It's official. Quincy state Rep. Ron Mariano is speaker of the Massachusetts House. Mariano, 74, was elected to lead the House with 123 votes on Wednesday, Dec. 30, one day after Speaker Robert DeLeo, of Winthrop, stepped down from the role. The longtime Quincy state representative called the honor of getting the House's top job a culmination of a career in public service. 

"It’s a true honor to be elected speaker of the House and to have earned the trust and confidence of my esteemed colleagues," Mariano, 74, said during a speech on the House floor Wednesday. "And it’s not lost on me that I accept this great honor in a historic chamber that is nearly empty."