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From CDTC Chair J. Michael Schell
August 23, 2026 To the Voters of Barnstable County: On Thursday, August 20, Mindy Todd hosted the Democratic candidates for Barnstable County Commissioner on her radio program – The Point (local NPR CAI). Candidate Dan Gessen claimed several endorsements of his candidacy. I’m reminded of the opening line of the Stephen Stills song from the 1960s: “Something’s happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear . . .” Who is Dan Gessen? And what is his record of public service that earns him legitimate consideration for this county-wide post? Dan Gessen is 26 years old. He lives at home with his parents. He has never lived on his own since high school. He says people his age can’t find housing. Apparently, he hasn’t even looked. The only paying job Gessen has ever held is as consultant/staffer working for Julian Cyr. Gessen is currently enrolled as a full-time student in Columbia University’s Law School in New York City – some 275 miles from Barnstable Village where the Commissioners meet. According to reputable experts, full-time law study requires a minimum of 60-80 hours weekly study to digest the course work and related opportunities. Gessen has two more years to go in the three-year curriculum. Public information indicates the cost of full-time study of law at Columbia runs just under $100,000 per year. Room and board are presumably on top of that – perhaps another $20,000 per year. What is he doing in a local race like this one? Gessen was appointed as Falmouth’s Assembly of Delegates representative in 2022. He was elected to that position later that year. Subsequently, he was elected Deputy Speaker. However, due to his inability to attend meetings regularly because of his service in the National Guard, he was asked to step down as Deputy Speaker. This is a pattern of non-attendance and non-participation we could expect to see if he were to be elected a County Commissioner. Gessen is a member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq and Syria for virtually the entire calendar year 2024. According to a request for donations he circulated this year, his Guard membership required him to depart Massachusetts for regular annual training for two weeks in late July and early August. Undoubtedly, there will be other occasions when routine Guard training and other activities require Gessen to leave Massachusetts. Moreover, there is also the possibility that the U.S. could decide to commit ground troops to the War in Iran, which could require deployment of the Massachusetts Guard. Long story short, Gessen’s Guard obligations are quite likely to divert him further from his primary obligation to the needs of Barnstable County. Gessen claimed in the Mindy Todd debate that he would attend every meeting of the Barnstable County Commissioners in person, if elected. However, this year alone he has attended only 2 of 13 Assembly of Delegates meetings in person. Gessen is effectively telling the people of Barnstable he can discharge all his obligations to Barnstable County here, Columbia Law School in New York and the Army National Guard, possibly abroad. These are large, important, demanding and exclusive engagements. The idea that somebody can do all three at the same time is simply not believable, especially as demonstrated by Gessen’s failure to show up for the Assembly. According to voting records I was able to consult, Dan Gessen did not vote in either the primaries or general elections of 2022 and 2024. Is that the sort of absence and non-participation we are looking for? Barnstable County Democrats should be especially concerned about the general election if Gessen wins the nomination. Law School begins for Gessen right after Labor Day. The fall semester runs till just before Christmas. The general election campaign will run from September 2 to November 3. If Gessen is nominated, how will he be able to run an effective – and successful – campaign against his Republican opponent? Can he be elected in the general election if he is not present and campaigning every day? How will he connect with the voters from 275 miles away? Bottom line: It is quite legitimate to fear that nominating him could hand the seat to his Republican opponent, thanks to his failure to show up in the general election campaign. The only paying job Dan Gessen has ever held is working for Julian Cyr. Public records and his own published bio indicate that upon his graduation from high school in June 2018, Gessen began receiving consulting payments from Julian Cyr. Through 2024 these payments aggregated more than $50,000. Public records indicate Gessen moved to the Senate payroll in 2025 at an annual rate of more than $50,000. Gessen claims to be an advocate for affordable housing. Indeed, his home rule proposal passed by the Assembly of Delegates was quite obviously a clone of a proposal first advanced by Senator Cyr. Puppet? Could be. The real problem with Gessen’s approach to housing development is his commitment to solutions that always start with taxing people. Transfer tax. Vacant home tax. Residential tax exemption. Gessen has never met a tax proposal that he didn’t love. Happily, none of his proposals have ever managed to get enough traction and support to be implemented. However, if he wins this race, can we be certain that he will continue that record of futility? Dan Gessen is obviously an ambitious young man. He is obviously a young man in a very big hurry. However, can we be certain that he has our interests at heart, and not his own? Can we be certain he will show up and do the work if he is elected? Can we be certain that this job is anything more than a stepping stone to higher office? I sincerely doubt it. You should, too. Mike Schell Chatham, MA
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