Meet Margaret.
Elected as State Representative for the First Middlesex District in 2022, Representative Margaret Scarsdale is a dedicated public servant, committed to fierce advocacy for her constituents. She continually provides collaborative, proactive leadership for her district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Early Days.
The daughter of a military veteran, Margaret grew up outside of Ft. Benning, Georgia. Her family often struggled to make ends meet, and she dropped out of high school at the end of her junior year to help. While working full-time, she acquired her General Equivalency Diploma at age 17.
In 1984, Margaret moved to Massachusetts and immediately put down roots. She ran her own writing and consulting business for many years, and her talents were sought after by the state’s top employers, including Digital Equipment Corporation (now HP), Motorola, and others. She met her husband and best friend, Jim Scarsdale, during this time. They settled first in Groton and then in Pepperell to raise their son and daughter.
Margaret returned to school, graduated with the Chancellor’s Medal of Honor with a dual degree in American Studies and Sociology, and received a full scholarship to a doctoral program in Sociology at Northeastern.
Hometown Volunteer.
When her children were older, Margaret used her writing and leadership skills to help launch Ayer’s downtown revitalization efforts. She administered over a million dollars in state grants while working at Ayer Town Hall. She later obtained her teaching certification and passionately taught English Language Arts to middle schoolers.
In her hometown of Pepperell, Margaret is a long-time volunteer at the Albert Harris Center (formerly the Senior Center) and participates in yearly town clean-ups. She was a community leader in the fight to stop the Kinder-Morgan gas pipeline, and she remains a community leader in the fight to stop the proposed toxic dirt project.
Margaret served as Chair of the Light, Air, and Noise Bylaw Committee, where she was instrumental in getting a protective Noise Bylaw passed overwhelmingly at Town Meeting. As Chair of the Pepperell Select Board, Margaret stepped up to write and secure funds for economic development of the downtown.
Committed to Public Service.
More overarchingly, serving on the Select Board has strengthened her commitment and ability to work with diverse groups and people. This includes U.S. Representative Trahan, State Senator Kennedy, former State Representative Harrington, MA Department of Environmental Protection, and the dozens of municipal leaders in the regional municipal climate change collaborative she helped organize, and all with an eye toward prioritizing town goals to achieve success.
Margaret’s family is also committed to public service: Her husband works for a sustainable energy company, her son uses his astrophysics degree to help understand planetary habitability, and her daughter is a paramedic.
Join our dedicated team of volunteers. Your time and energy are invaluable resources that can make a tangible difference in our outreach and engagement efforts. Let's help Rep. Scarsdale get re-elected to the State House in 2024.