Governor’s Council race heats up ahead of election day

A recent meeting of Governor’s Council candidates Mara Dolan and Margie Palladino wasn’t supposed to be a debate, Democratic Town Committee Chair Matt Boger said.

It turned into one anyway, he conceded, with candidates trading accusations at the Acton Free Public Library.

“There’s a lot of passion, specifically for this office,” Boger said.

The Governor’s Council reviews judicial appointments, pardons, and commutations. This year’s race for the council’s Third District, which includes Acton, has intensified ahead of the September 1 state primaries.

Dolan, who lives in town, said she thinks three straight contested campaigns have boosted interest in an often-overlooked government body. Palladino struck a different tone, saying most voters she speaks with still don’t know what the council does.

“People know me. They trust me. They know I have good judgment,” Dolan said of her conversations with Acton voters. 

Palladino told The Acton Bridge she’s “not a career politician” and “if there’s one position that you don’t want to be political, it’s the Governor’s Council.” 

Dolan and Palladino are Democrats. With no Republicans on the ballot, whoever wins could sail through the general election.

Concordian Adrienne Zak Hunt said she had hoped to make up her mind during the August 10 Acton Democrats meeting with Dolan and Palladino, but she left undecided. 

“It was a little more heated than I was prepared for,” she told The Bridge.

Governor’s Council incumbent Mara Dolan,left, and candidate Margie Palladino, right, spoke to Democrats from Acton and several other Massachusetts communities at an August 10 event. Photos: Dakota Antelman/The Acton Bridge

Controversial vote

Dolan ousted longtime councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney in 2024 after a previous attempt in 2022. She promised a “brand-new perspective” as the first public defender elected to the council, which includes eight elected members and the lieutenant governor.

Palladino heads the Mass Family Advocacy Coalition, which promotes family court reform. She reversed her previous support for Dolan over the incumbent’s confirmation vote for Judge Mary Ferriter this spring.

She said Dolan had promised to confirm only “trauma-informed” judges. Ferriter, a nominee to the Probate and Family Court, “was the opposite,” Palladino said in Acton.

Dolan told The Bridge that she thoroughly vetted Ferriter. 

“If someone felt betrayed, I feel terrible about that,” she said, “but I absolutely did my job, and I absolutely made sure that this was someone who would be sensitive to victims.” 

One Palladino supporter took to social media after the August 10 event and said she thought Dolan shed “crocodile tears” in a room full of domestic violence survivors when she described her own experience being afraid of a partner.

Palladino reposted the video to her Instagram feed — but later told The Bridge that she “would never have characterized” Dolan’s tears that way.

She said she shared the supporter’s three-minute video because it showed the perspective of a survivor who was in the room and it covered “a number of issues” that arose from the meeting. “I did not repost it to endorse every word or characterization she used,” Palladino told The Bridge. 

Dolan called the “crocodile tears” remark “an outrageous accusation.” 

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Major endorsements

Dolan has racked up endorsements from U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and several state legislators and interest groups. Palladino snagged State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s support.

Palladino has spotlighted Dolan’s caseload as a still-practicing lawyer, which includes family law clients in addition to her public defender cases and other dockets. 

Palladino said lawyers take an oath to avoid conflicts of interest and she would have recused herself from the Ferriter decision if she were in Dolan’s position. 

“Unfortunately, that did not happen,” she said.

Asked what would make her step back from a matter, Dolan said she’d do so if she has a “personal interest” that might affect her decision-making.

“If it was my best friend, I would certainly recuse myself,” she told The Bridge.

Palladino has been running a “single-issue campaign,” said Dolan, who touted her own work beyond family court, including pushing judicial nominees to allow courtroom video recording when federal immigration agents are present. 

Other campaigns

Dolan had outraised Palladino as of press time, collecting just over $34,700 in donations so far in 2026. Palladino reported roughly $21,400 in contributions.

Concordian Megan Carroll said she’s engaged in the race because she’s dealt with family court herself. She’s supporting Palladino.

Once a “die-hard [Democratic] party person,” Carroll said she has felt disillusioned by Dolan’s conduct since taking office and from watching Democratic establishment figures rally behind Dolan.

Fellow resident Helen Li said she wanted to “do more research” after the August 10 back-and-forth.

Acton Democrat Julie McClure is supporting Dolan but also spoke with The Bridge about the U.S. Senate race between Ed Markey and Seth Moulton.

“It’s healthy to have contested races,” McClure said. “We can all learn from hearing from people we might disagree with. Sometimes, we might even change our minds.”

Other September 1 primaries include one for Democrats between District Attorney Marian Ryan and candidate David Solet. 

Michael Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve are vying for the Republican nomination to face Gov. Maura Healey in the general election.