Commissioners





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(From Left to Right: Commissioner Peter H. Collins of Milton, Chairman Joseph P. Shea of Quincy, and Commissioners Richard R. Staiti of Canton)

Commissioner Joseph P. Shea
Commissioner Shea is  Chair of the County Commission. Appointed in 2015 to fill the term of his friend and mentor John Gillis of Quincy. Chairman Shea was elected to full terms in 2016 and 2020. A lifelong resident of  Quincy Massachusetts he served as City Clerk and Chairman of the License Board for 24 years, thereto succeeding Gillis. Chairman Shea retired as City Clerk of Quincy after 33 years of faithful service in 2016, which included a stint as Executive Secretary to Quincy Mayor Walter J. Hannon. Chairman Shea's tenure as City Clerk was characterized by his quick adoption of technology and rapid modernization of the department. He has been recognized by numerous genealogical organizations for his pioneering efforts in the digitization and preservation of vital records making them much more easily accessible to the public. He was a central figure in Quincy's decennial redistricting process for 50 years and remains a poll worker in municipal elections to this day. He served as a member of the Quincy College Board of Governors from 2010-2022 and is a 50-year life member of the Quincy Democratic City Committee. An Eagle Scout, Chairman Shea is also a Massachusetts Army National Guard Veteran, honorably discharged as a Staff Sargent, serving in the 101 Field Artillery Regiment. 

Chairman Shea is a graduate of Archbishop Williams High School, Quincy College, and Suffolk University. He is a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC). A grandfather of five, he resides with his wife Josephine Shea on Hospital Hill in Quincy. 

His Awards Include:
Archbishop Williams High School Man of the Year (2004)
Quincy Lodge of Elks Man of the Year ( 2011-2012)
Quincy Irishman of the Year Award
Quincy Asian Resources Inc. (QURI) Visionary Award (2016) 
Good Scott Award, Granite District of Boston Minuteman Council #227 (1998)
Dennis F. Ryan Community Award by the Quincy Democratic City Committee (2017)

Commissioner Peter H. Collins 
Commissioner Collins is the Dean of the County Commission. A lifelong resident of Milton Massachusetts where he resides with his wife and two sons.

Commissioner Collins is the Owner of the Law office of Collins & Collins a four attorney private practice of law in Quincy which almost exclusively concentrates on Workers Compensation Law, including presentation of cases at the Department of Industrial Accidents, attending Conciliations, Conferences, Hearings, Medical Depositions, Review Board Hearings and appearances at Superior Court and the Appeals Court. His practice includes representing Insured Workers, Insurers, and Self Insurers in Workers Compensation cases in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has practiced law in his office  in Quincy for the last 36 years. 

Commissioner Collins has been  a member of the: Massachusetts Bar Association, Norfolk County Bar Association, Quincy Bar Association and the Workers' Compensation Bar Association. He serves as the president of the Massachusetts Association of County Commissioners, is a trustee of Norfolk County Agricultural School and a former Trustee of the Massachusetts Raspatory Hospital. 
Commissioner Collins is a graduate of Boston College High School, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Suffolk University Law School. His wife is a dental hygienist who has worked in Quincy and Sharon for over 25 years and his two boys are being educated in the Milton Public Schools. 


Commissioner Richard R. Staiti

Commissioner Staiti is a lifelong resident of Canton Massachusetts and Norfolk County.  

After growing up in Canton and graduating from Stonehill College,  Commissioner Staiti returned home  and became a science  teacher as well as the first athletic trainer for the Canton High School athletic program. Commissioner Staiti finished his extensive teaching career serving as the Science/Technology Director in the Canton Public Schools.

While raising his family in Canton , Commissioner Staiti served two years as a Library Trustee,  nine years as a member of the Canton Selectboard, and over twenty years as Canton  Town Moderator.  In addition Commissioner Staiti  served over thirty years as the Norfolk County Advisory Board Member for Canton, a position he left when elected to the County Commission in November of 2020. Commissioner   Staiti is a dedicated leader and volunteer of many civic and charitable groups including Canton Association of Business / James F Salah Foundation, Knights of Columbus Council # 2095.

Commissioner Staiti holds a Bachelor of Science from Stonehill College, a Masters of Education  Administration from Bridgewater State University and  Juris Doctor from Suffolk University.

Throughout his career in education, law and politics Commissioner Staiti has been an active  member of a number of past and present civic and municipal associations including:

  • Massachusetts  Moderators Association
  • Massachusetts Municipal Association
  • Massachusetts Teacher Association- Retired
  • National Education Association
  • National Science Teachers Association
  • Norfolk County Bar Association
  • Member of Canton Democrat Committee, Past Chair
  • Past Chair, Norfolk County Advisory Board
  • Past Chair, Canton Selectboard