State Representative Josh Tarsky

Proud to have voted in favor of this bill!

We’re delighted to announce that today the Massachusetts House passed H.3594, “An Act Regarding Free Expression,” in an overwhelming show of support. Now that it’s passed in both the House and Senate, it will go to reconciliation to create one version of the bill to present to @massgovernor. This success is the result of months of work from our coalition members and allies: @gbpflag, @aclu_mass, @massaabb, @freedom_2_learn, @masslibassoc, and many more authors, publishers, parents, and booksellers. Whether you helped draft the legislation, signed a postcard, or anything else: thank you!

Thank you to Principal, Dr. Tamatha Bibbo for inviting me to the Pollard Middle School 8th grade Civics Fair. I was impressed by the students' research, creativity, and thoughtful engagement with issues affecting their communities and the Commonwealth.

Congratulations to the Town of Dover's Department of Public Works on being awarded two grants totaling $521,245 through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) Community Culvert Grant Program!

These funds will support the replacement of the Wilsondale Street culvert and the Old Farm Road culvert, critical infrastructure improvements that will help modernize aging systems, improve stormwater management, and reduce flooding risks.

After years of planning and multiple grant applications, this award is a testament to the hard work and persistence of the DPW team. Best of all, these important upgrades can move forward without adding to the local property tax burden.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this investment in Dover's infrastructure and resilience possible!

The Town of Dover's Department of Public Works has been awarded a pair of grants, totaling $521,245, under the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) Community Culvert Grant Program! These funds will be used to replace the Wilsondale Street culvert, as well as the Old Farm Road culvert.

After years of planning and multiple grant submissions, this funding allows the DPW to modernize aging infrastructure, improve stormwater management, and reduce flooding risks without impacting local property taxes!

Read all about it: https://ow.ly/FoG250Z6Hey

Elected in 2024, State Representative Josh Tarsky held a Town Hall in Needham's Powers Hall Thursday Night to recap his time in office and answer constituent questions.

“So much of this job is making friends, understanding issues, bringing value to discussions, to people, and being able to push priorities.”

Read the full article below.

Making Friends, Understanding Issues Dominate Rep. Tarsky’s Freshman Term – Needham Local Town Boards Making Friends, Understanding Issues Dominate Rep. Tarsky’s Freshman Term Cameron Morsberger May 29, 2026 • The Needham Democrat held a town hall in Needham Thursday to share legislative achievements and updates from his office. The last two years, as state Rep. Josh Tarsky describes...

Congratulations to the Bellforge Arts Center on breaking ground on a $30 million historic preservation and renovation project at the former Medfield State Hospital.

This project is transformative for Medfield and the region as a whole. In a time when housing stock is badly needed, the Commonwealth, the Town of Medfield, Trinity Financial, and the Bellforge Arts Center have exemplified what a public-private partnership can achieve. I’m thrilled to have played a part in this development and am excited to see such a substantive step forward be taken towards its completion.

The Lee Chapel and adjacent Infirmary will be transformed into a year-round arts and education campus for MetroWest. Doors are expected to open in the fall of 2027.

Visit www.bellforge.org for more info.

June's "Talking with Tarsky" is up on the blog! Inside, you'll find the slides from the State of the District events held in May.

Talking with Tarsky Talking with Tarsky: May highlights, including the slides for the "State of the District" events held throughout the district, legislation updates, and more!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the final "State of the District" presentation on Thursday, May 28, in Needham.

These events have been a valuable opportunity to share updates on the work being done at the State House, discuss priorities for our district, and hear directly from residents about the issues that matter most to them.

I appreciate everyone who attended, asked questions, and shared their thoughts. Engaging with constituents is one of the most important parts of this job, and your feedback helps inform the work I do on behalf of the 13th Norfolk District.

Thank you for being part of the conversation, and I look forward to continuing to serve our community!

Don't forget: I have local office hours in Dover on June 1, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. Anyone from the district is invited to attend.

www.staterepjoshuatarsky.com

Email me: [email protected]
Email Kyle: [email protected]

I was glad to have the opportunity to present a “State of the District” update to the North Hill Civics Affairs Committee.

The committee does tremendous work keeping North Hill residents informed about local, regional, and national elections, important issues, candidates, voter registration, and absentee voting. They also help coordinate ballots and transportation to the polls—an important service that strengthens civic participation and community engagement.

I am always happy to meet people where they are. Thank you for the invitation and for your continued commitment to keeping residents informed and involved in our democracy.

Memorial Day has a way of holding both silence and memory at the same time. It asks us to stop, even briefly, in the middle of our daily lives and acknowledge something that cannot be repaid.

We often say we remember the fallen, but the truth is, for the families who knew them best, they are never far from memory. And for those who served beside them, remembrance is not an annual act. It is something carried forward every day.

In my own life, I’ve worn a few different uniforms: soldier, educator, legislator. Each of those roles has shown me a different side of service, but they all eventually lead to the same understanding: that service is ultimately about people. Not ideals in the abstract, but people in the most real sense: friends, students, teammates, brothers and sisters in arms.

Early in my military career, just after completing the Special Forces Qualification Course and before joining my team in Afghanistan, I was assigned to help support the family of a soldier who had recently been killed during deployment. At the time, I was young, eager to get to my unit, and honestly unsure of what I could possibly offer that family.

But spending time with them changed me.

I remember the dignity and composure of his wife. Beneath the grief, there was also a deep sense of pride and understanding, an awareness of both the terrible cost of service and the importance of what her husband had chosen to do. Long after the ceremonies ended and the uniforms disappeared, she knew the sacrifice would remain with her family forever.

Her strength has stayed with me ever since.

In uniform, I learned that courage is rarely loud. More often, it is quiet professionalism under pressure. It is showing up for your team when things are uncertain. It is doing your job well because others are depending on it. And sometimes, it is making the decision to move forward even when the outcome is not guaranteed.

I’ve lost friends during deployments. And in the years afterward, I’ve lost even more to su***de. Those losses remind us that the cost of war does not always end when someone comes home. The burdens of service can follow people long after the battlefield is behind them.

And I learned something else that has stayed with me: that loss is never evenly distributed, but it is always deeply shared. Every name we remember today represents not only a life, but a circle of lives that were permanently changed.

As an educator, I’ve also seen how fragile memory can be over time. Young people inherit history, but they don’t automatically feel it. That connection has to be taught, revisited, and made real again and again. Otherwise, the meaning of sacrifice can slowly fade into an abstraction.

That is part of why days like this matter.

Because Memorial Day is not only about honoring what was given. It is also about what is carried forward. The responsibility does not end with remembrance. It continues in how we live together, how we care for veterans who returned, how we support military families, and how we build communities worthy of the sacrifices that were made on our behalf.

We also honor the fallen when we take seriously the work of maintaining the institutions they served to protect: schools, communities, and a government that, at its best, reflects the people it serves.

So today, we remember.

We remember those whose names are spoken aloud, and those whose names are known only to a few. We remember families who live with absence that time does not erase. And we remember that behind every folded flag is a story of commitment that asked for everything and gave it.

And we recommit ourselves, not just to gratitude, but to responsibility. To living in a way that reflects the value of what was given for us.

Thank you, and I hope you all have a meaningful Memorial Day.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are my own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Army, the National Guard, or the Department of Defense. No military endorsement is implied.