Connor B Degan CMMC » Directory

Candidate Statement

Hello, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Connor B. Degan and I am running for re-election as your Town Clerk.  I have had the pleasure of serving two successful terms and I am confident that I will continue to respond to the needs of the position with the same excitement that I did on day one. I grew up here in Hopkinton and have watched the Town grow  from a small suburb of Boston into a vibrant and diverse community that gains international attention once a year for the Boston Marathon. It is our opportunity to show  the world through culture, civic engagement, and a wonderful business community that we are truly living our marathon motto, “it all starts here!”

As a graduate of Hopkinton High School, I went on to Roger Williams University where I obtained my degree in Political Science.  Throughout college, I served as staff for a number of political campaigns before deciding I wanted to pursue public service myself.  I proceeded to volunteer in the Hopkinton Clerk’s Office for just shy of a year before my predecessor announced her retirement.  It was then that I had the opportunity to run for office and the privilege of being elected to serve as your Town Clerk.

The Town Clerk’s Office has many duties including administration of all elections, issuing certain licenses and permits, preservation of the Town’s historic records, ensuring government transparency as the Records Access Officer, codification of our bylaws and charter, just to name a few.  The Clerk is also referred to by many as the unofficial “Face of Town Hall” to encourage civic engagement in the community and educate the next generation on the importance of the same.  During my tenure I have supported a local Girl Scout project utilizing a mock election to help students learn about the voting process and cast their votes for a “Buddy Bench” for Hopkins School.  I have also worked with scout leaders in Town to educate scouts on the importance of community service. I have enjoyed  collaborating with eHop to show groups in the Town how they can support the community,  I have successfully implemented large scale early voting and safe in-person voting during a global pandemic, navigated re-precincting the Town in a manner that is fair for all residents, and so much more.  Thanks to the shared interest within the community, I have even been able to further my passion for voting rights by testifying on progressive election reform on Beacon Hill and signing a letter of support for the passage of the Democracy Restoration Act in DC, that aims to restore voting rights to ex-convicts who have served their sentence and are still deprived of their rights in many states.

Though 2020 impacted us all, I ended it on a wonderfully positive note by marrying the love of my life at a small private ceremony here in town at St John the Evangelist Parish, where I have been a parishioner since moving to town as a child, and an active volunteer for years.  I am excited about the future of Hopkinton.  I look forward to growing my family here and to continue to be an active member in the community – both personally and professionally.I am so fortunate to be your elected representative for the past two terms.  I humbly request your vote on May 16th so I can have the honor to continue my service to the Town of Hopkinton and to the community that makes it the wonderful place it is.