As of a special election held on Feb. 8, Somerville Alderman-at-Large Denise Provost may now add the title of "Massachusetts State Representative" to her resume.
Provost - an attorney, Democrat and current alderman-at-large - won the uncontested election for the 27th Middlesex District seat with 93 percent of the vote.
The seat was vacated when former Representative Pat Jehlen was elected to a position in the Massachusetts State Senate.
Provost will take her seat midway through a two-year term, so her agenda is still uncertain. As much of the legislation for the term has already been proposed, her work "partly...depends on which committees I'm assigned to," she said.
Provost's election has been well-received.
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone is confident that Provost is prepared to fit right in. "I would submit that Denise is ready to hit the ground running," he said.
He also feels that she will interact well with the rest of the Somerville Representatives. "They advocate with...persistence and tenacity. Denise will fit right in," he said.
Political figures on the Tufts campus have also voiced support for Provost.
"She's extremely passionate about issues that affect the day-to-day lives of her constituents, such as housing, education and health care," said Aaron Banks, President of the Tufts Democrats. "She's very progressive, liberal and very thoughtful."
Curtatone praised Provost's financial knowledge and hopes she will help to make health care more affordable on the local level.
"The issue of the cost of health care coverage is something that really has an impact on cities and towns," he said.
Curtatone also hopes Provost will be able to increase the amount of state aid to Somerville to "the level...we had in 2002." Since then, he said, Governor Mitt Romney has reduced the flow of money.
Due to the nature of the midterm election, Provost is not sure exactly how she will proceed when she takes office. Nor is she even certain of when she will be sworn in.
Though the election was uncontested, according to election law, "the results cannot be certified until 10 days have passed," she said.
Becoming a representative had not always been Provost's goal. She had previously been deterred partly because of her opposition to Representative Thomas Finneran, Speaker of the State House from 1996-2004.
"The House was run in a very rigid manner by Representative Finneran," she said. "One did not get the impression that decisions were made on the merits of proposed legislation."
When Provost did decide to run last fall, she won the Democratic primary against Elizabeth Moroney and went unchallenged in the special election.
As an alderman-at-large, Provost was elected by all of Somerville. Curtatone feels that the post may have helped her to gain popularity in the area.
By being elected at-large, Curtatone said, "She's not just bound to her geographic ward...She has a pretty close relationship with many...neighborhoods."
Prior to her post as alderman-at-large, Provost served as assistant city solicitor for Newton and later for Somerville.
Still an alderman-at-large, Provost does not plan to hold the position "indefinitely", but is uncertain of when she will step down.
Provost was elected as alderman-at-large last November. If she steps down within a year of her election, a special election will take place for her seat. Otherwise, her replacement will be appointed.
"I have duties to wrap up. I'm not going to abandon my duty. I'm also concerned about the cost of another special election for the city," she said.
Although she has not been sworn in, Provost is handling the duties of both of the jobs.
"There's a lot to be done, even now," she said.
