House Speaker Bob Deleo announced his new leadership team, as well as the new slate of committee chairs yesterday. In the Merrimack Valley our legislators appeared to do quite well. Rep. Linda Dean Campbell was named the Vice Chair of the Veterans Committee, while Rep. Barbara L’Italien was named as the Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Rep. David Torrisi was named as Chair of the Higher Education Committee, while Amesbury Rep Michael Costello maintained his chairmanship of the Public Safety Committee Committee. Rep. Barry Finegold of Andover was named as Chair of Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, while Haverhill Rep. Brian Dempsey took over as Chair of Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Dempsey replaces Rep. Dan Bosley, who was an ardent opponent of casino gaming in Massachusetts. Dempsey himself has voted against casino gaming, but with the new Speaker in favor of some expansion of gaming it is likely that Dempsey’s views will have evolved on that score. Rep. Harriet Stanley will assume the Chair of Health Care Financing.

Some of the appointments outside of the Merrimack Valley that had insiders buzzing included the naming of Rep. Charles Murphy as Chair of Ways and Means, the naming of Rep. James Vallee as Majority Leader, and the maintenance of Rep.Thomas Petrolati as “Speaker Pro Tempore”. The Speaker will take heat on the Petrolati appointment from the Globe and others, but Petrolati was a key member of the team that drove Deleo to the Speakers chair. Rep. Ron Mariano was named Assistant Majority Leader, and is perceived to not have done as well as some expected. Mariano at one point was a Speaker candidate, but withdrew in favor of Deleo.

Senate President Murray also named her leadership team, with little change involved. Senator Steve Baddour will continue to lead Transportation, and the great and powerful Sen. Steven Panagiotakos will continue to head Ways and Means. (Was there enough groveling there?)