Paul Heroux

Heroux served as a state representative from 2013-2017.

Paul Heroux was first elected in November 2012 as the State Representative from the Second Bristol District, Massachusetts.

• On 6 September 2012, Heroux won a Democratic primary with over 78% of the vote.[2]
• On 7 November 2012, Heroux defeated Republican incumbent George T. Ross with over 58% of the vote.[3] Representative-elect Heroux was sworn in as freshmen representative on 2 January 2013.[4]
• On 4 November 2014 Heroux was elected to a second term with 61% of the vote over local businessman Bert Buckley.[5]
• In 2016, Heroux ran unopposed for reelection and received 99.6% of the total votes cast for state representative.[6]

Heroux's work as a state representative included creating a $38 million school internet infrastructure grant program that offered money to school districts all over Massachusetts,[7][8] was a cosponsor of the transgender public accommodation bill,[9] which is now law as the Massachusetts Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Initiative,[10] was a cosponsor of the ban on gay conversion therapy,[11] which is now law,[12] adding money to several state budgets for homeless children's programs,[13] and fought to try to get the state to measure prison program outcomes on reducing recidivism.[14]

Paul Heroux served as mayor of Attleboro, MA for five years from January 2, 2018 until January 3, 2023.

• On 19 September 2017, Heroux came in first in a mayoral preliminary with 46.5% against 7-term incumbent Kevin Dumas, handing Dumas his first political defeat with 41.5%, and 12% for former fire chief Ronald Churchill.[15]
• On 7 November 2017, Heroux defeated 7-term incumbent Kevin Dumas with 54% of the vote.[16]
• On 5 November 2019, Heroux defeated challenger and city council vice president Heather Porreca 67% to 32% for the race for mayor.[17]
• On 21 September 2021, Heroux came in first in a three way preliminary obtaining 65.9% of the vote to his two competitors' 25.8% and 8.3%, respectively.[18]
• On 2 November 2021, Heroux won 66% of the vote against his opponent Todd McGhee winning a third and final term as mayor.[19]

As mayor, Heroux pushed the redevelopment of the city center,[20] prioritized business support,[21] prioritized education spending by repairing roofs that leaked for 20 years,[22] boosted education funding and created a special education stabilization fund,[23][24] maintained the city's AA bond rating despite hard financial times inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[25] Heroux created a rent and mortgage assistance program for Attleboro residents who fell behind on rent and mortgage payments to help avoid evictions and foreclosures.[26][27][28] Heroux has made efforts to recruit women and people of color fill vacancies on city boards and commissions.[29] Heroux promoted advanced training in unconscious bias, duty to intervene to prevent excessive force, and de-escalation training for city police officers,[30][31] and made sure that every firefighter has two sets of protective fire gear for the first time in city department history by funding in the budget every year.[32] Heroux made news across the country when he implemented a strict zero tolerance policy for people who leave dogs in hot cars,[33][34]

The Sun Chronicle said "Paul Heroux will surely go down as the most environmentally-conscience mayor in Attleboro’s history."[35] During Heroux's tenure as mayor, he has taken many decidedly pro-environmental positions. These include purchasing the bankrupt privately owned Highland Country Club and turning it into the city owned Highland Park[36] and putting a monarch butterfly population in the new park,[37] making all city government buildings 100% wind powered,[38] ordered city workers to use recycled paper products whenever practicable and cost effective,[39] formed a special committee to update the city's Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Report to prepare for the possibility of greater impact from climate change,[40][41] changing all of the city street lights and city building lights to LED lights,[42] moving the city fleet of vehicles to hybrids where possible,[42] putting solar panels above city owned parking lots,[42] making Attleboro a Green Community,[43] banning single use plastic bags,[44] banning plastic and Styrofoam take away cups and containers from restaurants and convenience stores,[45] banning body and face washes that have plastic exfoliating beads,[46] banning the intentional releasing of balloons into the air,[47] banning the distribution of plastic straws, the sale of fluorescent light bulbs containing mercury and bee killing insecticides containing neonicotinoids.[48] Heroux also submitted ordinance proposals that would triple the Wetland Protection Zone,[49][50][51] and ban single use plastic water bottles, and plastic miniature alcohol bottles.[52] Heroux is also seen around the city picking up litter with his dog or with groups of volunteers.[53]

In 2017, on the day of the preliminary election, Heroux was featured by several media outlets for being bitten by a dog the day before while campaigning for mayor, his sixth dog bite in 5 years.[54][55]

On 10 January 2022, Heroux announced he is running for Sheriff of Bristol County, Massachusetts against incumbent Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson.[56][57]

• Heroux won the Democratic primary on September 6 with 41.8% of the vote, while the other two candidates received 33.5% and 24.7%.[58]
• Heroux defeated Hodgson in the general election on November 8, 2022 with 50.9% to 49.1%.[59]

Heroux took office on 4 January 2023.[60] Heroux started new recruitment and retention incentives,[61] hired an expert to review inmate suicides,[62] released the suicide report unredacted and redesigned the bunk beds to make them more suicide resistant,[63] and offered a plan to close the Ash Street jail, which is the oldest jail in operation in the country.[64] Heroux extended the training academy for new corrections officers from eight weeks to nine weeks to add classes focused on de-escalation, dealing with mental illness, duty to intervene, and implicit bias.[65] Heroux reduced the burden of a high commission on optional inmate commissary goods from 31.75% to 20%, a 12% reduction in what inmates pay, and started providing shower sandals to all inmates; Heroux called it "unconscionable" that inmates were forced to buy shower sandals from the commissary or go without.[66]