Representative Schmid and his wife, Tina, have been married for 46 years and are parents to Celeste and Paul. Celeste is a wife, mother, and nurse residing in San Francisco with her family and Paul, a recent graduate of Suffolk Law School, is married and living in Boston. Paul moved to Westport in 1962, shortly after he began operating River Rock Farm with his family. A certified organic and grass-fed Angus beef farm, River Rock Farm sells beef directly to its consumers and is committed to sustainable farming practices.
A graduate of Harvard College (‘65) and Harvard Business School (’70), Representative Schmid went on to serve six years in the United States Marine Corps. Having served both active and reserve duty, Paul obtained the rank of Sergeant and retired in 1970. Through his education, business skills, military service, and practical experience Representative Schmid has a wide range of skills at his disposal to serve the people of the 8th Bristol District.
His experience in government spans several years, beginning in 1973 a member of the Westport Master Plan Committee and continuing on as a part of the Westport Finance Committee and the Tax Incentive Financing Committee, both of which he served as Chair, as well as the Fire Station Committee and the Water Sewer Committee. From 2009-2011, Paul served as a selectman for the Town of Westport and was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in November 2010.
Throughout his time in the legislature, Representative Schmid has sponsored legislation to increase local aid to the communities he represents, as well as, legislation to reduce pollution in local water ways and promote sustainable and regenerative farming practices. He currently serves as Vice Chair for the Joint Committee on Revenue and as a member of the Joint Committee on Public Health, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, and the House Committee on Redistricting and the House Committee on Ways and Means.
A fact based thinker and self-described moderate, Representative Schmid believes in the power of a bi-partisan effort. Through the respect and the consideration of all opinions, hard decisions can be made and, ultimately, progress for all achieved.