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Breen Kirsch Announces for City Council
Breen Kirsch Campaign,
05:35PM / Tuesday, September 13, 2011

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Local attorney Jennifer M. Breen Kirsch has announced her candidacy for a seat on the North Adams City Council.

"Both sides of my family, the Breens and the Zoitos, settled in North Adams in the 1860s, and I have chosen to come home after practicing law in Cambridge as a Middlesex County assistant district attorney, where I worked during the tenure of then District Attorney Martha Coakley, another North Adams native."

Breen Kirsch's grandparents and great-grandparents are the former owners of Breen Flowers and Gifts. Her parents, MaryEllen and Peter Breen, are local schoolteachers.

"I hold my parents' careers as teachers in the highest regard, and have the utmost respect for the profession. Listening to constituents in the Sullivan School neighborhood recently, I believe that my interest in education will be integral in resolving the school building issue. Many residents have expressed their concerns to me, and I intend on bringing their concerns to the forefront."

Breen Kirsch recently opened a law practice at Mass MoCA, where she runs a general practice, with a strong focus on the representation of children in the foster care system.

"I handle care and protection cases, primarily, because of my concern for children in the foster-care system, and have stayed in this focus, even while I have moved on to probate matters, and criminal defense. Children are the primary focus of my practice, and always will be."

In addition to her law practice, Breen Kirsch has served as chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority.

"I enjoyed my time as the chairman of the Housing Authority, but deemed it appropriate to step down to run for public office. While I know that serving on both is not statutorily prohibited, I believe it is a conflict of interest, and for ethical reasons, believe I should choose one focus. Running for City Council is my focus, and is the natural offshoot of the 'mini-city' over at NAHA, that I helped run this past year. I strongly support good, public housing in our city, but it is time to expand my breadth of civic duty."

Breen Kirsch graduated from Union College and Northeastern University School of Law. She has been practicing law for seven years, this November, two of those years having been served as a Middlesex prosecutor. During law school, Breen Kirsch interned in the U.S. attorney's office, the attorney general's office, the Suffolk County district attorney's office, and as an intern for the honorable Stephen Lymon of the Suffolk County Juvenile Court.

Breen Kirsch has also served on the Neighborhood Crime Watch, recently begun in North Adams.

"I appreciate the opportunity given to me by Mayor Alcombright to volunteer for this group. However, I think from the experience I have had in criminal justice and criminal law, that I could impact the city in this regard from the public safety subcommittee, on the city council, especially given the transition that the city is going through with the structure of the NAPD."

Upon her return to North Adams, Breen Kirsch became involved in local political campaigns.

"However, I am my own person. Whoever wins the mayor's race, I will work with him or — against him. Whatever is best for my constituents, whatever my constituents want. I am looking for your vote on Nov. 8."

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