State House still under wraps
Speaker Mariano defends keeping it closed
The State House has been closed to the public for 629 days and it’s unlikely that will change anytime soon, a decision Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano defended again this weekend.
“The building is still closed because we’re concerned about the safety of about 600 folks who work there,” Mariano said during a Sunday appearance on WCVB’S “On the Record.”
It’s the only state capitol in the nation to remain closed to the public for the entirety of the coronavirus pandemic. And “the people’s house” remains closed even as other state buildings have reopened — at least in some capacity — and as the public have also been invited to return to museums, performance halls and the like.
“My concern is public safety,” Mariano said.
The historic building that serves as a stop on the Freedom Trail welcomes over 100,000 visitors a year. Mariano said managing visits from tourists is one of the reopening holdups.
“We’ll be welcoming visitors from all over the world. How are we going to deal with their vaccinations? How are we going to determine who comes in and who doesn’t come in? Those are things we’re moving through,” he said.
Mariano also pointed to unvaccinated elected officials.
More than 95% of House lawmakers have disclosed their vaccine status, Mariano told reporters last month noting five state representatives have not said whether they’re vaccinated or not and have been asked to work from home.
Senate President Karen Spilka said 100% of state senators and staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Legislative leaders have said for months they’re working on a plan to safely reopen the building that closed in March 2020. But their timeline remains unclear.
On Monday, the State House moves to Phase 2 of that plan which will require all officers and employees “to be available and able to work in person at the State House as a condition of their employment,” including being in compliance with a COVID19 vaccine mandate.
But most staff and members are likely to continue working from home.
Mariano also addressed the notion of rebuilding the Long Island Bridge as a way of addressing the homelessness and opioid crises at Mass and Cass, and he said he isn’t picking sides.
“I have not taken a position,” Mariano said of the bridge at the center of a lawsuit between Boston and Quincy to the south. “I am concerned about cost. I am concerned about why the city chose to tear it down almost unilaterally, as I discussed with the former mayor.”
Newly sworn-in Mayor Michelle Wu has said the bridge isn’t a priority in her plans to solve the crisis at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, opting instead to direct resources to the people there.
At an October debate she said she did “not support putting our resources to focusing on the bridge.”
“I’d move quickly to reactivate ferry service. We are in a legal process that is near completion, so we can finish that process. But our resources can be used much more urgently with much more impact for folks at Mass and Cass,” she said.