Cole Can't Wait to Get Started on Beacon Hill

[Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction.]

Before Leah Cole can take office on Beacon Hill, the results of last Tuesday's special election have to be certified by the Secretary of State's office. It's unclear when exactly that will happen.

In the meantime, the young Republican Cole is looking for a chief of staff. She tells the Salem News she'd like to have someone from Peabody fill that role and will establish office hours for constituents once she is sworn in.

Winning her first ever bid for public office, the 24-year-old Cole succeeds Joyce Spiliotis, who died in office last year, to represent Peabody and the 12th Essex District in the Mass. House of Representatives.

Cole narrowly defeated Democrat Beverley Griffin Dunne, while Dave Gravel, who ran as an unenrolled candidate, came in third in a low turnout election on April 2. Both Dunne and Gravel are well known Peabody politicians.

So why did Cole, a political unknown native of Lynn, win in Peabody, which generally leans toward Democrats and favors popular local politicians (Scott Brown excluded)? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Cole supporters say it was really her message of fiscal responsibility and putting an end to wasteful spending that strongly resonated with voters and gave her the edge, while Dunne and Gravel supporters generally argue that in a low turnout election, their two candidates merely split the vote, thereby giving Cole a chance.

As the Republican political newcomer gets her bearings, she continues to sound her campaign pledge to vote against tax increases and address welfare fraud. Cole spoke with conservative Boston talk show host Howie Carr the day after the election, reflecting on her victory and her goals now.

She said she and her campaign team worked hard, knocking on 3,000 doors in the city while simultaneously continuing full-time as a nurse in Danvers. Cole said the recurring message she heard from voters was worry over potential tax increases and frustration at wasteful spending.

"I'm going to fight for the taxpayers and fight against these tax increases because the tax package that they're proposing is an outrage," Cole told Carr, noting that will be first priority upon entering office right as budget talks heat up this spring.

She added she's also ready to get to work on welfare fraud. "That's a place where we can find a lot of savings...if we're not wasting this money," she said, agreeing with Carr that tax increases wouldn't be needed if reforms were made.

Carr called Cole's victory an "omen for the tax-crazed Democrats at the State House."

One other main point of her campaign platform was that she's not a career politician nor does she want to become one. Cole tells the Salem News she'll continue to work as a nurse on a per diem basis while serving at the State House.

She has pledged not to take a public pension or a stipend to drive to work on Beacon Hill, but hasn't said she won't take the $58,000 salary or health insurance offered.

Cole also told the Salem News she hopes to work closely with Mayor Ted Bettencourt and local officials. Bettencourt, in turn, along with Cole's fellow state Rep. Ted Speliotis, a Democrat, likewise say they hope to work together with her.

Cole noted that Dunne, rather than just call to extend her congratulations Tuesday night, actually stopped over at Champions Pub to do so in person.

In terms of numbers, Cole joins 29 Republicans in the House, outnumbered more than 4 to 1, and will be up for re-election in just about a year-and-a-half from now.