We just knew that Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo would be offering his strong support for the Winthrop High cheerleading squad that has qualified for the National Championships in Florida. And Speaker DeLeo, despite a busy schedule of commitments, was there at the Winthrop Yacht Club Saturday night to personally present a check to the WHS squad to help defray expenses for its trip to Nationals.
The Speaker annually sponsors a team dinner for the football team and regularly attends athletic events, especially the big games. Who can forget the Speaker sitting courtside at the TD Garden(alongside former Viking sports star and aide Mike Vatalaro) when the Winthrop High boys team, coached by Dave Brown, won the state championship?
We remember how proud the Speaker was when our favorite son, Mike Eruzione, returned home with a gold medal from the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in 1980. Or how DeLeo took great pride when the Winthrop Vikings made it to back-to-back Super Bowls under head coach Tony Fucillo — and those two thrilling games packed the stands at Miller Field.
The fact is that the Speaker, who holds a powerful statewide position (and we have seen the incredible receptions that he generates from people at events outside of Winthrop) Â and his outstanding staff are closely monitoring all that is happening in Winthrop and how he and his office can assist the town and its officials.
Remember, it was Speaker DeLeo who made sure that Winthrop would be designated a “surrounding community†to a proposed casino project at Suffolk Downs, thus guaranteeing that Winthrop officials would have a seat at the table when the impacts of the casino on our town were to be discussed.
What we’re saying is that Speaker DeLeo – on all matters large and small – has been an outstanding state representative and we’re fortunate to have Bob on Beacon Hill in such a prominent and impactful position of leadership.