Fitchburg Mayor-elect Rep. Stephen DiNatale plans to resign from the House in early January, which he thinks will allow the special election to replace him to coincide with the March 1 presidential primary.
“I’m going to go as close as I can to my swearing-in date, which is Jan. 4,” DiNatale said in an interview after a session on Wednesday. He said he hopes the special election coincides with the primary.
DiNatale said he would not remain in the House beyond his swearing-in date.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday said he hoped to schedule at least one more special election – that to replace Senator-elect Rep. Michael Brady – on March 1, but said if DiNatale waits until January to resign it could be “a little too quick” to schedule another special election on that day. A special election to replace former Rep. Leah Cole in Peabody has already been scheduled for March 1.
