Swampscott Town Meeting Member Vying For Secretary Of State

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — While a contest between a long-time incumbent and an upstart Boston councilor has enlivened the race for secretary of state on the Democratic side of the ticket this year, the Republican Party got it's first entrant into the race on Tuesday with the launch of Anthony Amore's campaign.

Amore, the director of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and a former Department of Homeland Security official, said his campaign to become the state's chief elections officer is a natural offshoot of his career in security where preserving the integrity of elections will be among his top priorities.

"I have long felt a call to public service, and have spent my career protecting both my fellow citizens and some of the public’s most valuable works of art," Amore said in a statement announcing his candidacy. "A campaign to serve the people of Massachusetts as Secretary of State is a natural extension of that service. As Secretary, I will modernize our government; ensure our elections are conducted honestly and securely; and foster a culture of efficiency that respects opportunities for economic growth."

For the past 12 years, Amore has worked as the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum's security and investigations chief, arriving at the museum after the now infamous and still unsolved heist of priceless artwork in 1990. Before that, he helped to oversee the strengthening of security measures at Logan International Airport after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks for the Department of Homeland Security.

Amore said his priorities as secretary of state would also be "adhering to our public records laws to ensure public access to our government" and making sure the secretary's office is a partner to Gov. Charlie Baker's administration "in economic growth" and not an impediment.

Amore, like the governor, lives in Swampscott where he is a Town Meeting member and previously served on the Swampscott Historical Commission. With his entrance in the race, the MassGOP is now fielding candidates in five of the six statewide constitutional office races. Only Auditor Suzanne Bump, a Democrat, is so far uncontested. Twenty-four year incumbent Secretary of State William Galvin is also facing a Democratic primary challenge from Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim.

Photo by Alison Bauter for Patch