Rep. Sylvia eager to work on green issues and cost of living

By Abigail Pritchard, The New Bedford Light, April 3, 2025

Representative Mark D. Sylvia stands in the State House Library in Boston. Credit: Eleonora Bianchi / The New Bedford Light

Rep. Mark Sylvia wants to help people. After working as undersecretary of energy and in the renewable energy field, he’s ready to make waves representing New Bedford on the Legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. 

Three months into his new job, the Fairhaven Democrat has also joined the Legislature’s conversations about a worsening housing crisis, government transparency, and possible federal funding cuts.

Freshman representatives still don’t have offices, and will likely keep working together in the bullpen for another few weeks, Sylvia said.

Sylvia met with a reporter from The Light in the Statehouse basement — he makes an effort to schedule all his meetings in person — having staked out a quiet spot to chat on the fourth floor. He took the stairs to and from the meeting, moving quickly in a crisp blue suit. He spoke with the reporter without his phone or laptop in sight, never checking the clock, even as the meeting neared an hour.

Sylvia, 50, said he’s excited to sit on the Environment and Natural Resources committee, which he requested.

“Whether it’s water and wastewater, which are enormous issues in our district — in our region — coastal management, which falls under the auspices of environmental protection, land use, fish and wildlife …

that one was really important,” Sylvia said. “I was really happy, because I’m the only representative from the South Coast that’s on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.”

Sylvia said challenges facing oyster farmers intersect with issues surrounding wastewater, and that all of that falls under Environment and Natural Resources. He also said the Legislature might see an environmental bond bill this session, which he hopes the committee would play a big role in. 

“I’m eager to roll up my sleeves and help try and figure those things out,” Sylvia said.

Sylvia quit his job as chief of staff at BlueWave, a renewable energy developer, before assuming his role as state rep. Previously, he worked as state undersecretary of energy and as town moderator for Fairhaven. When Sylvia served as undersecretary of energy, the state achieved the number-one ranking in energy efficiency among the 50 states four years in a row.

Sylvia replaced 32-year incumbent Democrat Bill Straus of Mattapoisett, who did not seek reelection to the 10th Bristol seat in 2024. He represents parts of New Bedford and Acushnet, and all of Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. 

Without an office in the Statehouse, Sylvia said he can spend more time in his district.

“We’ve all been encouraged to spend as much time in the district as [possible],” Sylvia said. “People in your district want to see you … that’s kind of the beauty of the job.”

In the coming months, Sylvia looks forward to taking the new South Coast Rail to Boston “from time to time,” and is ready to get started with committee meetings.

Sylvia said he’s glad Rep. Christopher Hendricks, D-New Bedford, is on the transportation committee and that fellow freshman Rep. Steven Ouellette, D-Westport is on the agriculture committee, because they’re so important to the South Coast.

“That’s great for us, because we’ve got representatives that are on those committees, but we also have such a good working relationship that we’re going to be able to work with each other on all of these issues,” Sylvia said.

Working with others is a priority for Sylvia. He said he’s been interested in public service since childhood. Having come from a family that taught him the importance of being involved in the community, Sylvia said he always wants to be helping people.

“I just remember, at a young age, just seeing the impact of what they did and how it can help other people, and that just has always been ingrained in me,” Sylvia said. “I’ve always wanted my full-time job to be just helping people, and state rep is exactly that. Here, it’s a full-time job.”

He said he brought Anne Gobi, director of rural affairs in the Commonwealth, to the South Coast to discuss opportunities in his district. Sylvia met Gobi when he was a commissioner for energy resources and Gobi was a senator. The pair met with local officials from rural communities Marion, Rochester and Mattapoisett, as well as Acushnet, which doesn’t meet the state definition of a rural community, to get ideas for how he might benefit the town. 

“You’re making connections that are kind of laying the groundwork for these things you might want to do in the future, and leveraging relations that I have,” Sylvia said. 

Sylvia said he was “pleasantly surprised” to be named to the Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Workforce Development because their issues are an issue for everyone — in his district and across the commonwealth.

Sylvia campaigned for office on lowering the cost of living. Regardless of committee assignments, he said this is still a priority that influences the bills he co-sponsors and legislation he files.

“You get different advice, and different legislators just focus on one area,” Sylvia said. “I think everything I focused on in my campaign is what I’m passionate about, so I’ll do what I can.”

As far as the House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability goes, Sylvia takes a similar view to his fellow legislators as federal funding is under threat from the Trump administration: wait and see.

Sylvia’s last committee — the House Committee on Climate Action and Sustainability — didn’t have any bills referred to it last session, according to reporting from The Boston Globe. Sylvia said he hopes new House rules that require attendance records and public committee votes will increase accountability.

Sylvia wrote in an email to The Light the chairs of the committees he’s on have reached out to coordinate kick-off meetings, and he anticipates office assignments will come soon.

In his first few months, Sylvia filed and co-sponsored legislation and wrote letters to the governor and attorney general in response to constituent issues. As he sees it, a state representative has three key roles, all of which are equally important. One: constituent services. Two: legislation. Three: advocating for your communities.

Abigail Pritchard is a graduate student in journalism at Boston University, covering state government for The Light as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.