Benjamin Swan, Sr.
Benjamin Swan, Sr. (b. September 18, 1933) is a former Democratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the Eleventh Hampden district from 1995 to 2017.
Swan has been a member of the Democratic City Committee and Ward Democratic Committee.
Biography
Swan's professional experience includes working as a therapist at the Gandara Mental Health Center; independent consultant, Consultant with Northern Educational Service; Vice President of the B.E.S.T. Technical Corporation; Manager of the Tennessee Valley Authority; and owner of Benjamin Swan Associates. Swan served in the United States Army.[1]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Swan served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Ways and Means, Assistant Vice Chair |
| • Ways and Means Joint, Assistant Vice Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Swan served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Post Audit and Oversight, Vice chair |
| • Elder Affairs Joint |
| • Public Service Joint |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Swan served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Health Care Financing Joint |
| • Post Audit and Oversight, Vice chair |
| • Ways and Means |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Swan served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Post Audit and Oversight, Vice chair |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2014
Elections for the Massachusetts House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on September 9, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Benjamin Swan, Sr. defeated Larry Lawson in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.[2]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Benjamin Swan, Sr. Incumbent |
59.6% | 1,477 |
| Larry Lawson | 40.4% | 1,001 |
| Total Votes | 2,478 | |
2012
Swan won re-election in the 2012 election for Massachusetts House of Representatives Eleventh Hampden District. Swan was unopposed in the September 6 Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Benjamin Swan, Sr. Incumbent |
77% | 10,084 | |
| Independent | Norman Oliver | 23% | 3,020 | |
| Total Votes | 13,104 | |||
2010
Swan won re-election to the Eleventh Hampden seat in 2010. He was unopposed in the September 14 primary. He also faced no opposition in the general election on November 2, 2010.[5]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives General Election, Eleventh Hampden District (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Benjamin Swan, Sr. (D)
|
5,559 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Swan won re-election in the Massachusetts House of Representatives election for the Eleventh Hampden district.[6] In this election he raised $27,063; of that total $25,388 (93.8%) was from in state contributions and $1,675 (6.2%) was from out of state contributions.[7]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives - Eleventh Hampden district | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Benjamin Swan (D)
|
9,830 | |||
| All Others | 235 | |||
| Blanks | 2,900 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Massachusetts scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 4 through November 15. The legislature held an informal session from November 16 to January 2.
- Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes."
- Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 6 through July 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 7, 2015, through January 5, 2016.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 14 through August 1.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 2 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 4 through July 31.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 5 through November 16.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Swan and his wife, Peggy, have seven children. He has been a member of the American Legion, Arise for Social Justice, Black Men of Greater Springfield, Elks Harmony Lodge #140, NAACP, National Caucus of Black State Legislators, PHFAM, Prince Hall Masonry, Richard Allen Lodge #30, Rotary International, and the Springfield Sunrise Rotary.[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Benjamin + Swan + Massachusetts + Legislature
See also
- Massachusetts House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Joint Committees
- Massachusetts state legislative districts
- Massachusetts State Legislature
External links
- Office website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
- Ben Swan on Facebook
- Ben Swan on Twitter
- Ben Swan on LinkedIn
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Swan
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "2014 State Primary Candidates," accessed September 9, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "2012 State Primary Results," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Return of Votes - For Massachusetts State Election - November 6, 2012," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Return of Votes - For Massachusetts State Election - November 2, 2010," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Return of Votes For Massachusetts State Election - November 4, 2008," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 2, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Massachusetts House of Representatives Hampden 11 1995–2017 |
Succeeded by Bud L. Williams (D) |
