Skip to Content
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Log In
Elections and Politics

Rep. William Straus, Chair of Legislature’s Transportation Committee, Won’t Seek Re-Election

Rep. William Straus, the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, announced on Thursday that he will not be seeking re-election this year.

A white man with greying brown hair wearing a suit and red tie.
Rep. William Straus of Mattapoisett. Courtesy of the Massachusetts Legislature.

The Mattapoisett Democrat won his first election to the seat in 1992 and has been serving the suburban 10th Bristol County legislative district ever since.

"The current legislative session at the State House will be my last. I will not be a candidate for re-election in November," Straus announced on his Facebook page on Thursday.

Rep. Straus has been the House chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation since 2011.

During that time, he used his position to help convince the state to start work on the South Coast Rail project, which will expand the MBTA regional rail system to New Bedford and Fall River. It's expected to open later this year.

But Rep. Straus's tenure also coincided with a slow, steady decline in the state's financial support for public transportation.

Over the last few years, that neglect has come to the surface in a proliferation of service interruptions, derailments, fires, and even deaths at the MBTA that culminated in a dramatic intervention from the federal government.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Massachusetts

Boston School Buses Won’t Have Automated Enforcement Cameras to Start the School Year

"The City of Boston will do everything in our power to make sure that every child is safe in our city," said Mayor Wu.

August 28, 2025

DCR Striping Project Attempts to Calm Traffic on Mystic Riverfront Rotaries in Arlington and Medford

New crosswalks and wheelchair accessible ramps should be installed "by summer 2026," according to DCR officials.

August 28, 2025

Guest Column: Lawmakers Eviscerate Philadelphia’s Transit System

"Cutting almost half of a transit system is not a way to make it more efficient. It more like asking whether you’d like to keep your heart or your lungs."

August 27, 2025

Families of Crash Victims Establish New Mass. Chapter of Families For Safe Streets

Massachusetts Families for Safe Streets will advocate for life-saving changes to streets and public policy while also offering support to families who have lost loved ones to roadway violence.

August 26, 2025
See all posts