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Draft:John K. Bullard

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John Bullard

John K. Bullard (born August 21, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 45th mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, from 1986 to 1992[1] before holding key federal positions managing fisheries and assisting fishing families weather financial hardships during national fisheries crises,[2] particularly the New England Fishing disaster,[3][4] as well as administering NOAA's Northeast programs to protect living marine resources from Canada to Cape Hatteras.[5][6]

Mayoralty

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During his three terms as New Bedford mayor, Bullard introduced programs such as community policing, recycling, and AIDS prevention.[7][8] He was instrumental in the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth building its School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford,[8] which was once the whaling capital of the world[9] and is the nation's largest and most lucrative commercial fishing port.[10][11] He also brought the city into compliance with the Clean Water Act by building a modern secondary wastewater treatment plant in the city's South End, a controversial plan that observers said lost him the 1992 election[12][8][13] but a move environmentalists said has helped restore Buzzards Bay.[14][8]

Preservationist

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Before he became mayor, Bullard was a historic preservationist from 1974 to 1985,[15][16] working to revitalize the New Bedford Historic District,[4][15][16] first as Agent for downtown businesses, the New Bedford Whaling Museum and Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE).[16] He was later appointed as executive director of WHALE, credited with saving and restoring several historically significant buildings.[17][18][19][20] Throughout his career, he has continued to be involved in the restoration of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center[21][22] and the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, the official vessel of Massachusetts.[23][24]

Federal Fisheries Posts

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After his mayoral days, Bullard, a member of the Democratic Party,[25] joined the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 1998 in Washington, D.C., where he led the first federal Office of Sustainable Development and Intergovernmental Affairs for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[2] He established programs to assist fishing families in New England, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.[5][2]

In 2012, during the Obama administration, Bullard was appointed Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.[26][27] He served in this post until 2018.[28]

During his tenure as Regional Administrator, Bullard addressed the New England groundfish[6][29] crisis by making the unpopular decision to establish emergency fishing quotas and closures[28][30][31][29] and helped deliver more than $32 million in disaster relief to fishing communities.[32] He was among the early observers to sound the warning on the approaching extinction of the American Right Whale[33] He enacted policies protecting North Atlantic right whales, such as expanding critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whales by more than 25,000 nautical miles.[34] And he advanced a first-ever action on the Atlantic coast to protect forage fish, which critically serve as prey for larger fish, marine mammals, and sea birds.[35]

Education Ties

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Bullard earned his Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude at Harvard University in 1969, after graduating from St. George's School in 1965.[36] He went on to earn dual Master's degrees in Architecture and City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974.[37]

Bullard served as a fellow at Harvard Institute of Politics in 1998[4] before he was tapped later that year for the top job at the UMass Dartmouth Family Business Center.[38][39] He later left to direct the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, where he oversaw the program for a decade.[40]

Late Career: Public Service, Environmentalist, Author

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Bullard is President of the New Bedford Ocean Cluster, a non-profit group organized in 2021 to help maritime industries in the region. He also serves on the Westport Community Resilience Committee, the Westport Planning Board, and the Buzzards Bay Coalition.[41][42]

Bullard is the author of Hometown, a memoir released in 2023 about connections to family, place, and public service, revolving around his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts and his federal service.[43]

Family

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The son of Dr. John C. Bullard[5][44] and Katharine K. Bullard,[45] he currently lives with his wife in the South Coast region of Massachusetts. The have three children and five grandchildren.[46] Bullard's ancestor, Nantucket Quaker, Joseph Rotch helped found the whaling industry in the port of New Bedford when Rotch moved his whaling business to Bedford Village 1765.[47][48]

References

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  1. ^ "MAYORS OF NEW BEDFORD 1847- 2011". www.whalingcity.net. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  2. ^ a b c Safina, Carl (1998). Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-4671-7.
  3. ^ "Risky Decisions: How denial and delay brought disaster to New England's historic fishing grounds". The Pew Charitable Trusts. September 30, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "John Bullard | The Institute of Politics at Harvard University". Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. 1998. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  5. ^ a b Rauch III, Samuel D. (2012-07-02). "Former New Bedford Mayor John K. Bullard named NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Administrator". Saving Seafood. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  6. ^ a b Abel, David (December 22, 2017). "Foes, friends praise retiring NOAA official's approach". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  7. ^ Gomez, Cynthia (January 12, 2002). "New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce ceremony". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  8. ^ a b c d Waterman, Melissa (September 2017). "People of the Coast: John Bullard of New Bedford". Landings. Maine Lobstermen's Community Alliance. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  9. ^ National Park Service (2020). "History & Culture - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  10. ^ NOAA Fisheries (2023). "New England/Mid-Atlantic | NOAA Fisheries". NOAA. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  11. ^ Kiest, Kristina (2013-12-13). "VIDEO: Celebrating America's Largest Commercial Fishing Port Community". NOAA Sea Grant. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  12. ^ Spillane, Jack (September 19, 2010). "JACK SPILLANE: Thank you, John Bullard". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Yehle, Emily (2015-02-26). "Northeast fisheries chief's credo: 'Take the heat. ... Move on'". E&E News by POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  14. ^ Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (2019). "Wastewater Disposal". buzzardsbay.org. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  15. ^ a b Froman, Michael C. (2017). "Urban Redevelopment: New Bedford Massachusetts". Honors Theses. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Esper, George (August 17, 1980). "The American Scene: Restoration makes city "sweet to see" again". Miami Herald. pp. 8B.
  17. ^ Walker, Lynnea (November 18, 2001). "A house with many stories". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  18. ^ McCabe, Marsha; Thomas, Joseph D. (1995). Not Just Anywhere: The Story of WHALE and the Rescue of New Bedford's Waterfront Historic District. New Bedford: Spinner Publications Inc. ISBN 9780932027283.
  19. ^ Dyer, Richard (March 3, 1986). "The Boston Globe". p. 13.
  20. ^ Frankling, Ken (September 1, 1985). "The Philadelphia Inquirer". pp. 4H.
  21. ^ "History". Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  22. ^ Casher, Pat (March 29, 1993). "Arts should be part of downtown plan". Centre Daily Times. pp. 4A.
  23. ^ "Governor Baker signs An Act to preserve the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey". Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association, Inc. October 6, 2020. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  24. ^ Tree, Christina (July 29, 1985). "New Bedford's revival tied to the sea". The Boston Globe. pp. B13.
  25. ^ Kilborn, Peter T. (August 5, 1987). "IN HIS STATE'S SUCCESS, DUKAKIS SEEKS HIS OWN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  26. ^ Lindsay, Jay (July 29, 2012). "Associated Press: Challenge looms for new East Coast fisheries chief New East Coast fisheries chief facing challenge amid fishery crisis, damaged relationships". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  27. ^ Staff Writer (July 8, 2012). "Our View: Changes offer glimmer of hope for fisheries management". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  28. ^ a b "John Bullard to retire as GARFO regional administrator in January". Commercial Fisheries News. August 2017. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  29. ^ a b Miller, Michelle (August 2, 2013). "Cod fishermen say limits on their catch threaten their livelihoods - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  30. ^ Rosado, Pedro Rafael; Hodge, Channon; McDonald, Brent (January 31, 2013). "Video: The Fishing Industry Looks Ahead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  31. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q.; Bidgood, Jess (January 30, 2013). "Officials Back Deep Cuts in Atlantic Cod Harvest to Save Industry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  32. ^ "Groundfish Disaster Economic Assistance Program". www.mass.gov. May 28, 2014. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  33. ^ Associated Press (December 10, 2017). "North Atlantic right whales could become extinct, US officials say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  34. ^ "NOAA Proposes to Expand Critical Habitat for Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales". NOAA Fisheries. February 13, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  35. ^ "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Mid-Atlantic Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". Federal Register. August 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  36. ^ McGrady, Suzanne. 2015. "Arctic Adventure." St. George's Bulletin, August 27: 35-37
  37. ^ Bullard, John K. 1974. COLLECTIVE PRIVATE URBAN RENEWAL IN NEW BEDFORD'S HISTORIC DISTR.Thesis, e Department of Architecture and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning , Massachusetts Institute of Technoloy Rotch Libraries, Cambridge: Rotch Libraries.
  38. ^ Estrella, John (July 11, 1998). "Former New Bedford mayor gets UMass job". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  39. ^ "Connections: Comings and Goings" (PDF). Connections: NEW ENGLAnd's JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. XIII (3): 10. 1998.
  40. ^ Jan, Wagner (July 29, 2002). "John K. Bullard Named President of Sea Education Association". Cruising World. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  41. ^ Hayes, Ted (May 26, 2023). "In Westport, 'Hometown' boy makes good". East Bay Media. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  42. ^ Nanos, Janelle; Logan, Tim (November 10, 2021). "New Bedford is a shining sea of possibilities". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  43. ^ David, Beth (June 28, 2023). "New Bedford, in a word, is a seaport. Our people go to sea". Fairhaven Neighborhood News. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  44. ^ Conery, Ben (December 26, 2002). "Dr. John Bullard, 81, was devoted to SouthCoast". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  45. ^ Henry, Ray (July 19, 2005). "Bullard, longtime activist and philanthropist, dies of cancer". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  46. ^ "New Bedford shines in new memoir by John Bullard". Coastline. May 31, 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  47. ^ Pease, Zephaniah W. (1918). History of New Bedford. New York: The Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  48. ^ Rotch family photographs, Massachusetts Historical Society.
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