Editor's note: This is the second in a series on the three announced candidates for the state representative seat currently held by Harriett Stanley of West Newbury, who will step down when her term expires next January.
BOXFORD — If you ever pump gas in Revere, the name Robert Cronin might ring a bell.
Cronin is the city's sealer of weights and measures and his name and signature are on every gas terminal, as well as scale, in the city. He holds the same position in Boxford, where he lives, but the community has only two scales, at a pair of farm stands, to check each year.
Sealer of weights and measures may be an unlikely job for a state representative candidate, but Cronin, 52, is no stranger to government, whether policy making or enforcement.
A Democrat turned Republican, Cronin wants to continue his work on Beacon Hill by replacing Harriett Stanley, who announced last year she will not seek re-election for the Second Essex seat in the House of Representatives. The representative district includes Newbury, Rowley, West Newbury, Merrimac, Georgetown, Groveland and part of Haverhill.
"I've traveled a lot of roads over the years," Cronin said. "I think I have a lot to offer to the state and to the district."
Cronin got his start in politics at a young age when he was elected to the Revere City Council as a 20-year-old. He went on to serve four terms.
He later worked for nine years as an associate commissioner for the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. During that time, he saw firsthand how small businesses struggle with the laws he had to enforce.
One example, he said, is how someone who had a drug offense, even a minor one at a young age, can't hold a liquor license for a restaurant he or she owns.
"I'm sure other businesses must deal with other laws that make no sense," Cronin said. "I feel I developed a real sympathy over the years for small businesses over the state."
The rest of Cronin's agenda has yet to be established. He said he wants to canvass neighborhoods to find out what's on the minds of voters in the district.
Cronin moved to Boxford with his young family in 1997. His children attended public schools and went to Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield. Since leaving the state liquor commission, he now works as a consultant.
For statewide issues, Cronin says he's happy with the state's decision on casino gambling, but he doesn't support how the deal was structured with New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft of Foxboro having to compete with Boston Mayor Tom Menino for a casino to be built.
"I'm not happy with the way they regionalized them," Cronin said. "I thought the best plans (for a casino) should be the best plans."
Cronin said he also supports the habitual offender bill that would enforce life sentences for violent crimes. The bill was recently approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
"If people can't live in society, they shouldn't live in society," Cronin said. "Public safety is definitely a priority."
Robert H. Cronin
Age: 52
Hometown: Boxford
Government experience: Revere city councilor, 1980-87; assistant commissioner with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, 2002-2011; sealer of weights and measures, Revere and Boxford
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