State Rep. Owens-Hicks plans to retire

Yawu Miller

After 20 years in the State House, Rep. Shirley Owens-Hicks announced last week she will not seek re-election to her 6th Suffolk District seat in this year’s race.

“I think that the time has come for me to better be in a position to control my time and spend more of my time with my family,” Owens-Hicks told the Banner.

While Owens-Hicks is retiring from elective office, she says she intends to remain active in civic life in Mattapan.

“I expect to continue to do a lot of good things,” she said. “I just want to be able to control my time better.”

Owens-Hicks’ announcement has sparked interest among residents of the Mattapan district talk of a successor. But in a district that is largely a bedroom community where the incumbent rarely faced challengers, political activists may face a challenge in motivating voters to go to the polls.

“You haven’t had a contested election in this district for a long time,” said Emmanuel Bellgarde, executive director of the Mattapan Community Development Corporation. “It’s going to be very important for organizations like mine to get people excited about voting.”

Bellegarde says the Mattapan CDC has applied for a grant from a local foundation to fund a civic engagement initiative. The organization is planning an effort to register new voters and work with local neighborhood organizations to hold candidate forums.

That work won’t necessarily be easy, according to Bellgarde.

“We have our work cut out for us,” he said.

While Mattapan has fielded few political candidates in recent decades, the neighborhood does have a wealth of neighborhood organizations that are focused on the nuts and bolts of civic life, according to Mukiya Baker Gomez, a veteran political organizer.

“The district is predominantly property owners,” she said. “Most of the issues have been around property taxes, city services and education.”

Baker Gomez says a successful candidate for the 6th Suffolk District should have a good understanding of the Boston State Hospital site, the largest development project in Mattapan, as well as an understanding of the bread and butter issues facing homeowners in the district.

Owens-Hicks pursued a narrow agenda in the State House, according to Baker Gomez. One of her greatest legislative contributions was her work on a bill to redevelop the Boston State Hospital site.

In recent years she served on the Education Committee and on the newly formed Joint Committee on Children and Families.

“Because Owens-Hicks has had a narrow agenda, people might be looking for a broader agenda from the next representative,” Baker Gomez said.

Owens-Hicks was first elected to the Boston School Committee in 1984, representing a Mattapan District. Her brother, Bill Owens, then held the 2nd Suffolk state Senate District seat currently occupied by Dianne Wilkerson. Owens-Hicks was elected to the House in 1986, unseating Royal Bolling Jr. with 57 percent of the vote.

Once elected, Owens-Hicks faced few challengers. She credits the support of the voters of the 6th Suffolk District.

“They have been so great to continue to elect me to the office of state representative and before that to the School Committee,” she said. “I’m eternally grateful for the trust they put in me.”