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 […]
Robert DeLeo
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
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 […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
A vote for Holmes would be a vote for democracy
TWO YEARS AGO, I wrote a piece in CommonWealth on how the Massachusetts House really works, an account of the “old boys’ network” and exactly how it stifles all bills and amendments that the House […]
Posted inOpinion
House progressives need to cry foul
MANY AMERICANS were distressed when President Trump, just weeks before the November election, nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. When the Senate confirmed Barrett barely a month […]
Posted inPolitics
Mariano supporters say he has the votes if DeLeo steps down
AMID RUMORS that House Speaker Robert DeLeo may be stepping down from his position, multiple House members said Majority Leader Ron Mariano would have enough votes to be elected the […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rejects Baker’s abortion amendment
THE HOUSE on Wednesday voted 107-49 to reject Gov. Charlie Baker’s amendment paring back a legislative proposal to expand access to abortion in Massachusetts. The measure now goes to the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
DeLeo backs budget debate on abortion access
HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo said late last week that he would frown on lawmakers using the budget as a vehicle for major policy reforms, but he backed off that stance […]
Posted inEconomy
New House panels to focus on economic recovery, childcare
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO on Thursday announced the creation of new House panels to examine legislative priorities related to the state’s recovery, with a focus on the economy and childcare, […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Tales from the legislative trenches
RESPONDING TO THE fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the Legislature recently passed and the governor signed an eviction and foreclosure moratorium law. It enables people who are unemployed or lost income […]
Posted inUncategorized
Massachusetts House holds first remote session
A MASK-WEARING House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday presided over what he called a “historic day” – the first time the Massachusetts House has voted on a bill remotely. “It’s […]
Posted inPolitics
House Democrats, Republicans reach rules compromise
AFTER A TESTY battle that lasted for several days, Republicans and Democrats in the Massachusetts House have agreed to a compromise on rules that will allow them to debate bills […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rules still stalled
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER Brad Jones on Thursday blocked consideration of emergency rules for the Massachusetts House for the second day, amid a debate that is throwing off efforts by Gov. […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Republicans allege power grab in rules debate
THE NORMALLY CONGENIAL dealings of the Massachusetts House of Representatives turned into a scene of vituperative charges and countercharges being hurled across the partisan divide on Wednesday as lawmakers struggled […]
Posted inGambling
DeLeo calls Nangle allegations ‘serious and troubling’
HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo said Tuesday that the allegations against Rep. David Nangle, a member of his Democratic leadership team, are “serious and troubling and, if true, represent a significant […]
Posted inOpinion
A New Year’s resolution for the Mass. House
THERE WAS SOMETHING different about the start of this legislative session in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It wasn’t the composition: Yes, Democrats did manage to flip two seats, but […]
Posted inOpinion
Speaker’s PAC provides incumbent protection
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S DOMINANCE in the Massachusetts Legislature is a matter beyond dispute. Since 1978, when a constitutional amendment reduced the number of seats in the House of Representatives from […]