The Massachusetts State Senate voted to make Worcester Democrat Harriette Chandler the permanent Senate President today, as the investigation into the husband of former state Senate President Stan Rosenberg of Amherst continues.
Stan Rosenberg.Carol Lollis | Daily Hampshire Gazette
“I am confident that Senate President Chandler will serve the Senate and the Commonwealth with distinction,” Rosenberg wrote in a statement. “I support what’s best for the Senate and the Commonwealth, and I deeply regret the disruption that has been caused by the necessity of the investigation. I reiterate that Bryon Hefner had no influence over my actions or decisions as Senate President, and I look forward to the completion of the investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee.”
Rosenberg stepped down as Senate President on a temporary basis in December after revelations that his husband, Bryon Hefner, allegedly committed sexual assault and interfered with State Senate business.
Rosenberg had previously said he was instituting a “firewall” between his personal and political lives, and that Hefner had no influence on Senate business. However, a report in the Boston Globe over the weekend indicated that Hefner had access to Rosenberg’s Senate email account.
If Rosenberg is re-elected, he could run for the position of Senate President again in January 2019.
Dave Eisenstadter can be reached at deisen@valleyadvocate.com.
