with the Ethics Commission while in office detailed his holdings in Cape Air and that these were never raised as areas of concern. Following the ruling, he said that he would appeal the decision and continue to serve as state senator and campaign for governor. He also claimed that the opinion of the commission would, "prevent any successful businessperson who may have even tangential business interaction with the state from entering public life."[16]
On August 22, 2013, Wolf announced his impending resignation and suspension of his campaign for governor in the event that the Commission did not reverse its decision. While maintaining that there was not a conflict of interest, Wolf said that terminating the contracts would have adverse economic consequences and that ending his involvement with Cape Air would hurt the company. Wolf's resignation was due to take effect on August 29, 2013, barring a reversal from the commission. On August 26, 2013, Wolf requested an extension in order to submit a petition; the commission granted it the following day. Wolf had until September 19, 2013 to either comply with the conflict-of-interest law or resign.[2][17]
When it met on September 19, 2013, the commission once again extended Wolf's compliance deadline, this time "indefinitely," according to Wolf's spokesman.[7][6] He dropped out of the race on October 21, 2013.[4]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wolf and his wife, Heidi Schuetz, have three children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Daniel + Wolf + Massachusetts + Senate
See also
- Massachusetts State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Joint Committees
- Massachusetts state legislative districts
- Massachusetts State Legislature
External links
- Campaign site
- Senate website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Cape state senator, treasurer to run for governor," July 11, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 MyFoxBoston.com, "Mass. Sen. Wolf to suspend campaign for Gov., resign from Senate," August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013
- ↑ Cape Cod Times, "Wolf gets reprieve from ethics board," August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Boston Herald, "Wolf, citing unresolved ethics complaint, exits gov’s race," October 22, 2013
- ↑ Cape Cod Times, "Wolf bows out of governor's race," October 21, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Boston Globe, "Ethics commission extends deadline for state Senator Dan Wolf to comply with ruling," September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Cape Cod Times, "Ethics Commission considering exemption for Wolf," September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "2014 State Primary Candidates," accessed September 9, 2014
- ↑ Dan Wolf for Governor 2014, "Press release: Resigning and Suspending Campaign Unless Ethics Commission Reconsiders," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ The Phoenix, "The Gathering Storm," November 7, 2012
- ↑ The Harwich Oracle, "Cape Cod Senator Dan Wolf considering run for governor," January 15, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddropout - ↑ 2012 State Primary Candidate List, "Massachusetts Secretary of State," Acccessed June 26, 2012
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Boston.com, "Wolf vows to continue campaign despite ethics ruling on his ownership of Cape Air," accessed August 8, 2013
- ↑ CommonWealth Magazine, "Massachusetts Ethics Commission Ruling," accessed August 8, 2013
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 CommonWealth, "Wolf: Ethics ruling bars run for governor," accessed August 8, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcc
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Massachusetts State Senate Cape and Islands 2011–2017 |
Succeeded by Julian Andre Cyr (D) |
