Carolyn Dykema

Carolyn (Coyne) Dykema (born December 26, 1967, Charlottesville, Virginia^[1]) is the Massachusetts State Representative from the Eighth Middlesex District.^[2] For 2012 and subsequent elections, the Eighth Middlesex is made up of Holliston, Hopkinton, Southborough, and precinct 2 of Westborough. Holliston and Hopkinton are in Middlesex County, the district's namesake, while Southborough and Westborough are in Worcester County.

When Rep. Dykema was first elected, the Eighth Middlesex comprised the towns of Holliston and Hopkinton and precincts in Medway (Norfolk County), Southborough, and Westborough.

Dykema grew up in Wellesley and now lives in Holliston. She and her husband have three children.

Public service

Dykema was elected to the Holliston Planning Board in 2003.^[3] In 2007,^[4] she was elected chair. She served through April 2008, when she stepped down to run for state representative. In her capacity as a member of the Planning Board, she also served on numerous related local and regional boards,^[5] notably the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, and the SuAsCo Community Watershed Council.

Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Dykema to the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board in 2007.

In 2006, the American Legion awarded Dykema, one of the "Katrina Ladies",^[6] the Citation for Meritorious Service for spearheading hurricane relief through Operation Help & Hope.

The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women named her the 2007 Holliston Unsung Heroine of the Year.^[3]

Dykema was elected to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts General Court in 2008 and was returned in 2010 and 2012.

Political Platform

In 2008, Dykema won against Ed Mills (D-Hopkinton) in the Democratic primary^[7] and against Dan Haley (R-Holliston) in the general election^[8] on a platform^[9] of:

• well-planned economic development
• high-quality public education
• environmental protection

On social issues, she supports:

• equal gay marriage
• a woman's right to choose

In 2010, Dykema faced opposition from Jonathan Loya, also from Holliston. Loya ran as an independent but identified his party affiliation on the general election ballot as the Liberty Party, a small Libertarian group. Dykema won reelection easily with 71% of the vote.^[10] Her 2010 platform emphasized:

• job growth, especially high-value green jobs
• infrastructure, especially water infrastructure
• continuous improvement in state government and state services
• pension reform
• health care cost containment

Voters again reelected Dykema in 2012, choosing her in a landslide over Marty Lamb (R-Holliston), who had run unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010 against Jim McGovern. Dykema took 61% of the vote in a hotly contested election.^[11]

Committee Assignments

Dykema currently sits on these legislative committees:

• Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture
• Joint Committee on Ways and Means
• House Committee on Ways and Means
• Joint Committee on Housing
• Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities

Notable past assignments include:

• Water Infrastructure Finance Commission
• Joint Committee on Health Care Finance

Joint Committee on Public Health

• Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs

Awards as a Legislator

For her service as a legislator, Rep. Dykema has been honored by the following awards:

• Legislator of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers Association, Feb. 15, 2011^[12]
• 2012 Environmental Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, Inc., Feb. 2, 2012^[13]
• Agriculture Day Award from the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, April 3, 2012^[14]
• 2012 Legislator of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Water Works Association, Oct. 11, 2012^[15]
• The Holliston American Legion Post's "A Friend Indeed" Award, Nov. 10, 2012^[16]

Personal life

Dykema, her husband, and their three children live in Holliston, Massachusetts. Her children attend Holliston Public Schools.

Education

Dykema graduated from Wellesley High School in 1985. She attended Wellesley College, where she majored in French, graduating in 1989. She graduated with an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at the Indiana University in 1994.

Business career

Dykema worked at Fidelity Investments between 1989 and 1998, with a break for business school at Indiana University. At the time of her departure, she was senior communications manager in Marlborough and Boston.

During 1998 and 1999, Dykema was a marketing consultant for Pamet River Partners in Boston.

Between 2004 and her election to the legislature, Dykema was marketing and business development manager at Norfolk Ram, an environmental consulting firm in Milford.

References

External links

• The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Rep. Carolyn C. Dykema
• Carolyn Dykema, State Representative