Sen. Sal DiDomenico jested in his opening greeting that 21 years ago as he made his first run for Everett City Council, “No one knew how to say my name at all.”
To borrow a phrase from the famous TV show, “Cheers,” now, “everybody knows his name.”
Today, Sal DiDomenico is not only one of the most prominent officials in Everett but also across the Middlesex and Suffolk District (Everett, Chelsea, Charlestown, and Cambridge) that he proudly represents in the Massachusetts Senate. A highly regarded statewide leader who is known for “getting things done” on Beacon Hill such as his widely acclaimed Universal School Meals law, DiDomenico also serves with distinction as Assistant Majority Leader of the esteemed 40-member Senate.
DiDomenico, 54, introduced a “long list” of officials and candidates for office in attendance, including the chief executives of Everett (Mayor Carlo DeMaria) and Chelsea (City Manager Fidel Maltez), Rep. Dan Ryan, members of the Everett City Council, led by President Stephanie Martins, and the School Committee, led by Chairperson Samantha Hurley, School Superintendents William Hart (Everett) and Dr. Almi Abeyta (Chelsea), Everett Teachers Association President Kim Auger, and “someone who has been a long-time, good friend of my family, Mayor of Cambridge E. Denise Simmons.”
DiDomenico, 54, told the large gathering, “I want to thank all of you for always being with us, beside us, working very hard to make sure that we stay in office.”
DiDomenico credited “my great team” in his office at the State House “who work very, very hard,” while also thanking “my family – Tricia and Matthew and Sal – we’re all in it together.”
DiDomenico’s remarks were well received by the audience, who responded with enthusiastic applause at various junctures in his speech.
Concluding a positive speech, DiDomenico, whose immense popularity has been affirmed vigorously by the electorate biennially (he has been unopposed in his bids for re-election), said, “It’s been my pleasure and my honor to serve as your state senator, and it’s been a pleasure and honor being your friend. And I am just happy that tonight we can celebrate together, celebrate all the good things that we’ve done together, and celebrate with our elected officials who I know are all doing the best that they can and always pushing in the right direction. At the State House, we’ve made tremendous progress in 15 years. We’re getting a lot done to help a lot of people in need. We are on their side. That is what we try to do every single day. I appreciate your help, I appreciate you a lot, and I love you all. Thank you for always being there for me, and I will always be there for all of you as well.”