Finneran Rushing

Many Bay State residents have long lamented House Speaker Tom Finneran’s stranglehold on the Massachusetts House of Representatives. That’s why, in November 2002, voters in 18 House districts passed a nonbinding referendum, organized by the group OverthrowFinneran.org, that instructed their state representatives to oppose Finneran’s re-election as Speaker. On January 1, 2002, representatives had a chance to vote for Finneran or one of his two opponents, Representative Byron Rushing of the South End or Representative Bradley Jones of North Reading. A look at how the representatives in those 18 districts voted, however, reveals that they disregarded their constituents’ wishes in all but three instances.

District Towns Represented Representative Voted For

First Essex - Newburyport, Salisbury, Amesbury - Michael Costello: Finneran

First Hampshire - Hatfield, Montgomery, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton - Peter Kocot: Rushing

Second Hampshire - South Hadley, Easthampton - John Sciback: Finneran

Fifth Essex - Rockport, Essex, Gloucester - Anthony Verga: Finneran

Sixth Essex - Beverly - Mary Grant: Finneran

Seventh Essex - Salem - J. Michael Ruane: Finneran

Eighth Essex - Lynn, Marblehead, Swampscott - Douglas Petersen: Rushing

Eighth Suffolk - Boston, Cambridge - Paul Demakis: Rushing

11th Norfolk - Walpole, Weston, Dedham - Robert Coughlin: Present

11th Suffolk - Jamaica Plain - Liz Malia: Finneran

13th Essex - Danvers, Peabody, Topsfield - Theodore Speliotis: Finneran

14th Essex Lawrence, North Andover David Torrisi: Finneran

14th Middlesex - Chelmsford, Concord, Carlisle, Acton - Cory Atkins: Finneran

15th Suffolk - Brookline, Boston - Jeffrey Sanchez: Finneran

26th Middlesex - Cambridge, Somerville - Timothy Toomey Jr. : Finneran

29th Middlesex - Cambridge, Watertown - Rachel Kaprielian: Finneran

32nd Middlesex - Melrose, Wakefield - Michael Festa: Finneran

36th Middlesex - Tyngsborough, Dracut - Colleen Garry: Finneran