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New York Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Capturing David Wright: His 5 best moments as Mets retire No. 5
The last night a New York Met wore No. 5, he waited as long as possible before taking it off. 'To be able to come to work at a place like this, in front of this fan base with this organization, was the honor of a lifetime,' David Wright said then, on the final weekend of September 2018. 'I really don't want to go in there and get changed right now. I want to wear the jersey a little longer.' Advertisement Saturday ensures no one else will get that chance. The Mets will retire Wright's No. 5 in a pregame ceremony Saturday before their contest with the Cincinnati Reds. Even before the club loosened its standards around retired numbers in 2019, that Wright's No. 5 would adorn the Citi Field façade had been a fait accompli. To prepare for Saturday's festivities, let's look back at five defining, representative moments of Wright's Mets career. 'For me, there were a few moments my first couple years where it was like, 'Welcome to the big leagues,'' Wright told me back in 2019. 'One of them was facing Randy Johnson for the first time, and certainly one of them was facing Mariano.' By May 2006, Wright had already suggested he was going to be really good. He'd more than held his own over the final two-plus months as a rookie in 2004, and he'd received down-ballot MVP consideration as a 22-year-old in his first full season in 2005. But that didn't inspire the utmost respect from opponents, just yet. So in the bottom of the ninth on May 19, 2006, with a runner on second and two outs, Mariano Rivera intentionally walked Carlos Delgado to bring Wright to the plate. 'I remember just trying to calm myself down. Your heartbeat is pumping through your chest. It's the Subway Series, you're a young kid,' he said. 'You're emotional, and times that by 1,000 as a young player facing Mariano Rivera, facing the Yankees.' Even more than a decade later, Wright lamented missing the 1-1 pitch from Rivera, a cutter left in the middle of the plate that he fouled back. 'You blew it,' he told himself. Two pitches later, against a better cutter from Rivera, Wright stayed on an even plane and mashed the ball to center. Johnny Damon was playing in to try to throw the runner out at home on a base hit in front of him. As Wright hopped down the first-base line — you can still see it in your mind — the ball outran Damon to the warning track in center. Advertisement 'It's certainly a proud moment in my career and one that I remember fairly vividly,' Wright said. 'You want to be considered one of the elite in the game, and in order to do that you have to be productive against the best to ever do it. Certainly he's one of the best to ever do it.' It was already Wright's third walk-off of the young season. He'd finish his career with nine, not including a memorable one in the World Baseball Classic, where he did some of his best work in the clutch. Wright hit .313 in the highest-leverage at-bats of his career, and he ended up going 3-for-8 off Rivera in his career. 'You probably can't say this about a lot of pitchers in general,' he said. 'I certainly remember all my hits against him.' Let's just get this out of the way: It's probably not the one most baseball fans are thinking of — the one where Wright is scrambling in Petco Park's shallow left field, drifting too far left and throwing out his bare hand at the last second to snag Brian Giles' bloop. Great play, just not the one that best epitomizes Wright's defense. No, this one came two months earlier in Seattle. In his book, Wright explained he'd always wanted to rob a home run — something not possible for a third baseman. The next best thing would be going into the stands on a foul ball. So when Raul Ibañez popped one up at Safeco Field in May 2005, Wright saw his chance. 'The distance was perfect for me to jump and make the play,' he wrote. 'As the ball fell into my glove, I felt a split second of triumph, which lasted only until gravity pulled me onto a little ledge where people were resting their drinks. … My leg was black-and-blue for months.' 20 years ago today, David Wright actually jumped into the stands to make a catch. Video: @NYMhistory — Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 18, 2025 This is the play every Mets fan still brings up whenever they see or hear about Derek Jeter's famous dive into the stands against the Red Sox a year earlier. It was an early warning about the dangers of going all-out all the time. But that was Wright's DNA, he wrote. 'My philosophy was to dive first, worry about the consequences later.' Advertisement In 2011, that would prove more harmful, when a dive to tag Carlos Lee at third base led to a stress fracture in Wright's back, and the start of a series of trips to the then-disabled list and lifelong management of his back. Wright's status as a subheading in Mets history, an era unto himself, was solidified when the club formally named him the fourth captain in its history in 2013. Wright joined Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and John Franco in receiving the honor. And you could draw a line through franchise history from Tom Seaver, who played with Darryl Strawberry, who played with Franco, who played with Wright. Of course, Wright had embraced an enlarged role for the Mets for a long time. More so than other star players in big markets, Wright had served as a daily spokesman for the team, available to the media after pretty much every game. (Personally, since the Mets were the first major-league team I'd ever covered, it was surprising when I later covered the Yankees and Red Sox that players like Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz were available only some of the time.) Still, naming Wright the team's captain emphasized so much of what he stood for, so much of what had been ingrained in him since he was growing up — to play the game the right way, to carry yourself properly, to earn the respect of those around you. 'You never find that player who has every intangible,' said Tony Tijerina, one of Wright's minor-league managers, in 2018. 'Except for David.' 'In that city, in that market, he basically was the poster boy of, 'You're coming up? Be like this guy,'' Jason Bay told me in 2018. 'Anywhere, that's tough; New York is tougher.' It remains difficult, nearly a quarter-century after he was first drafted into professional baseball, to find anyone to say anything negative about Wright. Advertisement 'Being named captain of the Mets was by far the greatest professional honor I had ever, would ever, or could ever receive,' Wright wrote. 'The title meant my teammates respected me as a person, which was a greater accolade than anything that could go on the back of a baseball card.' In retrospect, the bitter end to the 2006 postseason for Wright and the Mets only intensified in the years that followed. What had seemed like the opening of a long competitive window was, in fact, the only year Wright and José Reyes (and Carlos Beltrán and Carlos Delgado) would play postseason baseball together. It would take nine agonizing years for the Mets to get back to October. And by the time they did, Wright's career was in doubt. Early in 2015, he'd been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a chronic condition that would inevitably end his career earlier than he planned. For much of that summer, as the Mets dallied with contending in the NL East, it was unclear whether Wright would return to the field, and if so, what he could meaningfully provide. Those doubts persisted even as Wright homered with his first swing back (in Philadelphia, of course), even as the Mets surged into first and clinched the NL East, even after Wright delivered a critical base hit in the first postseason game against the Dodgers. As he stepped to the plate in Game 3 of the World Series at Citi Field, he was batting .171 with a .220 slugging percentage in the postseason. 'What is New York gonna get out of this guy, their captain, David Wright?' Joe Buck asked on Fox. Wright provided an answer on the second pitch: turning on Yordano Ventura's 96 mph fastball for a no-doubt two-run homer to left. Wright had hit the first BP homer at Citi Field, he'd hit the first regular-season homer at Citi Field, and he hit the first World Series homer at Citi Field. The stadium had never been louder. 'I will never, ever forget that home run,' Wright wrote in his book. 'I will never, ever forget how I felt in that moment. It's something I will hold close to me for the rest of my life.' The Mets have not excelled at endings in their history. Their best players ended their careers in places like Boston, Cleveland, Oakland and — shudder — the Bronx. They celebrated the closure of their long-time stadium after a cruel season-ending loss. And for a time, for a pretty long time, it looked as if the same fate might befall Wright, his last at-bat coming anticlimactically (and with no one realizing it) in early 2016 against Louis Coleman. Advertisement Indeed, as Wright's rehab through back, neck and shoulder surgeries trudged on, there was even some doubt whether Mets ownership would allow him to suit up ceremonially; there was insurance money at stake, of course. But on the final Saturday of the 2018 season, Wright and the Mets collaborated on one of the most memorable nights in franchise history. It had been jarring weeks earlier when Wright had divulged publicly what he'd known inside for a while: 'It's debilitating to play baseball.' He would get one last start, one last time to put pinstripes over his orange undershirt, to kick third base, to tug at the bill of his helmet as he stepped into the box. Wright walked and popped out; you remember the latter because you still despise Peter O'Brien for catching it. In the top of the fifth, he was replaced in the field and cheered for more than three minutes before heading down the dugout steps. After the Mets finally won in 13 innings, he thanked all the fans who stayed 'just to watch a video and hear me mumble some thank yous.' The night highlighted, as Saturday should as well, Wright's unique place in Mets history — not just as their greatest homegrown position player, but as a player who so thoroughly embraced what it meant to be a New York Met, having grown up a fan in southeast Virginia. 'I live and die with this team,' he said that night. 'When I see the fans take losses hard, when I see the fans smiling from ear to ear after a win, I'm that same way in the clubhouse. I'd like to think that's what's made this connection between the fans and I so strong: I relate to them, they relate to me. We have similar feelings about the New York Mets.' (Top photo of David Wright's home run in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series: Elsa / Getty Images)
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Heads up, Swifties! 'Taylor Watch' podcast returns after hiatus
What if we told you "Taylor Watch" − the Barstool Sports podcast centered around Taylor Swift − is back? On July 15, hosts Kelly Keegs and Gia Mariano returned to the airwaves following a month hiatus. "Oh, you thought you could kill us! Nice try, haters," Keegs boomed at the top of the two-hour YouTube video titled "Episode 152." "We have risen from the dead, we do it all the time," Mariano jumped in, quoting Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" lyric. The two hosts debuted a new logo in a "Folklore"-esque font surrounded by stars, a microphone and a clapboard. Whether a rebirth or a resurrection, Season 2 started with an explanation of what happened since the show was canceled on June 4. Last month, Keegs told USA TODAY that copyright issues ultimately prompted Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy to pull the plug. "If you have a business account, which 'Taylor Watch' does count as a business account, and we are using Taylor's music − technically, it could be said that we are using her music to promote our brand, which is not allowed." Keegs told podcast listeners. Portnoy texted Keegs and Mariano on July 7 renewing their contracts and saying they could bring back the podcast. "It was so out of the blue," Mariano said. "He made things right." "The past is the past and all we're thinking about is the future," Keegs said. Mariano explained the solution will be for "Taylor Watch" to stay away from copyrighted music and videos and steer toward posting reaction videos. The show will return to a twice-a-week format with new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to dish on Swift news, commentary and Easter egg theories. "It just feels like a clean slate, a fresh start all around," Keegs said. Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat. Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Money has major influence on Beacon Hill. These charts show how.
The Globe found that most of that money came from a tight circle of major companies and industries — particularly health care and real estate — that regularly have business before the state Legislature and the executive branch. While corporations cannot donate to politicians directly, their employees can give more freely. To trace patterns of influence, the Globe totaled donations from contributors' listed companies and broader industries. Donors also tend to open their checkbooks when an elected official's influence is rising and pull back when someone is seen as headed out to pasture, our reporting showed. Advertisement Here are the key takeaways from the Globe's analysis: Healey, the state's highest-profile Democrat, raked in $1.6 million in 2024, far more than any of the other politicos included in the Globe analysis. People who work in the real estate and construction industries gave her about $223,000 — her largest source of campaign cash, excluding unemployed and retired contributors. The industries also topped donations for Michlewitz and Rodrigues, the House and Senate budget chiefs, underscoring the sector's efforts to wield influence last year as the Legislature considered key housing-related bills. Advertisement Those included Healey also raised more than $200,000 from the legal sector. The company whose employees gave the most was the The Globe analysis showed donors shift their bets on politicians as their stars rise and fall. That dynamic was especially visible in the widening gulf between Mariano and Michlewitz, who is generally viewed as the speaker's likeliest successor. Michlewitz, the chamber's most active fund-raiser, raised about $560,000 in 2024 — nearly 14 times the funds brought in by Mariano. Observers have long speculated about when the 78-year-old speaker might retire, though Mariano told the Globe in June he Michlewitz's donations have steadily ramped up in recent years, as donors bet on his bright future. He became House budget chairman in February 2019, a move that vaulted him into the chamber's upper ranks. After that promotion, Michlewitz was 'firmly planted in the conversation' about future leaders of the lower chamber, a Advertisement It's no secret that influential budget leaders often ascend to the top. When Mariano became speaker in 2021, Michlewitz's prospects brightened further. (Michlewitz has declined to comment on what his political future may hold, saying he is happy in his current role.) Amid speculation about Mariano's eventual retirement, donations to the speaker have steeply declined. Meanwhile, contributions to Michlewitz have soared — a clear indication of where the donor class expects power to land. Michlewitz's top contributor in 2024 was Tufts Medicine, whose flagship medical center sits in his district. The Mariano, the House's powerful leader, raised less than $41,000 in 2024. The speaker does not actively fund-raise and has not faced a serious challenger in his district in recent years, though state campaign finance records show he has about $250,000 on hand. Employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield — who collectively made the company Mariano's top donor — gave $6,700 to him in 2024 — about the same as Spilka, his counterpart in the Senate, though far less than employees there gave to Healey. Some of Mariano's other top donors, including Smith Costello and Crawford and Dempsey Insurance, employ top lobbyists on Beacon Hill whose clients had stakes in debates over issues such as energy policy. Several of those groups, however, donated far more to other top lawmakers: Employees of Smith, Costello, and Crawford, for instance, gave Michlewitz $2,500 — more than double the contributions employees of that firm gave to Mariano. Advertisement The five companies whose employees gave Spilka the most were all in health care or insurance, with workers from Arbella leading at $7,200 and Blue Cross employees close behind. Last year, the Legislature took up a wave of health care bills — including efforts to strengthen hospital oversight, expand access to pharmaceuticals, and improve maternal health care. While lawmakers on Beacon Hill routinely engage with the health care industry, which plays a crucial role in the state's economy, Spilka in particular has long prioritized mental health care as a top issue. Rodrigues, the Senate budget chief, had a more eclectic mix, with major donors from consulting, and the food and beverage industry. Blue Cross Blue Shield topped his list, with employees of that company giving a total of $4,500 to him, followed by Horizon Beverage, an alcohol retailer. The Dewey Square Group, a political consulting firm that employs a number of Democratic strategists, was another of his top donors. Moran, the House majority leader who oversees the chamber's large Democratic caucus, raised less than all but Mariano, though the array of most generous companies represented in his campaign account departs from that of his colleagues. His top contributor was Enterprise Mobility, the parent company of several car rental agencies that did not appear on any of the other top officials' filings. His second highest donor, the Davis Company, saw employees give Moran, collectively, $4,000. Davis Company, too, had business before Beacon Hill last year: It's one of the key real estate firms involved in developing the area around a proposed soccer stadium in Everett, which the Legislature approved in a major economic development bill last year. Advertisement Still, these charts don't capture the full scope of money's influence on Beacon Hill. Massachusetts' 30-year-old campaign finance law bars corporations from contributing directly to political candidates and office-holders, and caps contributions from registered lobbyists at $200, lowering donation totals compared with other states. Neena Hagen can be reached at
Politico
27-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Dems ... in array?
ALL TOGETHER NOW — Beacon Hill Democrats might finally be on the same page. Relations between the House and Senate were … less than cozy in the waning days of the formal lawmaking last summer, and some of that sentiment bled into the new session. But there were a few signs this week that Democrats are ready to put the bickering on the back burner. After bold commitments to update the joint rules they've struggled to agree on over the last five years, top House and Senate Democrats suddenly reached a deal this week on a package they say will make things run more smoothly and with increased transparency. House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka cheered the agreement after their semi-regular meeting with Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. Spilka even hit Mariano with a little light back-slapping as they took their victory lap. 'Neither one of us liked the way it ended July 31 of last year,' Mariano told reporters at the time, referencing the impasse Democrats hit during what normally would've been their final formal session (Both chambers came back to work to pass the bills left undone later in the year.). 'We just knew it was time to make this thing work. And we did,' Mariano added. Lawmaking has been slow-going so far — the Legislature has only passed a handful of bills, and most of what's moved has been supplemental budgets. But as the Senate met Thursday to pass new protections for patients and providers seeking and administering abortions and gender-affirming care, Mariano told reporters the House could take up the issue in the coming weeks. 'As soon as we can get something from the Senate, go through it, see how we can be helpful … we just have to keep plugging away,' he said. One thing to keep an eye on in the next couple of days: How quickly negotiators can reach a budget deal. Monday is the final day of the fiscal year, a deadline the Legislature hasn't hit in more than a decade — but in a sign that things could be getting close, the House gaveled out Thursday night (after members hung around for hours) without passing the interim budget Healey filed to fill a potential budget gap. Still, getting a budget signed on time is likely out of the question, since Healey gets 10 days to decide on any vetoes. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour in the North End at 10 a.m. and speaks at the Boston Arts Academy Foundation lunch at noon in Beacon Hill. THIS WEEKEND — Gov. Maura Healey is on WBZ's 'Keller @ Large' at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale is on WCVB's 'On the Record' at 11 a.m. Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL — A Massachusetts. doctor mails 2,500 abortion kits out of state per month. Lawmakers voted to further protect providers like her. by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe. — Will Massachusetts ban Native American mascots in schools? Legislators make another push by Margie Cullen, Taunton Daily Gazette. MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — U.S. wants to deport FBI informant who was set to testify in gang case in Massachusetts. by Jesús Marrero Suárez, WBUR: 'In November 2022, a man in El Salvador believed he had few options: be snatched off the street by police or testify against Massachusetts members of MS-13, the criminal organization responsible for countless murders and other violent crimes in the U.S. and Central America. But both happened. After nine months in Salvadoran prisons, the man only known as John Doe in court documents came to the United States as a material witness for a racketeering case in exchange, as he understood it, for refuge in the U.S. He's now locked up in a facility here. A material witness often has testimony crucial to a case, and can be detained to protect them or prevent them from fleeing. In the midst of the MS-13 case, the U.S. government revealed his identity in evidence and has been attempting to deport him.' FROM THE HUB — Boston's property assessments questioned; city accused of secret tax hikes by Maya Shavit, Boston Business Journal: 'The Pioneer New England Legal Foundation, a group formed from the merger last month of the Pioneer Public Interest Law Center and the New England Legal Foundation, said this week that commercial property owners in Boston who appealed their tax assessments were penalized without notice over the past year. In a letter to the state commissioner of Revenue, a copy of which was sent to the city of Boston, the legal foundation claims the city is unlawfully charging taxpayers with bills that are based on property valuations those taxpayers dispute.' YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS CASH DASH — Former Secretary of State John Kerry headlined a Cambridge fundraiser for Sen. Ed Markey Thursday night, per the invitation. On the guest list: A whole host of former ambassadors. FROM THE DELEGATION — Two Massachusetts military vets in Congress break from Democratic consensus of outrage over Trump's Iran strike by Sam Brodey, The Boston Globe: 'After President Trump ordered dramatic airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday night, most Democratic lawmakers were outraged — not just because Trump bypassed congressional approval for the attack, but also because many worried the escalation could destabilize an already volatile situation with Iran. A smaller but still influential group within the party, however, responded to the attack on Tehran's nuclear program differently— including two vocal members of Massachusetts' generally progressive delegation in Congress. Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Seth Moulton, Marine veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively, were both extremely alarmed that Trump didn't consult Congress. But they didn't share the immediate anger of their colleagues that the aftermath of the strikes was obviously dangerous or damaging.' — Baby on board: Mass. lawmaker asks Trump to keep strollers, cribs out of his trade war by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'A Democratic lawmaker from Massachusetts, joined by more than two dozen of her colleagues, has called on the Trump White House to exempt already pricey baby products from its overseas trade war. In a letter shared exclusively with MassLive, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to move ahead with exemptions for such key products as strollers, car seats, cribs and highchairs from current and future tariffs.' FROM THE 413 — Silent standout in Northampton protests ICE detainments, deportations by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'It's not uncommon to see protesters and activists assembled in front of Northampton City Hall, speaking out in support of social issues and against injustices of the day. But the gathering held there early Thursday afternoon did not feature boisterous speeches or calls to action; rather, it struck a more somber tone in protesting against the detention and deportation of immigrants and foreign nationals in the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.' THE LOCAL ANGLE — AG: Barre town officials intentionally violated open meeting law hiring DPW director's cousin as his assistant by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: 'Town officials in Barre are facing a $500 fine after the Office of the Attorney General ruled they intentionally violated the Open Meeting Law when hiring the cousin of the Public Works director to serve as his administrative assistant. A town official who filed the complaint said it supports his contention that town is being improperly managed, while the selectmen chairwoman — who was among those faulted by the attorney general — said she had no intent to violate the law.' — Reprimanded police sergeant committed more sexual harassment, then retired without discipline by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light: 'A city police sergeant, reprimanded for sexual harassment in mid-2023, was found last year to have committed further sexual harassment. He went on paid administrative leave and then medical leave, and retired without discipline in November, months after the investigation's findings were submitted to the police chief.' — Bitterly divided Brockton school board meets behind closed doors to discuss longtime member by Chris Helms and Jacob Posner, The Brockton Enterprise: 'A bitterly divided Brockton School Committee met behind closed doors Tuesday evening, June 26, to discuss Ward 7 School Committee Member Tim Sullivan. Massachusetts law requires that most public business be done in public. However, there are a handful of exceptions that allow elected boards to go into executive session where any discussion and votes they take can be kept from the public for a certain period. The reason the board gave for the executive session is broad. It was about the 'reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual.'' — 'Critical' Sandwich gate at Joint Base Cape Cod gets another reprieve by Rachael Devaney, Cape Cod Times: 'A July 1 deadline for the potential closure of Joint Base Cape Cod's East Sandwich gate loomed over local residents, workers, and military personnel who use the gate year-round. But on Thursday, Don Veitch, Joint Base Cape Cod public affairs officer for the Massachusetts National Guard, said the gate will remain open and funded for one year. Funding, said Veitch, will be continually reevaluated. The Sandwich gate was originally scheduled to close May 16 due to federal funding cuts. Joint Base Cape Cod then extended the closure until June 30 after reallocating funds and arranging for soldiers to perform their annual training at JBCC, according to Veitch.' HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former state Sen. Joe Boncore, state Sen. Michael Barrett, former Plymouth state Rep. Mathew Muratore, Molly McGlynn, of AG Andrea Campbell's office; Nick Mitchell, Jesse Lehrich and Paul Tencher, a Sen. Ed Markey alum. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Erin McPike and Moses Marx, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Ben Jarrett, Amish Shah, Jason Ostrander, Katrina Gaddis and state Sen. Liz Miranda.
Boston Globe
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
House Speaker Ron Mariano, 78, plans to seek another term
She later clarified that if reelected in 2026, Mariano, of Quincy, would also run again for speaker, which the House votes on at the beginning of each term. Mariano has not faced a serious challenge to his leadership role during his two-plus terms. Advertisement The statement may put to rest, for now, speculation about when the 34-year veteran of the House might leave his post, a move that would reorder power in the chamber. Mariano's fundraising has steadily declined in recent years — he raised less than $41,000 last year, campaign finance records show — and he has also faced some Mariano has served as speaker since December 2020, when representatives chose the then-majority leader to succeed Robert DeLeo, who was the Mariano's election was the Advertisement Mariano, who turns 79 on Halloween, was first elected to the House in a special election in 1991. Neither the House speaker, Senate president, nor governor currently face term limits in their roles on Beacon Hill. The House eliminated an Senate President Karen E. Spilka, 72, told NBC10 Boston last month that she, too, intends to As speaker, Mariano wields wide authority over what legislation moves from the chamber — and which bills do not — while negotiating with Senate leaders who, while also Democrats, have their own priorities and agenda. Mariano, as the chamber's leader, also serves as the state's primary gatekeeper of spending bills, which first must pass the House. Mariano similarly made clear his plans to seek another term last session, telling reporters that fall he intended to run for his 3rd Norfolk seat and the speakership again. At the time, he didn't discount not completing his term, saying ' Emma Platoff can be reached at
