Updated: 6:33 PM EST Dec 30, 2020
Democrats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives have formally elected a new Speaker of the House. Majority Leader Ron Mariano, a 74-year-old Democrat from Quincy, was chosen by his fellow Democrats on Wednesday to replace Speaker Robert DeLeo, who resigned Tuesday.Mariano was the only candidate for the speakership after Rep. Russell Holmes said Monday that he would no longer seek the post. DeLeo was the longest-serving Speaker of the House in Massachusetts history. His departure came less than two weeks after he filed an ethics disclosure letter stating that he intended to begin negotiating an unspecified employment opportunity with Northeastern University.The 70-year-old Democrat from Winthrop gave a farewell address at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday afternoon before his resignation became effective at 6 p.m."What this job is all about, very simply, is helping people," DeLeo said. "It will always be the privilege of my life to know that I made a difference."Both Mariano and DeLeo entered the House in 1991 and have worked together closely."You're a tremendous friend and a wise counselor," DeLeo said to Mariano during his farewell speech.Mariano says his top priorities are offshore wind projects and health care, although he admits that he still needs to brush up on the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan.