FIRING A SHOT across the bow of the state’s leading hospital networks, the House voted nearly unanimously on Wednesday to give a state health commission more authority to scrutinize expansion plans – and to give community hospitals what amounts to veto power over efforts by large hospital systems to encroach on their service area. The bill was passed as […]
Ron Mariano
Posted inPolitics
In-person meetings could reset relations between Baker, lawmakers
COULD THE RETURN of the “stale cookies” improve relations between Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders? For most of his two terms in office, the Republican governor appeared to have a strong working relationship with the Democrats who controlled the Legislature. Almost every week, Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, the House speaker, and Senate president […]
Posted inEnvironment
How to build an industry to support offshore wind
AFTER SIGNING the climate change bill into law on Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Ron Mariano began an interesting discussion about how the state should go about building an onshore industry to support the development of offshore wind. The climate change law authorizes the purchase of 5,600 megawatts of offshore wind, but it […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mariano pledges to turn South Coast into ‘hub of wind energy’
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano on Thursday pledged to make major investments to turn the South Coast into “a hub of wind energy for the region.” Mariano, in a virtual speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, envisioned using the nascent offshore wind energy industry as a way to create jobs in Massachusetts while positioning the state […]
Posted inPolitics
House delays rules debate amid transparency push
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE is pushing off its biennial debate on rules for six months, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to delay the rules debate also comes as advocates are urging lawmakers to adopt more transparent procedures. “The pandemic is not over and the challenges it presents will not wait patiently […]
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 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 […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mariano pledges to lead with an open mind
HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER Ron Mariano, a day before he is set to be elected speaker of the Massachusetts House, pledged to be a leader who will listen to everyone with an open mind. “I’m balanced, I’m extremely open minded, I’ve changed my position when I’m convinced that there’s another thing – there’s something that I […]
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 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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t expect change for the better under Mariano
ALL SIGNS POINT to House Majority Leader Ron Mariano being elected the next speaker of the Massachusetts House. What does a Mariano speakership mean for a progressive policy agenda in Massachusetts? As Reps. Denise Provost and Jonathan Hecht remind us, he shares the same top-down leadership style as Speaker Bob DeLeo, with an even more […]
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 […]