Staff Report
(Worthington, MA) Former state representative for the first Franklin district, Stephen Kulik, has died. He passed away on Sunday at his home in Worthington after a long illness. He was 72 years old, and had spent 25 of those years representing towns in Hampshire and Franklin counties.
Kulik championed many causes while in legislature including health insurance for municipal employees, establishing a Massachusetts Food Policy Council and serving on the Dairy Farm Task Force.
Kulik’s farewell speech to the Massachusetts House of Representatives after he was succeeded by Representative Natalie Blais can be seen here.
Prior to being elected to the legislature in 1993 he served for many years in municipal government as a town select man with a special focus on issues to do with energy and the environment. He also served as president of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association and the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Friends and colleagues remember Kulik as a mild-mannered politician eager to form coalitions, who always did his homework to deeply understand the issues. He and his wife Suzanne had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this summer.