Paul Cusack is running for the open seat on the Barnstable Town Council to represent Precinct 5 in the special election on September 6. Precinct 5 includes the Village of Osterville and nearby neighborhoods in Marstons Mills, Cotuit, and Centerville. 

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A combat veteran and shellfisherman, Paul was born and raised in Westwood, Massachusetts. He attended Georgetown University, receiving a BA in Classical Languages in 1996. After graduation, he remained in Washington and served as an aide in the White House for 4 years.

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Following his time in the executive branch, Paul moved to Los Angeles and worked in various consulting capacities: in renewable energy with the L.A. Department of Water and Power; in communications at the Annenberg School at University of Southern California; in prize philanthropy with the X PRIZE Foundation; and in gang prevention at high schools in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

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Looking for a different life challenge, Paul embarked on a three month hike along the US Mexican border in the fall of 2009. Inspired by President Barack Obama’s West Point address of December 2009, Paul used that hiking experience as a springboard for enlisting in the U.S. Army. Serving from 2010-2015 with the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Paul deployed four times to Afghanistan with a rifle platoon conducting counter-terror operations in the Hindu Kush and Kandahar.

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Paul completed Airborne and Ranger School and received a Pat Tillman Scholarship to attend Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He graduated in the spring of 2017 with a Masters in Public Administration.

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Osterville has been home base for Paul since 2009. He returned to reside on the Cape full time in 2017 and began his work as a shellfisherman in Cotuit. Paul’s career-long focus on public service has led him to seek public office as a way to continue to serve his community, fellow citizens, and the working families of Barnstable.