Support propels Spilka to top Senate role
Start date for takeover in talks
State Sen. Karen E. Spilka emerged yesterday as the likely next president of the Massachusetts state Senate following a dark and bruising period for the normally placid branch on Beacon Hill.
“It’s time to turn the page and usher in a new era of collaborative leadership in the Senate,” said Spilka in a statement, adding she is “deeply honored” by the support.
Sens. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow) and Sal N. DiDomenico (D-Everett), two of Spilka’s rivals in the contest, congratulated her yesterday.
The jockeying came after former Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg stepped down following a Boston Globe report that his now-estranged husband, Bryon Hefner, sexually harassed men on Beacon Hill and claimed to influence Senate legislation.
The sudden swell of support behind Spilka closes an “unpleasant period” in the state Senate, Lesser said.
“There’s no doubt that this has been a rather tumultuous and rather unpleasant period, but now we have a leader and stability and it’s time to move forward on our agenda,” said Lesser, who had also been vying to become president.
Lesser and his supporters decided to back Spilka late last week, and the new alliance sparked a frantic weekend of jockeying where Spilka emerged the victor.
The Ashland Democrat hasn’t decided when she will take over as president.
“Senator Spilka is working with Senate President Chandler and her colleagues to ensure a smooth transition,” said Spilka spokesman David Guarino. “No decision has been made on the exact timing.”
The cloud of scandal combined with the ongoing leadership battle seemed to send several senators looking for an exit.
Former Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, a potential presidential contender herself, left to work for Suffolk Construction. Sens. Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell) is currently a contender for Lowell City Manager and Barbara L’Italien (D-Andover) is running in the 3rd Congressional District race. Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives (D-Newburyport) became the most recent evacuee yesterday, saying she is stepping down to take care of her toddler.
“I think there’s been a lot of soul searching during this period,” said one Senate insider, calling the upheaval, “a literal spring cleaning.”