Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon

The Winthrop Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon was a huge success, as Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo and State Sen. Joseph Boncore were the featured speakers at the event that drew a good crowd for a mid-summer afternoon. Both Massport and East Boston Neighborhood officials were well-represented at the luncheon, as well as a large delegation of town officials led by Town Manager James McKenna and Council President Robert Driscoll Jr.We loved hearing Speaker DeLeo jest that Councillor-at-Large Philip Boncore was in attendance and might have missed some of previous luncheons, but the longtime town official was sure to be there for his son Joe’s first Legislative Luncheon as a state senator. And the Speaker’s strong endorsement of how Joe has hit the ground running as a member of the State Senate certainly pleased Councillor Boncore, who smiled proudly at Bob’s positive comment.DeLeo, who has done so much for the town — the negotiation of the $2.5 million gift from Massport for the newly-formed Winthrop Foundation is just the most recent example — delivered more good news, saying he hopes to override the Governor’s veto of the $250,000 in child safety grants for Winthrop and the $25,000 grant to the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce.Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Betsy Shane and her group deserve a lot of credit for hosting this event each year so that Chamber members and guests can hear first-hand from our representatives on Beacon Hill.