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Paul Donato has a philosophy when it comes to running for office.
“There are only two ways to run for office: run scared or run unopposed,” Medford’s current representative of the 35th Middlesex District says. “I’m running to win for the people of Medford and Malden.”
But is he scared? After all, Donato’s Republican opponent James “Jake” Seibel is his first in a general election in about 16 years.
Donato is sitting in Oasis Brazilian Restaurant in South Medford, talking about his years in office. He says while he’s faced several challengers during primaries in recent years, it is true Seibel is the first Republican to run against him since James DiGiacomo in 2000. But he did have an Independent challenger in 2004 in James Carey.
Again, is he worried?
Donato says anything can happen in an election year and he takes nothing for granted when it comes to the electorate. And yes, any time there’s a challenger, he works hard to remind voters of what he brings to the office.
On this day, Donato also addresses rumors that 2026 is his last time running for the office he has held for 26 years.
“Right now, my priority and hope is to be re-elected in November,” he says. “I don’t have any concerns about my health or my family, so I can’t make a decision on what I’ll do a year from now.
“But whatever I do, I hope a number of people will step up and run for office,” he continues. “I guess my answer is to wait and see. Whatever I decide, I will make sure to give enough time for someone else to step up and make a decision on their end.”
In the meantime, Donato says, he’s been encouraging anyone and everyone to run for office during the municipal election in 2027.
“Next year is an important year in the city of Medford,” Donato says. “It’s the first time in 80 years or more that we will have ward representation.”
That’s because on Jan. 1, 2027, the new charter kicks in.
Donato says Medford went to at-large representation in the 1950s after “considerable corruption and poor management” by the City Council in the 1940s moved residents to change to a Plan E form of government.
In 1986, the city moved to a Plan A form of government with a strong mayor. The city remains under Plan A, but has made changes to its charter, which include ward representation and moving the mayor from a two-year to a four-year term.
The current run
In a recent interview with Gotta Know Medford, Seibel said he asked Donato to come with him on Medford Happenings, but was turned down.
“He called me and asked me to go on the show with him, where we would have an opportunity to present ourselves to the community and give our points-of-view,” Donato says. “I said, ‘I think most people in the city of Medford know me and my points of view.’ I felt that if I went there, I would overshadow him and that he would be better off going on his own.”
What are those points of views and the issues he sees facing the district?
Donato says his top issues for the district continue to be advocating for children and seniors, particularly those in need.
“I’ve always been an advocate for foster children in the Commonwealth,” he says. “I’ve recently been working with grandparents and the [Department of Children and Family Services]. I’ve been very involved with that.”
Donato says there are currently 35,000 grandparents raising grandkids in the Commonwealth. Those people are not eligible to receive the same benefits as foster parents.
“These are elderly grandparents who, in most cases, are living on Social Security and small pensions,” he says. “Suddenly, they have a toddler or a young child who wants to play soccer or t-ball or something along those lines. It can be very overwhelming.”
Donato says he’s filed a number of bills that give grandparents the same rights as biological parents when it comes to having representation and benefits in probate court. Those bills passed in 2024.
Donato adds he’s also managed to secure Medford the rights to LoConte Rink through the Department of Conservation and Recreation; secure the former Malden courthouse building for affordable housing; and continues to earmark between $75,000-$100,000 annually for the Chevalier Theatre.
“I remember that first year, I was able to get $500,000 to change out all the seats so Chevalier could become a legitimate theater,” he says, of his first term in office.
Donato says this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his efforts on behalf of the district.
“Being mature and serving as long as I have, I know how to get things done in the legislature,” he adds.
What about the recent fight with the state auditor when it comes to the 2024 voter initiative to audit the legislature?
In 2024, about 72% of Massachusetts voters approved Question 1, which allowed the state auditor to audit the legislature. Since then, House and Senate leaders have fought the measure, with the House this June passing a bill that would limit an audit to “administrative functions” and setting specific records requests.
Donato voted yes on House Bill H5469, the bill to limit the scope of the audit.
“The auditor had about five requests to audit the Supreme [Judicial] Court,” Donato says, of the vote. “We were fine with that. Then, she wanted to know all our votes in committee and where we were spending our money personally. I felt there should be a separation of power.”
As for public records, Donato says the Legislature records every vote as well as attendance in every committee. All those committee meetings are also televised.
“I felt that was more than enough,” he says.
Election Day
With early voting and mail-in ballots streaming in before the Nov. 3 general election, Donato says it’s all up to the voters who will win in the 35th Middlesex District.
And he says he meant it when he wished Seibel luck and told the Republican that should he win, Donato would be more than happy to advise him.
“The reason I said that if he’s successful and I’m not, is that he will need some guidance in how to manage the legislative process,” Donato says. “As a resident of Medford and someone who has dedicated himself to the process, I wanted to help make it a smooth transition.
“But if I’m successful, I would like him to know that my door is always open as it was from the beginning when I first met him,” he adds. “I want him to continue to provide me with his thoughts, ideas and opinions. He’s young and he has a different perspective on life and I want to learn from that.”
As for what he’d like the voters to know, Donato is thoughtful.
“I guess I want them to know that at my mature age, I am still dedicated to the people of my district,” he says. “I still have the ability, both mentally and physically, to continue to do what I have done as their representative the last 26 years.”
