Meet Brewster’s New Barnstable County Assembly Delegate

BREWSTER – On Jan. 2, Karl Fryzel was sworn in as the new Brewster representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates after being elected by residents in November. He succeeds Mary Chaffee, who had held the position since 2017.

 Over her seven years as the Brewster representative, Chaffee “worked to educate the community about the services and programs that Barnstable County government provides, advocated on behalf of Brewster’s residents and worked to ensure all of county government carried out its duties properly and transparently under the county charter,” according to an official statement from the town. 

 In an interview last Friday, Fryzel noted his respect and admiration for Chaffee. “If she had run again, I would not have run,” he said.

 Fryzel grew up in southeastern Massachusetts, moving to Boston to attend Boston College and graduating with a degree in political science. He continued his education in Washington, D.C., earning his law degree at Georgetown University. 

 After working for the justice department, he moved back to Boston and shifted into private practice. While he practiced in many different areas, he specialized in corporate tax law. Over the course of his 40-year career, Fryzel held the title of partner three times and worked for a number of national law firms. 

 Around 1984, after moving back to Massachusetts, Fryzel started vacationing in Brewster and fell in love with the landscape. 

 By the mid 2010s, Fryzel and his wife had owned a few different properties in Brewster but were still not full-time residents. They lived in Winchester, just outside of Boston. 

 In 2017, they purchased their current residence and moved permanently in fall 2018. Over the course of the next few years, Fryzel commuted between Brewster and Boston and then permanently worked from home during the pandemic. He officially retired a year ago. 

 His love of public service started early on as a hobby. In the 1990s, Fryzel was a fixture on Winchester’s town committees. He sat on the finance committee and held the position of chair for a term. Winchester has a representative town meeting, and he served as a member for 25 years. He was also a member of the select board from 2000 to 2006. 

 Fryzel has also been involved with state-led initiatives. Under Governor Deval Patrick, Fryzel was a member of the tax reform commission which reformed the Massachusetts tax code. He served as a member of the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation board. 

 By the time Fryzel arrived in Brewster full-time, he was ready to get his hands dirty with municipal work. He quickly became a member of the audit committee, on which he still serves. He joined the bay property planning committee, and after it disbanded, he became the vice chair of the Sea Camps advisory committee. 

 With a diverse background of service, Fryzel said he was ready to try something new. “Regional government is something different that I haven’t done,” he said. 

 In addition to his extracurricular commitments, Fryzel is a certified field naturalist, a birder and is currently working on his conservation certificate from Mass Audubon. He has led bird walks and talks with the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, where he is a docent. 

 His interest in birds has led him to explore nature in a new way. 

“It’s been a very worthwhile hobby because we know one issue we all face is climate change, and I've got a much better understanding of what it is and how it's impacting biodiversity and impacting future generations as the planet warms,” he said.

Climate change was part of a list of issues he was adamant about devoting resources to on a regional scale. 

“There are so many issues that are really better served or can be improved in service on a regional basis, not just a town-by-town basis,” he said. “Housing is an issue, our environment, water quality, coastal resiliency with the warming ocean and the rise in sea levels, public safety training that has left us with problems with toxins and PFAS cleanup, and economic development to help businesses thrive on the Cape to the extent we can.” 

He feels confident that county-specific grant funding can start to chip away at some of these problems. 

 He still finds time to devote to his other passion, singing. He is a member of the Chatham Chorale and has performed in numerous concerts, most recently this past holiday season. Their next concert will be in March to benefit the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. 

 When asked if there were other details he wanted to convey, he said, “Well I have six grandchildren and three children, three daughters.” 

 The next assembly meeting will be held on Jan. 15. It is open to the public and will stream live through the county website.