Steve Kulik - One of a Kind

I am very sad to hear of the passing of Steve Kulik. I got to know Steve fairly well in my job as Executive Director of the Hilltown CDC.  I was hired in 2011 and Steve was our State Representative. He went out of his way to meet with me and help me get a handle on the work the CDC does and what the pressing issues in the Hilltowns were. I knew there was a paucity of knowledge in Boston about Hilltowns. Little did I know I was getting to know one of the most compassionate and effective legislators in our state. I also soon learned that Steve was one of the founding community members of the Hilltown CDC.

As I got settled into my job, I developed a relationship with Steve that showed me another side to politics and government. I saw how he was able to advocate for our rural towns with kindness and intellect and at times, when needed, some fierce advocacy.

Without hesitation, Steve worked tirelessly to help move a piece of legislation through state government that has resulted in millions of new dollars designated for community development programming, providing assistance to many of our rural friends and neighbors. This legislation was the Community Investment Tax Credit or CITC. This has enabled CDC’s across the state to leverage millions of dollars from donors who receive a tax credit on their donation.

For folks who follow Hilltown CDC’s work, we would not have a Mobile Market selling local farm products without CITC, we would not have developed additional affordable housing units, nor would we have been able to expand our transportation services for seniors without CITC and Steve’s advocacy.

There is one other memory I want to share.

When Steve retired for the legislature, Hilltown CDC helped an event to honor his life and work. His wife Suzanne and children Sam and Elizabeth attended the event. Family and friends put together a collage of pictures of Steve’s life. It was a beautiful time.

I brought some musician friends of mine to the event, and we played some jazz music while people honored Steve. On a break, I took a look at the pictures of Steve’s life. I saw this young guy with a long ponytail letting his freak flag fly.

At that moment it all made sense. Steve was a counter-culture activist who figured out how to get inside the system and change it for the better. He never lost his hippie idealism. 

He was “one of a kind” in the messy system we know as politics. There is one thing I know for sure, we need more Steve Kulik’s in our world if we are going to get anything done.

Dave Christopolis

Executive Director

Hilltown CDC