Deb Goldberg

American politician
Deb Goldberg
Official portrait, 2015
58th Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 21, 2015
GovernorCharlie Baker
Maura Healey
Preceded bySteve Grossman
Member of the Brookline Board of Selectmen
In office
1998–2004
Personal details
Born
Deborah Beth Goldberg

(1954-05-11) May 11, 1954 (age 69)
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMichael Winter
Children2
EducationBoston University (BA)
Boston College (JD)
Harvard University (MBA)
WebsiteGovernment website

Deborah Beth Goldberg[1] (born May 11, 1954) is an American politician and lawyer. She is the Treasurer of Massachusetts, serving since January 2015. She was a member of the Board of Selectmen for the town of Brookline, Massachusetts from 1998 to 2004, serving the last two terms as chair. Goldberg was a candidate in the 2006 Massachusetts Democratic primary election for lieutenant governor. In 2018, Goldberg was re-elected as State Treasurer.[2]

Early life and education

Goldberg was raised in Brookline and graduated from Boston University (B.A., '75), Boston College Law School (J.D., '83),[3] and Harvard Business School (M.B.A., '85).[4]

Goldberg's family immigrated to Massachusetts and opened a grocery store in Boston's North End in 1892. The family opened additional stores and their business grew into what eventually became Stop & Shop, the largest supermarket chain in New England.[5] Goldberg helped run this family business when she was younger[6] and attributes some of her stance on advocating for local issues to her upbringing with a family-run market. She relates to her constituents with rhetoric such as "I say my family is your family" in her speeches. Though she received an MBA, she states “my real MBA came from working in the business.”[7][6]

Political career

2006 lieutenant governor campaign

Goldberg (center right) at a debate with Andrea Silbert, Sam Kelly and Tim Murray

In the 2006 Democratic Primary, Goldberg finished second in a three-way race to then-Worcester Mayor Tim Murray with 33% of the vote.

She received the endorsement of the Boston Herald, but failed to win the endorsement of her hometown newspaper, the Brookline Tab, because, they claimed, she had "been taking too much credit" for the town's accomplishments and had "over inflate(d) the chairman's job".[8] The strongly worded rebuke resulted in a vocal reader response[9] and a separate endorsement[10] from Stan Spiegel, a Brookline Tab columnist and Brookline Town Meeting member.

2014 campaign for treasurer

On February 27, 2014, Goldberg formally announced her candidacy for State Treasurer.[11] At the Massachusetts Democratic Convention, she was the top vote-getter in the race for Treasurer, winning 38.9% of the vote.[12] Goldberg was the first to release a televised advertisement in the race on August 4, 2014.[13] Goldberg was seated as Treasurer January 21, 2015 after defeating Republican Mike Heffernan in the general election.

2018 re-election

In 2018, Goldberg was re-elected to her position as State Treasurer with 67.6% of the vote.[14] She defeated State Representative and Republican National Committeewoman Keiko Orrall who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.[15]

Other work

Prior to becoming Treasurer, Goldberg served as president of the board of directors of Adoptions with Love,[16] was an Advisory Board member of the Greater Boston Food Bank, is a Commissioner on the Town of Brookline's Neighborhood Conservation District Commission, was Senate President Therese Murray's appointee to the Treasurer's Commonwealth Covenant Fund, and sat on the advisory board of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at Harvard Kennedy School.[17]

Goldberg is involved with various events for Jewish organizations such as the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action[18] and was the first Jewish woman elected to statewide office in Massachusetts.[19]

Controversy

In November 2014, it was reported that Goldberg had admonished an employee of Adoptions with Love for seeking employment with the State Treasurer's office without first informing her current employer of her job seeking plans. Goldberg came to this knowledge in her official capacity as Treasurer-elect, and her actions were seen as a breach of ethics.[20][21][22]

Electoral history

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Timothy Murray 351,951 42.6
Democratic Deborah Goldberg 280,661 34.0
Democratic Andrea Silbert 192,165 23.3
Democratic Write-ins 1,602 0.2
Massachusetts Treasurer & Receiver-General Democratic Primary Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deborah Goldberg 202,819 42.7
Democratic Barry Finegold 149,470 31.4
Democratic Thomas Conroy 122,198 25.7
Democratic Write-ins 848 0.2
Massachusetts Treasurer & Receiver-General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Deborah Goldberg 1,120,192 55.1
Republican Michael James Heffernan 828,894 40.8
Green-Rainbow Ian Jackson 81,907 4.0
Write-ins Write-ins 1,665 0.1

Personal life

She is married to Michael Winter, with whom she has two children.[23]

Recognition

Goldberg received the 2016 Excellence in Leadership Award from The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC) and the Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations (MAJF)'s "Women in Leadership" reception.[24][25]

In 2023, Goldberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Arts Academy, Boston's only public arts high school, honoring her deep-rooted connection to the arts.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Deborah Beth Goldberg Has Wedding (Published 1987)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27.
  2. ^ "The Enterprise: State's top office holders sweep to re-election".
  3. ^ "Home - Law School - Boston College".
  4. ^ "Deborah Goldberg- Candidate for Lieutenant Governor- Boston Globe - Boston.com". Archived from the original on 2010-10-28.
  5. ^ "UFCW: Stop & Shop Locals Turn a Contract Campaign into a Grocery Workers' Movement". 29 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Goldberg: Family business, public service prepped her for state treasurer job - The Democratic candidate for state treasurer, Deb Goldberg, talks with Patriot Ledger".
  7. ^ "Berkshire Eagle: Longtime Democratic activist Deb Goldberg banking on youthful field ops in state treasurer nomination fight".
  8. ^ [1][dead link]
  9. ^ "Readers respond: Editorial raises concerns - Brookline, Massachusetts - Brookline TAB". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11.
  10. ^ "Spiegel: Informed voting - the Gold(berg) standard - Brookline, Massachusetts - Brookline TAB". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11.
  11. ^ "RELEASE: Deb Goldberg Formally Announces Candidacy for Treasurer". Deb Goldberg for Treasurer. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  12. ^ "Democratic convention: Deb Goldberg tops field in bid for state treasurer". Wicked Local Wellfleet.
  13. ^ "Deb Goldberg for State Treasurer - "Opportunity"". YouTube. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  14. ^ "7 News Boston: Democratic Treasurer Deb Goldberg wins 2nd term".
  15. ^ "Election guide: Treasurer". bostonglobe.com. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Birthparents - Domestic Adoption". Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  17. ^ Harvard Kennedy School. "Harvard Kennedy School – Taubman Center for State and Local Government". harvard.edu.
  18. ^ "JASLA: Dreidels with Deb!".
  19. ^ "MassLive: State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg pledges to grow rainy day fund, upgrade lottery as she takes office". Masslive. 21 January 2015.
  20. ^ Thomas Farragher. "Deb Goldberg rues decision that cost employee her job". bostonglobe.com.
  21. ^ Frank Phillips. "Applicant Blames Incoming State Treasurer for Job Loss". bostonglobe.com.
  22. ^ Boston Globe Editorial Board. "Deb Goldberg's inappropriate call exposes gap in state ethics law". bostonglobe.com.
  23. ^ "South Coast Today: Goldberg touts old-fashioned business ethic in treasurer's race".
  24. ^ "JCRC: JCRC and MAJF to Honor Women in Leadership at State House Reception". 16 February 2016.
  25. ^ "JRCR: #LegRec16 is pleased to honor Women in Leadership".
  26. ^ Khowais, Ruth. "Arts Academy Names Honorees". Fenway News. No. October 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 3 October 2023.

Further reading

  • Supporting state treasurer candidate Goldberg
  • Candidate for Mass. treasurer Deb Goldberg endorsed by labor union representing 35K members
  • Treasurer candidate Deb Goldberg gets firefighter support
  • Emily's List Endorses Deb Goldberg for Massachusetts Treasurer
  • Democratic primary likely in Massachusetts treasurer's race

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deb Goldberg.
  • Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General of Massachusetts website
  • Deb Goldberg for Treasurer campaign website
Political offices
Preceded by
Steve Grossman
Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
2015–present
Incumbent
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