Timothy A. Bassett
Timothy A. Bassett is the Executive Director of the Essex Regional Retirement System and Chairman of the Essex Regional Retirement Board. He has been Chairman of the Board for the retirement system since 1997, which was one of his responsibilities when elected Treasurer of Essex County. When Essex County was dissolved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1999, he became Executive Director of the Essex Regional Retirement System and Chairman of the Essex Regional Retirement Board. His fiduciary responsibilities include the oversight of the $375 million pension portfolio in order to maximize the financial return for its members. The Essex Regional Retirement System has over 4,300 members from 19 towns, 23 special districts, and 6 regional schools. Bassett's legislative background is an enormous aide in ensuring that the Essex Regional Retirement members are well represented on Beacon Hill.
A veteran lawmaker, elected at age 23, he served seven terms in the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1973-1985. During that time, he chaired two major committees, Election Laws and Commerce and Labor building coalitions, negotiating consensus among diverse groups, and managing complex initiatives through the legislative process. Among his achievements are:
- The repeal of the 200-year-old Blue Laws to allow retail sales on Sunday
- The creation of a one-stop technical assistance and finance program to enhance manufacturing recognized by Harvard University and Ford Foundation
- Conversion of one of the nation's worst public housing projects into privately owned mixed-income family housing
From 1985-1995, Bassett was the Executive Director of a quasi-public agency, the Massachusetts Government Land Bank. There he worked with legislators and the financial community to stimulate development through the reuse of blighted properties and develop new uses for abandoned military bases. He fostered this tired state agency into a nationally recognized leader in economic development.
Bassett holds two masters degrees, one in Political Science and another in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.