Ronald Joseph Mariano (born October 31, 1946) is an American politician currently serving as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A Democrat from Quincy, he was first elected to the House in a December 1991 special election. He was appointed assistant majority leader in February 2009 and majority leader in January 2011 by then-speaker Robert DeLeo, who he succeeded as speaker upon DeLeo's retirement in 2020. He represents the 3rd Norfolk district.[1]

Ron Mariano
86th Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Assumed office
December 30, 2020
Preceded byRobert DeLeo
Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
January 28, 2011 – December 30, 2020
Preceded byJames Vallee
Succeeded byClaire D. Cronin
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 3rd Norfolk district
Assumed office
December 1991
Preceded byRobert A. Cerasoli
Personal details
Born (1946-10-31) October 31, 1946 (age 78)
Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEve Powell
EducationNortheastern University (BS)
University of Massachusetts, Boston (MEd)

Life and career

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Mariano was born and raised in Quincy, where he attended public school. He received his B.S. from Northeastern University in Boston and his M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He became a teacher and was elected to the Quincy School Committee, where he served from 1989 to 2009. He also served on the Ward 2 Democratic Committee, the Norfolk County Advisory Board, and the Quincy College Board of Governors.[2]

In January 2023, Mariano was reelected to a second term as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. His priorities for the 193rd Massachusetts General Court include child care affordability, public transport reliability, and oversight of hospital mergers and acquisitions.[3] Mariano also outlined a focus on revising Massachusetts' state law to comply with the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in NYSRPA v. Bruen, which declared may-issue permitting for firearms unconstitutional, as opposed to shall-issue permits.[4]

In October 2023, Mariano indicated that he intends to run for Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives during the 2025-2026 legislative session.[5]

Awards

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From 1997 to 2000, Mariano served as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts House of Representative's Joint Committee on Insurance, becoming Chair in 2001. In 2005, he became chair of successor Joint Committee on Financial Services. In these roles, he oversaw the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform and 2008 auto insurance deregulation, for which he was received the 2008 Insurance Professional of the Year Award.[6]

Mariano was the 2014 recipient of the Quincy Parks Conservatory's Charles Francis Award.[7] In December 2021, Mariano received the Norman B. Leventhal Excellence in City Building Award in the environment category.[8] Mariano was the 2022 recipient of the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition's Change Maker Award.[9] In June 2023, Mariano was awarded the Legislative Champion Award by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization for supporting patient advocacy.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Stout, Matt; Ebbert, Stephanie; Estes, Andrea (December 26, 2020). "Long the House's Consummate Insider, Ronald Mariano Poised to Finally Lead It". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Welch, William F.; James, Steven T. (2009). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2007-2008). Massachusetts General Court. p. 167. hdl:2452/43415.
  3. ^ Lisinski, Chris; Drysdale, Sam (January 4, 2023). "Speaker Mariano and President Spilka Share Some Top Priorities in New Legislative Session". WGBH. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Day, Michael S.; Mariano, Ronald J. (October 10, 2023). "Mass. Isn't Immune to the Gun Violence Epidemic. We Need New Gun Control Legislation Now". WBUR. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Stout, Matt (October 17, 2023). "Massachusetts House Speaker Says He Will Seek Another Term Atop Chamber". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Past Winners". The Insurance Library of Boston. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Toast the Parks". Quincy Parks Conservancy. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Norman B. Leventhal Awards". A Better City. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "GLAH'22 Honoree Spotlight: Speaker of the MA House Ronald J. Mariano". Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Stinson, Vicky (June 6, 2023). "Massachusetts Speaker of the House Ron Mariano Honored as BIO Legislative Champion". Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Retrieved October 22, 2023.

Further reading

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Massachusetts House of Representatives
Preceded by
James Vallee
Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
2011–2020
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
2020–present
Incumbent