Born in Brockton, Winthrop H. Farwell, Jr. (Win) lived with his parents in an apartment at the corner of Warren Avenue and Calmar Street. Eventually, the family moved to a home on Moraine Street. His roots in Brockton are deep - in 1881, Win’s great-grandmother was the first woman elected to office in Brockton. She served on the school committee. Exactly 100 years later, in 1981, he was elected to his first city office on the same committee.

In 1975, he was proudly appointed to the Brockton Police Department and promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1981.  In 1991, the city faced severe financial problems and almost 25% of the city’s workforce was laid off. This included 35 firefighters, 31 police officers and about 250 teachers. The state imposed a Financial Control Board to oversee city finances. That prompted Win to run for mayor and lend his efforts to improve conditions in the city.

He was elected and sworn in to office in January, 1992, serving until January, 1996. Because of the dedicated department heads, and a sustained commitment of hard work from members of the City Council during those years, the city achieved financial stability. The Financial Control Board dissolved itself a year earlier than expected, and turned back to the city all control over finances. This experience with financial management shapes his attitude today regarding the need to spend money conservatively.  

After leaving the mayor’s office, Win was appointed Commissioner of Public Safety for Massachusetts by Governor William Weld and served from 1996-1999. He returned to the Brockton Police Department and retired in 2000.

In 2015, he made a decision to become a candidate for Councilor at Large as many of the same issues which challenged Brockton during his term as mayor were back in the spotlight: public safety, public education, and financial management of city resources.

Councilor Farwell was sworn in to office on January 4, 2016, and has now held every elected office in Brockton: School Committee member, Mayor, and Councilor-at-Large.

Along with ten fellow councilors, seven from wards and three other “at-large” members, the Brockton City Council comprises the legislative branch of city government.

“I am proud to serve as your Councilor-at-Large and look forward to continued service to the City of Brockton."