Ron Mariano is officially the new Massachusetts House speaker. Mariano was elected by his peers to take over a speaker following the resignation of Robert DeLeo this week.
Mariano is a 74-year-old Democrat from Quincy who takes over with less than a week left in the current legislative session.
Mariano says dealing with coronavirus is job number one, but says he has many other priorities that will be addressed as well.
The Speaker says that it is time to prepare the state for recovery: "That recovery begins by getting people back to work and investing in our community colleges, placing them at the center of the retooling of Massachusetts workers. And when people do go back to work, there's no reason that anyone's commute should be longer than one-hour. That means strengthening our infrastructure. Not just the rails, roads, and bridges that carry workers to their offices and job sites, but the broadband, and high-speed internet that will allow more people to work from home. In a modern economy, everyone needs access to affordable, high-speed internet."
(Mario Jarjour/WBZ NewsRadio)