James Kelcourse is a member of the Massachusetts Parole Board. Kelcourse was previously a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
. A resident of
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the ...
, he was elected as a
Republican to represent the 1st Essex district. Kelcourse, a former Amesbury city councillor, defeated Newburyport city councillor Ed Cameron in a very close election. He was declared the victor by 12 votes after a month-long recount. He was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Kelcourse served the cities of Newburyport and Amesbury and the town of Salisbury for 4 terms in the House of Representatives.
In 2012, Kelcourse ran for the
Massachusetts State Senate in the
1st Essex district as an unenrolled candidate. He placed last in the general election.
On June 16, 2021, Kelcourse announced his candidacy for Mayor of the City of Amesbury. On November 2, 2021, in Amesbury's Mayoral election, Representative Kelcourse lost to incumbent Mayor Kassandra Gove.
On June 1, 2022, Kelcourse was nominated by Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the state Parole Board. On June 22, his nomination was confirmed by the
Massachusetts Governor's Council
The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...
. He resigned his position as State Representative on June 29, 2022 and was officially sworn in as a member of the Parole Board.
Kelcourse resides in Amesbury with his wife Amanda and their two children. Prior to his appointment to the Parole Board, Kelcourse operated a legal practice in
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...
.
Electoral history
[https://www.amesburyma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6891/f/news/11-2-2021_official_tally_sheet-website.pdf ]
See also
*
2019–2020 Massachusetts legislature
*
2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature
The 192nd Massachusetts General Court was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government of Massachusetts. It consisted of elected members of the Senate and House of Representatives. It first convened in Boston at the Massachusetts ...
References
Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Villanova University alumni
Massachusetts School of Law alumni
People from Amesbury, Massachusetts
Living people
1974 births
21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court
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