About Jay
Jay recognizes our area’s enviable position of being the crossroads of southeastern Massachusetts. His civic and community work demonstrate his commitment to ensuring our towns are good places to live, raise families, and work.
Jay grew up in the town of Mansfield, raised by his mother Janice and father Bob. His mother became the first woman to own and operate her own Insurance agency when she founded the Janice Barrows Insurance Agency in 1977. She began the company out of her home on Pratt Street in Mansfield, before moving to the downtown business area in Mansfield. In 1994, Janice passed the torch to Jay, and he became the President of the company! Jay has continued his mother’s legacy of being a highly esteemed organization within his hometown of Mansfield. Barrows Insurance Agency employs a great staff, which includes his three children, Colby, Chris, and Caitlin, as well as his nephew Brent! There are now three generations of Barrows working within the family business. Colby, Chris, and Caitlin have expanded the company by opening a second location in Foxboro. The legacy of the family-run Barrows Insurance Agency will surely continue due to their ongoing contributions! The community has always been an important part of the Barrows family; Jay has set a great example for his kids, as he was the president of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce, and has now been a State Rep. since 2006. His kids are following in his footsteps, his son Colby has been President of the Rotary Club, and his daughter, Caitlin has planned numerous events for the community, including the Family Fun Night for the Downtown Business Association. Brent and Chris are also heavily involved with the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce as well. The torch has already been passed in some aspects to the third generation, Jay was a key part in creating and managing the Mansfield Father Daughter Dance, which is now being managed by Caitlin!
Tri-Town Sewer Project
The Tri-Town Sewer project has been my calling card since being elected in 2006 and we just cut the ribbon this year. This project led to increased sewer capacity and equitable resource distribution, improving service and development in the Tri-town communities. The newly launched dispatch was another community initiative that I helped foster in collaboration with former Senator Jim Timilty. It will save money and increase the efficiency of our district’s emergency services. Furthermore, I also filed the bill to allow cadet staffing, which will give our police further flexibility as well as opportunities for students pursuing a career in law enforcement.
Foxboro Rotary and Route 140 Housing Authority
In all three communities, town managers and their staff are doing exceptional work to develop zoning and infrastructure improvements which will attract new businesses and help existing ones expand. I remain actively engaged and readily available to help our communities access the information and resources they need at the state level to fulfill their strategic plans. Recent support from my office has resulted in the new Foxboro Rotary and Route 140 Housing Authority development, as well as working with MassDOT to assist Norton’s commercial expansion.
Funding for Our Communities
Municipalities often depend on State funding for critical services and necessary improvements. Helping secure this funding is a key responsibility of a State Representative. In recent years, I’ve helped to deliver $14 million to the Burrell School renovation, $20 million to Norton High School for their renovations, and money to study the conversion of the Mansfield Police Department Building to a Senior Center. In 2015, I helped to facilitate a $2.37 million MassWorks Grant for improvements around the Mansfield train station, one of the region’s most heavily utilized commuter rail stops. Most recently, I advocated for a MassTrails Grant to extend the WWII Veterans Memorial trail into Norton.
Jay was recently awarded the Character Counts Award from the YMCA. This recognized his outstanding efforts in the community, instilling the YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
Jay lives in Mansfield and is the father of four children – His daughter Caitlin lives in Foxboro with her husband, Anthony and their children, Wesley, Anthony and Gianna. Chris lives in Mansfield with his wife, Britney and children Logan, Luke and Layla and Colby lives in Mattapoisett with his wife, Karin, son, Bodie, and daughter Reagan. Lastly, Cameron, who lives in Alaska with his wife, Bella and daughters, Lucy and Hazel.