Barrios set to resign from state Senate
Says he will head health foundation
Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, one of the Legislature's most prominent voices for gay rights and immigrants, said yesterday that he is resigning to become the leader of a healthcare foundation.
The 38-year-old Cuban- American lawyer, long seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he will step down in July to take over as president and chief executive of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
With his talent for firing up crowds at rallies and protests, Barrios has been a singular figure in state politics: the first Hispanic state senator, the only lawmaker married to a same-sex partner, and certainly the only one to sponsor salsa lessons for State House aides.
He will become the second senator to leave for the private sector since November's elections, following Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, who resigned to become a lobbyist in March.
Barrios's departure surprised many in the political establishment, who said the Cambridge Democrat seemed to feed off the energy of partisan politics. It also suggested a flip side to the Democratic Party's dominance in Massachusetts: With every seat in Washington held by Democrats and few vacancies likely, ambitious young politicians can feel stifled.
Governor Deval Patrick has indicated he will serve two terms and US Representative Michael E. Capuano, who holds the congressional seat in Barrios's district, has not indicated he plans to step down any time soon.
"Barrios has risen fast, but maybe as far as he can go without assuming a top position, and that's not likely to occur soon," said Paul Y. Watanabe, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts. "And for any opening that does occur, there are probably 20 incumbent Democratic officeholders willing to make a run, which makes it difficult for someone like Jarrett to find a place for himself."
Barrios launched a campaign to become Middlesex district attorney last year, but withdrew when it appeared unlikely he could win. Elected to the House in 1998 and to the Senate in 2002, Barrios championed mostly liberal causes, pushing through a tax credit for affordable housing and a bill to ensure that foreign- language interpreters are available in emergency rooms.
He also latched on to hot- button issues, small and large, filing legislation to prohibit those under 18 from using cellphones while driving and to limit servings of Marshmallow Fluff in school lunches.
Yesterday, Barrios described his new job, overseeing a $102 million endowment to expand access to health insurance, as a continuation of his old one.
"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to continue the public service that I was blessed with the opportunity to engage in, in the Legislature, on behalf of the communities I have always sought to represent: working people, the poor, immigrants, people of color, vulnerable populations," he said.
At the foundation, Barrios will replace Nancy Turnbull, who announced several months ago that she was leaving to become a dean at the Harvard School of Public Health. The foundation's chairman, Philip W. Johnston, is the former chairman of the Democratic Party. Johnston said the board voted unanimously yesterday to give Barrios the job.
"We think he's an extraordinary talent with deep ties to the community, who can lead the foundation with energy and vision," Johnston said of Barrios.
Neither man would disclose Barrios's salary. But Barrios said he will earn slightly more than the six figures he earns as a senator and a lawyer at DLA Piper in Boston, a job that Barrios said he would also quit soon. Barrios, a father of two boys, ages 11 and 15, said salary was not a factor. He noted that his spouse, Douglas J. Hattaway, runs a successful political consulting firm.
Barrios said he wanted to stay in the Senate through next month, when the House and Senate are scheduled to take up a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Barrios has been one of the most passionate supporters of same-sex marriage since the landmark 2003 decision legalizing such unions in Massachusetts. During debate on the constitutional ban last year, he told his colleagues, "You don't have to like us. We are only asking you today to end the debate so that . . . we will at least have the right to enjoy the same rights the rest of you have enjoyed for time immemorial."
Former Senate president Thomas F. Birmingham, who held Barrios's seat, said he was surprised the announcement.
"He's an intensely political person, and I thought that ran into every fiber of his body," said Birmingham. "But sometimes, this is not the most family-friendly profession."
Few who know Barrios expected him to remain in the private sector forever. "If I were a betting man, I'd bet it's not the last time you've seen Jarrett Barrios's name on a ballot," said Cambridge city councilor Brian Murphy, who has campaigned with Barrios. He said the senator was looking for "a chance to influence the public policy debate in a new way."
Asked about whether he would run for office again, Barrios said, "Maybe. I don't know. That's sort of the furthest thing from my mind."
Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com. 