NORTH ADAMS — The race to fill former state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi's seat has begun.
Stephanie Bosley on Wednesday announced her candidacy for the 1st Berkshire District, which once was held by her father, former Rep. Daniel Bosley.
"I got to listen to the policies and the politics that were happening while my father was in the Statehouse," Bosley said. The result, she said, was she saw "how you can positively impact people's lives with the policies that you're helping to create in Boston."
Cariddi, a Democrat who lived in North Adams, died of cancer on June 17 at the age of 63.
A special election will be held to determine who will fill Cariddi's seat for the remainder of her term, which was set to expire on Jan. 19, 2019.
The primary for the special election will be held on Oct. 10, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin announced last month. The special election will be held on Nov. 7, which is already a scheduled election day.
Daniel Bosley served as the 1st Berkshire District's representative for 24 years.
Stephanie Bosley, 29, a Democrat, has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master's degree in public affairs from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
She is currently on a leave of absence from her position as a client relations associate for 1Berkshire, a regional economic development agency based in Pittsfield.
There, her role was to reach out to businesses "so that they understood the programs and services that were available to them and help them network with each other."
"I really learned about the economic development needs of the area," Bosley said.
Among those needs is transportation, she added.
"With an economy that's reliant on tourism and culture, we need to find ways to improve transportation," Bosley said.
Prior to working with 1Berkshire, Bosley has worked in the economic development office in the town of Adams. She also has experience with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Soldier On and the American Cancer Society.
Bosley has long known she wanted to run for the 1st Berkshire seat at some point.
"Recently it's become more clear to me that this is a good opportunity for me now with the experience and education I have," she said.
However, she wishes it was under different circumstances that she was seeking the seat.
"Losing [Cariddi] was definitely heartbreaking," said Bosley, who said she had known Cariddi for a long time and often talked politics with her whenever their paths crossed. "'I had always envisioned that when I ran she would be a mentor."
And does she have the endorsement of her father?
"Absolutely," said Daniel Bosley when reached by The Eagle on Wednesday.
Stephanie Bosley was born when Daniel Bosley was in office, and she was in her 20s by the time her father left the seat.
Despite the political lineage, "she's got her own ideas about different issues," Daniel Bosley said.
"She's much more qualified than I was," he added.
Bosley has launched a campaign website, bosleyforstaterep.com.
Reach staff writer Adam Shanks at ashanks@berkshireeagle.com or @EagleAdamShanks on Twitter