Sean Diamond
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Sean Diamond (Forward Party Independent) ran for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 9th Middlesex District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Diamond completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sean Diamond was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Diamond earned a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College in 2008 and a graduate degree from the University of East Anglia in 2010. Diamond's career experience includes working in IT, data science, and user experience for the utility industry.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District
Incumbent Thomas Stanley defeated Carly Downs and Sean Diamond in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Thomas Stanley (D) | 72.7 | 13,465 |
 | Carly Downs (R)  | 20.7 | 3,829 | |
 | Sean Diamond (Forward Party Independent) | 6.6 | 1,219 | |
| Total votes: 18,513 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District
Incumbent Thomas Stanley defeated Heather May in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District on September 3, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Stanley | 57.4 | 2,748 |
 | Heather May | 42.5 | 2,038 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 4,790 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District
Carly Downs advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District on September 3, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carly Downs | 97.6 | 685 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.4 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 702 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Diamond in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sean Diamond completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Diamond's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I moved to Massachusetts in the summer of 2012 with my (now) wife Lauren. I’ve been working in Waltham since 2012 in the solar department of a utility company. Once Lauren and I (and our cat Louise) were fortunate enough to be able to save up enough for a down payment, we decided to move to Waltham in 2019.
With an academic background in physics and climate change science, I have spent my entire professional career so far working on sustainability, clean energy, and climate change initiatives. In my personal life, I spend a lot of time learning about and discussing philosophy, history, economics, and politics with friends and neighbors in Massachusetts as well as friends and family “back home” in Pennsylvania. I have previously been enrolled in both the Republican and Democratic parties, but I have never been fully comfortable in either major party.
I understand that as a society we’ll never make much progress if we only chase after either “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (as the Democratic Party advocates would contend) or “liberty, freedom, and independence” (as the Republican Party used to represent until it turned to more authoritarian policies and insurrectionist tactics). Instead, we need to combine the best ideals of both parties and leave the other ideological baggage behind. While technically an “independent” candidate due to MA election laws regarding formal political party recognition, I am the first Forward Party candidate on ballot in Massachusetts.- Championing respect for everyone’s time and attention in every aspect of government, business, and society. This crosses all issues and requires thinking beyond stereotypical “left vs right” politics. As just one example, while some look narrowly at reproductive agency purely as a “pro-life” or “pro-choice” issue, as recent actions by other state governments have shown, it is so much more important and impactful than that. The same experts, medication, and procedures that are used as contraceptives and to perform abortions are also necessary for safe sex, healthy pregnancies, and saving lives. If elected, I would work with other legislators and state agencies to safeguard reproductive agency for everyone in Massachusetts.
- Demanding user-centered accessible design in all government programs and regulations, including all aspects of design from the physical design of government parks and buildings, to accessible streetscapes and sidewalks, to educational programming that meet each student’s learning needs, to how each regulatory process, form, and technology system we interact with in order to live, work, vote, drive, or obtain municipal, utility, emergency, and library services. If elected, I would avoid and revisit laws creating artificial “cliffs” where families just a little bit above (or below) an arbitrary financial threshold and/or doesn’t meet certain demographic criteria are excluded from or lose access to services necessary for basic human dignity.
- Democracy is fundamental to human dignity, and regardless of what happens in the rest of the world, Massachusetts should be prepared to safeguard democracy for the coming century. If elected, I would pursue every opportunity to defend every citizen’s right to vote and have their voice heard, including lowering barriers to entry for non-incumbent candidates in state and local elections, ensuring that the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office takes all appropriate precautions to avoid election interference from malicious actors, and passing legislation to update Massachusetts campaign finance laws and election infrastructure for the digital age.
I am passionate about issues that require a balance of independent thought and collective action, such as: mitigating and adapting to climate change in a manner that is economically sustainable but also at a sufficient scale to be effective, addressing the housing affordability crisis without destroying the wealth-creating opportunities presented by home ownership, ensuring that we maintain or even improve dignity for every member of society in a rapidly advancing digital age by allowing individuals to have more agency over how their data is used and how much of our attention is stolen by big tech companies that provide “free” services online.
I read, watch, and listen to a wide variety of books, movies, shows, and podcasts — so it is very difficult to narrow down to a single recommendation but here is a small sampling of books and podcasts in no particular order.
Books:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Next Realignment by Frank J. Distefano
The Unintended Reformation by Brad Gregory
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Waking Up by Sam Harris
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Podcasts:
99% Invisible
Forward (with Andrew Yang)
Political Climate
Planet Money
What’s Your Problem (with Jacob Goldstein)
Revisionist History (with Malcolm Gladwell)
Cautionary Tales (with Tim Hartford)
Freakonomics Radio (with Stephen Dubner)
Tides of History (with Patrick Wyman)
American Elections Wicked Game (limited series about every Presidential election in US history)
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
It is a very fun book to read, and at the same time it challenges the reader to reconsider what they think to be the meaning of well… life, the universe, and everything!
It is a very fun book to read, and at the same time it challenges the reader to reconsider what they think to be the meaning of well… life, the universe, and everything!
Trust but verify. In an ideal world, where the state legislature follows an open and transparent process, the legislature should (both of its own accord and relying on a robust and free local press) set the boundaries of what is acceptable by carefully crafting legislative mandates for regulators to follow and then persistently demanding transparency and efficiency from the executive branch in executing those legislative directives. Where it is in the best interest of the people of the Commonwealth, the state legislature should proactively support the initiatives of the Governor and other elected executive officials.
Staying on target with carbon neutrality targets regardless of action (or lack thereof) at the federal level. This includes the ability to continue decarbonizing the economy even as there is increased demand for energy from AI and electrification technologies. This requires quickly implementing the technical, economic, and policy solutions that have already been legislated and making adjustments where those solutions result in unintended financial hardship, fail to effectively address root causes, or threaten our free and open society.
As in any profession, experience is a positive attribute as long as it is accompanied by positive intent, intentional practice, openness to new ideas, and respect for everyone’s time and attention. As someone with over a decade of business experience in renewable energy and utility industry, including several years managing teams of talented individuals, I’ve learned that leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills are transferable beyond any specific company or industry. Therefore, it is more beneficial for state legislators to have a wide breadth of knowledge, experience, and innate curiosity that allows them to quickly learn and understand the nuances of highly technical issues that impact the people they represent than to passively gain legislative experience by simply remaining in office year after year. In government and politics, an overabundance of “experience” by incumbents who are unchallenged electorally in a position for decades can lead to complacency, a lack of transparency, or legislative stagnation that fails to align with the best interests of the people being represented.
Absolutely. It is important for legislators to understand not only the needs of their constituents but the motivations and concerns of their legislative colleagues in order to identify and pass win-win opportunities into law. It is also beneficial to build relationships informally, so that the legislature can maintain an atmosphere of civil discourse even when controversial issues are on the table.
Yes, I would be open to running for other offices in the future. However, unlike the incumbent office holder, I will commit to only holding one elected office at a time. I have also spent more than a dozen years working in a business setting, so I would also be comfortable returning to work in a private industry or commercial business setting after serving in public office. Throughout my adult life, I am regularly reflecting on whether or not my current profession or latest passion project is the most effective way for me (given my technical skills, leadership qualities, and previous experiences) to improve society while also enjoying everything that life has to offer. Therefore, if I get to a point where I feel like I am no longer learning, growing, and making a real impact, I would recognize that it is time to move onto another public offices or outside opportunities.
I have encountered many personal stories from residents that been negatively impacted by Waltham’s poor facilities design and lack of accessibility in our public school system. One of the first families I met on the campaign trail decided to pull their children out of the public school system because over half the children in each class were not proficient enough in English (I had to fact check this!) to keep up with the normal lesson plans, which overburdens teachers who are attempting to simultaneously accommodate those still learning English as well as those already proficient in English and ready to take on more advanced material. I’ve lost count of how many people that have told me about a child, grandchild, or other relative that has to be bussed half way across the state, because there are insufficient special needs accommodations and teacher’s aids in the school district. I’ve also met several educators, including one who was concerned about poor curriculum design for teaching children how to read — failing to use the fundamental concepts about sounding out words! Another educator was distressed about the city’s failure to consult and take seriously the concerns of teachers about the “open concept” design of classroom space in the newly built high school. Anyone who has attempted to work in an open-office cubicle farm, can certainly see how impossible of a task this would present to even the most skilled educators.
In Massachusetts, the legislature has already granted broad authority to the Governor for the use of emergency powers in 1950 under the Civil Defense Act. However, it is important the legislature maintain appropriate oversight regarding the use of such powers to ensure that (a) they are not used as a catch all for addressing non-acute emergencies (e.g. this authority should not be used to broadly address climate change but could be used to address the direct impact of individual natural disasters) and (b) they should never be used in a manner that limits the public’s freedom of expression or suppresses free and fair elections. Furthermore, the legislature should seek to understand the underlying root causes and other factors that might have exacerbated each scenario that required the use of Civil Defense Act authority by the Governor and subsequently put proactive, long-term legislative measures in place (where feasible) to minimize the future need for exercising emergency powers in the first place.
I would start with a bill that seeks to bolster the local free press in Massachusetts — the same topic as the Founding Fathers when they drafted the Bill of Rights! While I am open to alternative solutions, my platform includes a proposal that provides incremental, dedicated funding to local public libraries if they host a local news organization that has complete editorial independence from elected officials and meets certain obligations to provide media coverage about local government and politics. See: https://www.sean.diamonds/platform-details/minuteman-local-news-consortium.
I’m interested primarily in three types of committees. Committees that ensure we continue to have a free and open society (such as the Joint Committee on Election Laws and the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight). Committees that address the most challenging issues of this century: climate change and the responsible use of “big data” (such as the House Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, and the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity). Committees that present the opportunity to champion respect for everyone’s time and attention in society at large (such as the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and the Joint Committee on Education).
From Beacon Hill to 610 Main St in Waltham, a combination of single-party rule, multi-decade incumbents, and a general complacency about keeping the public properly informed has resulted in many residents being unaware of local government decisions and actions. As a first step to resolving this, if elected I would setup regular in-person sessions in Waltham for constituents to hear updates and provide input on upcoming legislative bills.
In an official capacity, I would look to pass legislation that updates open meeting laws for the digital age and requires state legislative bodies, state agencies, and municipal governments to create and maintain mobile-responsive websites that meet accessibility best practices and make meeting notices, agendas, minutes, and other relevant public documentation about government owned properties, regulatory proceedings, and initiatives more accessible and transparent.
In an official capacity, I would look to pass legislation that updates open meeting laws for the digital age and requires state legislative bodies, state agencies, and municipal governments to create and maintain mobile-responsive websites that meet accessibility best practices and make meeting notices, agendas, minutes, and other relevant public documentation about government owned properties, regulatory proceedings, and initiatives more accessible and transparent.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Middlesex District |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 27, 2024
Current members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Ronald Mariano
Majority Leader:Michael Moran
Representatives
Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District
Thomas Moakley (D)
1st Barnstable District
Chris Flanagan (D)
1st Berkshire District
John Barrett (D)
1st Bristol District
Michael Chaisson (R)
1st Essex District
Dawne Shand (D)
1st Franklin District
Natalie Blais (D)
1st Hampden District
Todd Smola (R)
1st Hampshire District
Lindsay Sabadosa (D)
1st Middlesex District
1st Norfolk District
Bruce Ayers (D)
1st Plymouth District
Michelle Badger (D)
1st Suffolk District
Adrian Madaro (D)
1st Worcester District
2nd Barnstable District
Kip Diggs (D)
2nd Berkshire District
2nd Bristol District
James Hawkins (D)
2nd Essex District
Kristin Kassner (D)
2nd Franklin District
Susannah Whipps (U)
2nd Hampden District
Brian Ashe (D)
2nd Hampshire District
Homar Gomez (D)
2nd Middlesex District
James Arciero (D)
2nd Norfolk District
Tackey Chan (D)
2nd Plymouth District
John Gaskey (R)
2nd Suffolk District
Daniel Ryan (D)
2nd Worcester District
Jonathan Zlotnik (D)
3rd Barnstable District
David Vieira (R)
3rd Berkshire District
Leigh Davis (D)
3rd Bristol District
Lisa Field (D)
3rd Essex District
Andy Vargas (D)
3rd Hampden District
Nicholas Boldyga (R)
3rd Hampshire District
Mindy Domb (D)
3rd Middlesex District
Kate Hogan (D)
3rd Norfolk District
Ronald Mariano (D)
3rd Plymouth District
Joan Meschino (D)
3rd Suffolk District
Aaron Michlewitz (D)
3rd Worcester District
4th Barnstable District
Hadley Luddy (D)
4th Bristol District
Steven Howitt (R)
4th Essex District
Estela Reyes (D)
4th Hampden District
Kelly Pease (R)
4th Middlesex District
4th Norfolk District
James Murphy (D)
4th Plymouth District
4th Suffolk District
David Biele (D)
4th Worcester District
Natalie Higgins (D)
5th Barnstable District
Steven Xiarhos (R)
5th Bristol District
Justin Thurber (R)
5th Essex District
5th Hampden District
Patricia Duffy (D)
5th Middlesex District
David Linsky (D)
5th Norfolk District
Mark Cusack (D)
5th Plymouth District
David DeCoste (R)
5th Suffolk District
5th Worcester District
6th Bristol District
Carole Fiola (D)
6th Essex District
Hannah Bowen (D)
6th Hampden District
Michael Finn (D)
6th Middlesex District
Priscila Sousa (D)
6th Norfolk District
William Galvin (D)
6th Plymouth District
Kenneth Sweezey (R)
6th Suffolk District
Russell Holmes (D)
6th Worcester District
John Marsi (R)
7th Bristol District
Alan Silvia (D)
7th Essex District
Manny Cruz (D)
7th Hampden District
Aaron Saunders (D)
7th Middlesex District
Jack Lewis (D)
7th Norfolk District
Richard Wells (D)
7th Plymouth District
Alyson Sullivan (R)
7th Suffolk District
Chynah Tyler (D)
7th Worcester District
Paul Frost (R)
8th Bristol District
Steven Ouellette (D)
8th Essex District
Jenny Armini (D)
8th Hampden District
Shirley Arriaga (D)
8th Middlesex District
8th Norfolk District
Edward Philips (D)
8th Plymouth District
Dennis Gallagher (D)
8th Suffolk District
Jay Livingstone (D)
8th Worcester District
Michael Soter (R)
9th Bristol District
9th Essex District
Donald Wong (R)
9th Hampden District
Orlando Ramos (D)
9th Middlesex District
Thomas Stanley (D)
9th Norfolk District
Marcus Vaughn (R)
9th Plymouth District
Bridget Plouffe (D)
9th Suffolk District
John Moran (D)
9th Worcester District
David Muradian (R)
10th Bristol District
Mark Sylvia (D)
10th Essex District
Dan Cahill (D)
10th Hampden District
Carlos Gonzalez (D)
10th Middlesex District
John Lawn (D)
10th Norfolk District
Jeffrey Roy (D)
10th Plymouth District
Michelle DuBois (D)
10th Suffolk District
Bill MacGregor (D)
10th Worcester District
Brian Murray (D)
11th Bristol District
11th Essex District
Sean Reid (D)
11th Hampden District
Bud Williams (D)
11th Middlesex District
Amy Sangiolo (D)
11th Norfolk District
Paul McMurtry (D)
11th Plymouth District
Rita Mendes (D)
11th Suffolk District
Judith García (D)
11th Worcester District
Hannah Kane (R)
12th Bristol District
Norman Orrall (R)
12th Essex District
Thomas Walsh (D)
12th Hampden District
Angelo Puppolo (D)
12th Middlesex District
Greg Schwartz (D)
12th Norfolk District
John Rogers (D)
12th Plymouth District
Kathleen LaNatra (D)
12th Suffolk District
Brandy Oakley (D)
12th Worcester District
Meghan Kilcoyne (D)
13th Bristol District
Antonio Cabral (D)
13th Essex District
Sally Kerans (D)
13th Middlesex District
Carmine Gentile (D)
13th Norfolk District
Joshua Tarsky (D)
13th Suffolk District
Daniel Hunt (D)
13th Worcester District
John Mahoney (D)
14th Bristol District
Adam Scanlon (D)
14th Essex District
Adrianne Ramos (D)
14th Middlesex District
Simon Cataldo (D)
14th Norfolk District
Alice Peisch (D)
14th Suffolk District
Rob Consalvo (D)
14th Worcester District
James O'Day (D)
15th Essex District
Ryan Hamilton (D)
15th Middlesex District
Michelle Ciccolo (D)
15th Norfolk District
Tommy Vitolo (D)
15th Suffolk District
Sam Montaño (D)
15th Worcester District
Mary Keefe (D)
16th Essex District
16th Middlesex District
Rodney Elliott (D)
16th Suffolk District
Jessica Giannino (D)
16th Worcester District
Daniel Donahue (D)
17th Essex District
Frank Moran (D)
17th Middlesex District
Vanna Howard (D)
17th Suffolk District
Kevin Honan (D)
17th Worcester District
David LeBoeuf (D)
18th Essex District
Tram Nguyen (D)
18th Middlesex District
Tara Hong (D)
18th Suffolk District
Michael Moran (D)
18th Worcester District
Joseph McKenna (R)
19th Middlesex District
19th Suffolk District
Jeffrey Turco (D)
19th Worcester District
Kate Donaghue (D)
20th Middlesex District
Bradley Jones (R)
21st Middlesex District
Kenneth Gordon (D)
22nd Middlesex District
Marc Lombardo (R)
23rd Middlesex District
Sean Garballey (D)
24th Middlesex District
David Rogers (D)
25th Middlesex District
Marjorie Decker (D)
26th Middlesex District
Mike Connolly (D)
27th Middlesex District
28th Middlesex District
Joseph McGonagle (D)
29th Middlesex District
Steven Owens (D)
30th Middlesex District
Richard Haggerty (D)
31st Middlesex District
Michael Day (D)
32nd Middlesex District
33rd Middlesex District
Steven Ultrino (D)
34th Middlesex District
Christine Barber (D)
35th Middlesex District
Paul Donato (D)
36th Middlesex District
Colleen Garry (D)
37th Middlesex District
Danillo Sena (D)
Democratic Party (134)
Republican Party (25)
Unenrolled (1)
