WHEN ROBERT DELEO resigned as speaker of the Massachusetts House a year and a half ago and took an academic position at Northeastern University, his life changed dramatically. At the State House, he occupied a palatial suite on the third floor adorned with pictures of all his predecessors. At Northeastern, he works out of a […]
Robert DeLeo
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Bernie backing means little in middle-of-the-road Winthrop
IT TURNS OUT Bernie Sanders has little sway with voters in Winthrop and Revere when it comes to choosing their next representative. The same goes for former US housing secretary Julian Castro. And, for that matter, an impressive cast of local liberal politicos from surrounding areas. Despite a set of high-profile endorsements unusual for a […]
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DeLeo lands post at Northeastern
DON’T CALL HIM “Mr. Speaker.” He’s now a “University Fellow for Public Life.” Longtime Massachusetts House speaker Robert DeLeo, who resigned last month and said he was in talks with Northeastern University about a job, has been named to a new post with that rarefied title at the school. It’s not clear what the position will entail, but […]
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Debate over special elections heated — and complicated
WITH THE SUDDEN EXIT of the mayor of Lawrence and imminent expected departure of Boston’s mayor, officials in both communities have scrambled to head off special elections that are called for in their city charters and instead have a new mayor chosen in the regularly scheduled municipal election in November. They have cited everything from the […]
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For Mariano, the spotlight isn’t kind
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OFTEN count for a lot, and for Ron Mariano that’s probably not a good thing. The new House speaker gave an interview to Channel 5 reporter Sharman Sacchetti that was quickly turning heads because of his circumspect answers that seemed dismissive of her queries. Mariano may have shed his signature moustache, but not […]
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A deal-making new House speaker
IT WAS SEVERAL DAYS before the end of the 2018 legislative session, and Ron Mariano and Jim Welch were in difficult negotiations over a health care bill. Mariano, the House majority leader, and Welch, then-Senate chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, were the lead negotiators in a conference committee trying to reach agreement on how to stabilize community hospitals. Mariano made a […]
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DeLeo stepping down; Mariano facing no opposition
IN A MESSAGE read by a tearful House clerk, Speaker Robert DeLeo announced he is resigning his position on Beacon Hill at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, setting the stage for the ascension of Majority Leader Ronald Mariano of Quincy to the top position in the chamber on Wednesday. Shortly after the announcement just before 2 […]
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For DeLeo, slow, steady — and firm — were the watchwords
THERE WAS NOT a lot of flash to Robert DeLeo’s tenure as Massachusetts House speaker. Rising from amiable constituent-focused Winthrop lawmaker to one of the most powerful positions in state government, DeLeo had an understated everyman bearing and brought a deliberative, consensus-oriented approach to many issues. But what he lacked in outward swagger, the 70-year-old Democratic leader made up for with a […]
Posted inThe Download
House members following DeLeo-Mariano script
One veteran House lawmaker said on Monday that Ron Mariano’s ascension as speaker has been one of the smoothest, most unified, most calm transitions he has ever witnessed. That’s because this speaker transition is following a script that has been honed and crafted for years. As House Speaker Robert DeLeo prepares to hand off the […]
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House members following DeLeo-Mariano script
ONE VETERAN House lawmaker said on Monday that Ron Mariano’s ascension as speaker has been one of the smoothest, most unified, most calm transitions he has ever witnessed. That’s because this speaker transition is following a script that has been honed and crafted for years. As House Speaker Robert DeLeo prepares to hand off the […]