Term Limits a Must for New House Speaker [OPINION] Robert DeLeo is stepping down as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and everyone who pays taxes to this corrupt Commonwealth should be gleeful. The only problem is that whoever replaces DeLeo will be just more of the same. House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) and Rep. Russell Holmes (D-Boston) are the candidates for DeLeo's replacement. Mariano already has the vote in the bag and will be the next Speaker. Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset) had a notion but was outgunned by Mariano. A bout with COVID-19 has kept Haddad sidelined throughout the process.