Barrios officially steps down
Jarrett Barrios, the first Latino and first openly gay lawmaker to serve in the state Senate, bid public office adieu today, as he moved on to his new gig in the private sector.
Barrios, who will take over as president and chief executive officer of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, presided over today's Senate session and honored his staffers, according to State House News Service. At the end of the session, he hugged Senate clerk William Welch. On Tuesday, he gave a farewell address to his colleagues.
The Cambridge senator was one of the most visible lawmakers on Beacon Hill, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. He never shied away from a fight with his political foes and was a frequent presence at press conferences, championing the rights of immigrants, decrying efforts to derail gay marriage, and highlighting new public safety initiatives.
The Cuban-American lawyer briefly entered the Middlesex District Attorney race last year, but withdrew when it appeared he was facing an uphill battle.
His new job overseeing the $102 million endowment has a slightly higher salary than his combined earnings as a senator and lawyer, but he said the raise was not the reason he took the job.
Instead, he said, the foundation's mission of expanding access to health insurance was a natural extension of his work as a lawmaker.
Barrios was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1997 and to the state Senate in 2001.
