ENDORSEMENTS
Donna is Proudly Endorsed by
Bold Leaders in the District and Beyond
Attorney General Maura Healey
“I’m proud to endorse Donna Buckley for Sheriff of Barnstable County. Donna has the right experience, skills and vision to lead the Sheriff’s Office and keep our communities safe. I know that Donna will be a strong partner in our efforts to tackle the opioid crisis and will support individuals under her care who are suffering from substance use disorder.”
U.S. Senator Ed Markey
"Donna Buckley stepped up for this role to ensure Barnstable County had a Sheriff's office to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. She is the only candidate in this race with the education, experience, and vision to combat our mental health and substance use crises, professionalize the Sheriff's office and treat everyone in her custody with humanity and dignity. She has been a champion for public employees for decades and will also provide the staff of the Sheriff's Office with the tools they need to be successful. I know Donna Buckley will make Barnstable County safer and provide those in her custody a second chance at improving their lives once they leave."
U.S. Representative Bill Keating
“Donna’s message of rehabilitation, and treatment is resonating throughout Cape Cod, because treatment for addiction and mental health is not a red or blue message - it is a human message. 60-80% of the inmates at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility are living with substance use disorders and mental illness. If we don't treat those diseases while we have the inmates in our care and custody, the chances of them re-offending when they are released is much much higher. Treatment inside the jail means less crime outside the jail. Donna will also be an important link to the communities of Cape Cod, returning the Sheriff's tent, work crews, and other important community partnerships. She understands that when the Sheriff's office has a link to the community and inmates get the help they need, the community is safer. That's real public safety, and that's why I'm supporting Donna Buckley for Sheriff. I urge you to do the same and join this campaign, which is quickly becoming a movement for the future of corrections on Cape Cod."
MA Senator Julian Cyr
"The status quo at our county jail is unacceptable. Most of the Cape Codders incarcerated in the Barnstable County jail are struggling with addiction and mental illness, yet they are not receiving the treatment they need to recover & return to their families. We need a sheriff who has the experience to provide treatment to these most vulnerable people, who will tackle mental health and substance use head on and keep Cape Cod safe. Donna Buckley will be that Sheriff. Please join me and vote for Donna Buckley for Sheriff on or before November 8th."
MA Rep. Tami Gouveia
"We are in a mental health crisis in America, and it is getting worse every day. People are hurting. I heard this from residents from all over the state during my run for Lieutenant Governor, but I was energized whenever I came to the Cape and heard Donna Buckley's vision for the Sheriff's office. Cape Cod has a real opportunity in this election to make a real difference over the next 6 years, and I am so proud to join Donna as her Senior Advisor on Mental Health and Substance Use Policy. "
MA Rep. Dylan Fernandes
“Donna Buckley is a longtime leader in law enforcement and criminal justice. Her vision for a County Sheriff's office grounded in recovery for those with addiction instead of punishment and rehabilitation rather than recidivism will bring a justice system to Cape Cod that residents have long deserved."
MA Senator Susan Moran
"With her experience working in the Sheriff's Office, Donna Buckley will deliver meaningful public safety reforms to Barnstable County. Donna understands that it is key for the Sheriff to take a new role in the opioid scourge that costs the Cape precious lives and economic resources. She is a difference maker and friend and I am proud to support her campaign for Sheriff.”
MA Rep. Sarah Peake
"Cape Cod needs Donna Buckley as our next Sheriff. She believes that to make Barnstable County safer, the next sheriff needs to really focus on providing rehabilitation and treatment to the majority of inmates in our county jail, who struggle with addiction and mental illness. Donna will prioritize programs to get inmates on the road to recovery – which will result in lower recidivism rates and make Barnstable County a safer place for all of us. As State Representative, I need a partner like Donna Buckley in the Sheriff’s office and ask you to join me in supporting her. "
Joe Ferreira
(District 1 Governor Council)
"As your elected Governor’s Council representative and a former Chief of Police, I am proud to endorse Donna Buckley for Barnstable County Sheriff. This position requires someone with the experience to lead, the understanding of the role, and the vision to guide us towards real public safety. Lives are on the line in the jail and in our community through the work of the Sheriff's office. Donna Buckley has the experience and vision we need in our Sheriff."
Nancy Taylor
(Falmouth Selectboard Chair)
Mary Chaffee
(Brewster Selectboard Member)
Mark Forest
(Barnstable County Commissioner)
"The job of a Sheriff is all about corrections, rehabilitation and treatment. It’s not for politicians or just men. We need an experienced public safety professional who has worked in this field. Donna Buckley has the education, and the work experience. She is ready to do the job on day 1. I have been active in government on Cape Cod for more than thirty years and it is important that we choose the candidate that is the most qualified for the job. In the Sheriff’s race - it is Donna Buckley. "
Sheila Lyons
(Barnstable County Commissioner)
"Fighting homelessness and opioid addiction has been an important part of my career here on Cape Cod. When I heard Donna Buckley's vision of rehabilitation and treatment for the Sheriff's office, I knew I had a new partner fighting these important issues. We need a Sheriff who understands the importance of treatment and services for those in their custody and Donna has proven that she gets it. She has the experience, the plan, and the campaign to get it done. Barnstable County will be so much better off with Donna as Sheriff, and I ask you to join me in voting for her."
Mike Schell
(Chatham DTC)
“Donna Buckley is absolutely, unquestionably, emphatically the right person and the most qualified candidate for Sheriff of Barnstable County. She knows what the job entails and she knows what must be done to protect County residents from discharged inmates unprepared to integrate back into responsible civilian life. Perhaps most important, Donna has several years experience counseling the current Sheriff on all manner of legal, policy and procedural issues. Unlike her opponent, she needs no on-the-job basic training."
Onjale Scott Price
(Falmouth Selectboard Member)
“Donna understands the actual role of the Sheriff is to facilitate and manage inmate correction, not the false stereotype of enforcing the law. She has experience working at the Sheriff’s office and the knowledge and dedication to fulfill the Sheriff’s duties. It is time for the status quo and false narrative of the Sheriff office to change - and that change is with Donna."
Dr. Robert V. Antonucci
Education Policy Advisor
“By entering the race, Donna Buckley has provided our community with a highly-qualified candidate, an experienced, modern day corrections professional who understands that the sheriff’s role is rehabilitation and corrections - not law enforcement. She recognizes the important role education plays in rebuilding lives and providing inmates with opportunities for success and second chances and is committed to putting professional educators and inmates together whether it be part of a degree program, or to address special education/learning disability issues or to teach life and vocational skills. I am proud to be working with her to develop individual educational programs that will begin the rehabilitation process during incarceration and continue contact with inmates after they are released.”
Upper Cape Women's Coalition
“Donna Buckley is an exceptional candidate and brings to the Sheriff’s office a deep understanding of our current day correctional system. She is dedicated, as are we, to safeguarding the rights of all individuals and to building a community that is safe and equitable through proven and data-driven rehabilitation, treatment, services and programming. Decreasing recidivism will make our society safer and Donna has the experience and vision to do so. She has also established a strong working relationship with every Sheriff’s office through her work with the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association and the County Sheriffs General Counsels’ Association. She has first hand experience in all of the divisions within the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office and brings to the work a deep understanding of how to shift from a law enforcement police-based focus to a rehabilitative focus with emphasis on addiction and mental health counseling and support services. We believe her to be the best qualified candidate to achieve deep and lasting change.”
"We need bold leaders like Donna Buckley who not only embody their community’s core values, but who recognize that transforming the face of our government is critical. We need more women in office. Representation matters. Leading by example matters. We are confident that Donna Buckley is a strong leader who will act with care, urgency, and competence in Barnstable County. A vote for Donna Buckley is a vote for Barnstable County’s brighter future.”
"Our organization endorses the only candidate with a platform compatible with our mission: Donna Buckley for Barnstable County Sheriff. On the matter of the 287(g), Donna Buckley has publicly committed to end it. She also supports vital resources for support: unrestricted access to immigration attorneys (via in-person visits, free video calls and/or phone calls) and interpretation as needed so that language is not a barrier to inmate correction, rehabilitation and treatment. Ultimately, she states her goal is for all inmates, regardless of citizenship status, to be treated equally."