Healey — Hillman 2006

Lt. Governor Healey Selects Reed Hillman, Former State Police Superintendent and State Representative, for Ticket

BOSTON (March 9, 2006) – Today, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey announced that Reed Hillman, a former Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police and state representative from Sturbridge, will join her ticket as the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"Reed Hillman is a dedicated public servant who has the character, experience and vision that will attract wide support from voters across Massachusetts," said Healey. "There are a lot of big issues facing the Commonwealth and Reed Hillman is someone our citizens can trust to get the job done."

Throughout his 25-year career with the State Police, Col. Hillman earned a reputation as a strong leader, reformer and innovator who put those traits into practice when, in 1996, he became the first captain to be named superintendent of the State Police in its history.

Hillman said, "Leading the State Police was a tremendous honor and a great challenge. I've demonstrated my ability to bring needed change to a large organization with an entrenched way of doing business. That's a background made for Beacon Hill."

Hillman stepped down from his post and retired from the State Police in 1999. He was then elected state representative for the First Hampden District in a 2000 special election campaigning on a platform focused on public safety and economic issues. "I'm from the central part of the state and know first hand the unique economic and employment challenges that are facing our cities and towns located beyond Route 128," said Hillman. "When I served on the finance committee in the Town of Sturbridge we always had our hands full meeting the needs of our community while balancing our budget." Hillman, 57, was joined at his announcement by his wife Therese, a public school teacher in Sturbridge, their two children and his parents.

Reed V. Hillman Biography
Reed Hillman was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1948. He attended public schools in Newton and graduated from Newton High School in 1966. His family lived in the Oak Hill veterans' housing project until Reed was five, then moved to the Auburndale section of Newton. His father was a veteran of World War II and worked up to three jobs to support his family. Reed's mother stayed at home to take care of their four children, of which Reed was the oldest.

At the age of 19, Hillman set out on his own. He got a full-time job at the Wonderbread factory and moved to Framingham. He went on to graduate from Babson College and then Suffolk Law School in 1974, working his own way through both schools. After graduation he took the bar exam and entered the State Police Academy, passing up a potentially lucrative law career to begin what would be a 25 year career with the Massachusetts State Police. In 1977 he met his wife Therese and they married in 1978. In 1979 the Hillmans bought a home and moved to Sturbridge.

After rising through the ranks of the State Police, Captain Hillman was promoted over 50 more senior officers to be named Superintendent by Governor William Weld in 1996. As Superintendent, Hillman was responsible for 2,600 law enforcement and support personnel and an annual budget of over $200 million. Immediately upon being named Colonel, Hillman began restructuring the State Police hierarchy and set in motion a number of reforms to the organization. He implemented a goal oriented accountability system that focused on proactive problem solving to reduce crime and fatalities. During his three years as Superintendent, the crime rate in the Commonwealth declined and the fatality rates were the lowest in the state's history. Under Hillman, the department established a harassment unit and an affirmative action program and began the creation of a state-of-the-art crime lab.

In 1999, Hillman retired from the State Police and ran in a Special Election for State Representative. Hillman's passion for public safety, coupled with his message of rolling back the income tax to 5%, creating jobs and increasing local aid to cities and towns resonated with the voters and he was elected to fill the remainder of the term. In his six years in the Legislature, Hillman was a leader on tougher drunk driving legislation, terrorism legislation, creating Amber Alert, fighting for lower taxes, and expanding the State Police DNA database.

In 2005, Hillman was nominated by Governor Mitt Romney to be considered for the post of U.S. Marshal for Massachusetts.

Hillman has been active in political and municipal activities for many years. He was a town meeting member when he lived in Framingham. He has served on the Sturbridge finance committee. He has been a delegate to the Massachusetts Republican Convention and a member of Republican town committees and clubs.

Reed Hillman currently lives in Sturbridge with his wife Therese, a public school teacher. They have two children, Ethan and Amber.