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As DeLeo Ends Historic House Leadership Run, Legislators Prepare For New Era

A group gathered for a press conference
Paul Tuthill
/
WAMC
House Speaker Robert DeLeo

The longest serving Massachusetts House Speaker in history resigned Tuesday, ending a 30-year legislative career and 12 years of leadership.

Democrat Robert DeLeo was state representative for first the 20th and then the 19th Suffolk District from 1991 until 2020, serving as House Speaker since 2009.

“The laws we drafted, debated and worked to implement have become national models, such as the landmark gun safety and health care cost reform laws," said DeLeo. "I highlight these laws because they speak to the power of what we can achieve when we approach policymaking with open minds, leaving behind entrenched ideas and a commitment to being a force for good.”

In his farewell remarks, DeLeo highlighted legislative accomplishments like passing anti-discrimination laws protecting transgender people, investments in public education and reform bills aimed at the state’s police and criminal justice system.

“What this job is all about very simply, is helping people," he said. "Since the day I walked in here and now the day that I'm leaving here, that's always what I believed in, the only thing I really, most importantly, strived to do.”

Fellow Democratic State Representative Paul Mark of the 2nd Berkshire District says a pillar of DeLeo’s legacy will be his commitment to building consensus.

“We didn't act like Washington," he told WAMC. "I always hear these complaints about Washington that they, like right now what we're seeing with this $2,000 stimulus checklist, they just they can't get it together. They can't put people first, they have to throw these barbs and throw these digs at each other. And in the statehouse, whether we had a Democratic governor or a Republican governor, that just has never been the case, not in my time anyway. And so, Speaker DeLeo, he always sought, what do the most members want? What can I get passed with a veto-proof majority just in case there's a governor that isn't receptive to this? And people think that happens by accident or that it's sometimes it's a show of weakness, and it isn't at all. It actually takes a lot of time, a lot of effort to go through 160 members and get something that all two thirds of us agree on.”

DeLeo replaced the disgraced Salvatore DiMasi as Speaker. Mark also praised DeLeo’s leadership during the pandemic and his ability to avoid ethics charges as other achievements of the Democrat’s historic run.

“Just from the most recent term, you're talking about the Student Opportunity Act, so getting full funding to schools," said Mark. "And while there's been some obstacles to that, because of the pandemic, we're still committed to that. It is the law, it took two sessions to get it done and get it done in a way that was fair to every community. And that's going to be a lasting legacy. I think getting transgender rights passed, we passed that twice under Speaker DeLeo in two different increments. I think, again, reproductive health, reproductive justice, that's something he's been committed to, I think, a balanced and stable budget. Really securing that rainy day fund and having it ready for when we needed it.”

Incoming speaker Ron Mariano, of the 3rd Norfolk District, will have a lot on his plate with a week left of the formal session.

“I think the environmental bond bill is going to come out," said Mark. "I hope that a transportation bond bill is going to come out and an economic development bond bill is going to come out. The problem with getting these things done so late in the session now, the veto, the governor has committed control over what he vetoes. We're no longer in a position where we're going to have the 10 days for him to send it back to us and override, so he can veto any line out of these bills if they come out. We're still finishing up overrides on the budget, and that's important to make sure that that's done before the session ends. And then as we move into the new session, he’s stated that his priorities are going to be healthcare, securing small hospitals, which is obviously something regional hospitals, local hospitals, very important to Berkshire County and rural communities I represent.”

The longtime majority leader, Mariano’s legislative style is in contrast to the departing speaker.

“Where DeLeo always sought consensus and didn't want to take votes that weren't near unanimous, it sounds like Ron Mariano is willing to take more of a risk and let some 100 to 80 votes go down, 100 to 60 votes go down, that kind of thing," said Mark. "So it's gonna be different.”

DeLeo is pursuing a job at his alma mater, Northeastern University.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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