Get the Polito Pulse

Bringing an inspiring sense of passion, energy and enthusiasm to everything that she does, Karyn Polito is driven by a commitment to public service and her desire to positively impact the quality of life of everyone around her.

Karyn's work is inspired by a deep sense of community and a connection to her family. Her great-grandfather, Francesco Polito, immigrated to the United States from Sicily in 1909, arriving at Ellis Island on Columbus Day. He settled in the North End of Boston and started a successful family business that continues to operate today. Karyn's great-grandfather had a deeply-rooted commitment to simple, common-sense business practices like paying bills on time and making shrewd investments. Listening to his stories as a child, Karyn learned important lessons of the value of hard work, love of family and responsible money management.

Karyn's grandfather, Robert Lutz, now 94 years old, also is an important force in her life. Mr. Lutz is currently the oldest and longest-serving member of Shrewsbury's town meeting (he was first elected in 1954). Karyn has always admired her grandfather's optimistic attitude and she enjoyed listening to him tell stories about town government when she was a child. It was partly due to these stories that Karyn was inspired to public service after she graduated from Boston College (Bachelor of Science - School of Management) and New England School of Law (Juris Doctor)..

Karyn began her public service in local government, serving as a member of the Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen. She then expanded her work to the state level, serving as a member of the State Lottery Commission.

Then, in 2000, Karyn ran for State Representative and won. She has held the seat ever since, proudly representing the resident of the 11th Worcester District (Shrewsbury and Westborough).

In her time on Beacon Hill, Karyn has been a leading advocate for the passage of "Jessica's Law," a bill which would establish tough mandatory minimum sentences for child sex offenders. Her advocacy paid off in 2008, when she was able to convince her Democratic colleagues to pass tougher sentencing legislation and to require District Attorneys to file more comprehensive reports about child sex offenses in Massachusetts.

Karyn also believes strongly in fiscal responsibility and investing in communities and local government. As a legislator and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Karyn has been a consistent advocate for allocating more state aid to go back to cities and towns, making Massachusetts more affordable, supporting public education and protecting families by passing stronger public safety laws. Karyn continues to understand the strain on local budgets, and has worked relentlessly to secure increases in local aid, Chapter 70 school aid, Special Education aid, and Special Education transportation aid, as well as for local grant funding.

Throughout her term in office, Karyn has advocated for a safer commonwealth by filing legislation in a number of key areas: cracking down on drunk drivers, closing school registration loopholes for missing children, requiring defibrillators in public schools, and strengthening the experience requirements for young drivers. She has also worked hard to promote jobs and economic development, especially encouraging young people to explore careers in science and technology. She serves on the Robert H. Goddard Council on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education, and she hosts an annual Women in Science conference in Worcester.

Karyn also believes strongly in giving back to the community. Her first major legislative initiative in 2003 was to file legislation allowing for the issuance of special license plates with the Red Sox and Jimmy Fund insignias. Since that bill was passed, the Red Sox special-issued license plates have raised nearly $2,000,000 to date for the Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Karyn presents Inspirational Leader Awards at a rally she sponsors every October. She also hosts a very successful Polito Charity Golf tournament annually, which after five years has presented over $150,000 to Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, the Westborough Food Pantry, and other local charities.

Karyn's commitment to the community  was recognized in 2009 when Karyn was chosen to be “Outstanding Italian” Grand Marshal of the Worcester Columbus Day Parade. (Please click on the image on the right to watch a video prepared in Karyn's honor that was shown at the awards banquet for the parade.)

Karyn is a lifelong resident of Shrewsbury, where she lives with her husband and two young children.