Faces Of New Bedford #101: Hugh Dunn

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Meet Hugh Dunn, 31-year-old Director of Economic Development and City councilor.

Hugh, born in Worcester MA, is 4th generation Irish with ancestry rooted in the whaling industry in Ireland. Prior to pursuing a degree in Political Science, Hugh worked at a freezer warehouse that caused him to become ill and poised him in the middle of a class action lawsuit. It was his encounter with how the law highlighted the fight for justice in his case that was a catalyst for him to pursue a political science and eventual degree in law.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from American International College in Springfield, he moved to New Bedford, where he attended UMass Law. He felt at home in New Bedford, living in the downtown historic district. He had also studied and learned to speak Portuguese while volunteering in Brazil – and was immediately excited to live in a Portuguese speaking city.While in school he worked for congressman Keating and after taking the bar, became a full-time on his New Bedford District Staff. Hugh would often sit in on meetings that the congressman couldn’t attend, including the meetings of the SouthCoast Development Partnership – which he now directs.

The Southcoast Development Partnership works to improve the quality of life for this region. Two of it’s major projects right now include the Southcoast Rail system and building cross border collaboration between Rhode Island and Southern Mass.

Recently, Hugh participated in and won a special election to replace the Ward 3 City councilor. Although not born here, over the past 7 years he has been able to immerse himself in the community and its future, which is why he takes pride in his new position. His hope to is help the city continue in its positive trajectory, utilize all his tools to do so. His major focus is going to be on battling the opioid epidemic and economic development, while advocating for the constituents throughout the ward.

“Honored to serve the city and work to keep its residents and business’s moving forward.”

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

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