Jamaica Plain state Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez has been tapped to replace Rep. Brian Dempsey as chairman of the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee. Sánchez will be the first person of color to hold the key post in the history of the commonwealth.
“I am proud to nominate Chairman Sánchez as Chair of House Ways and Means,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement. “His intellect, experience and leadership skills make him an ideal fit for the role. Jeff is someone who is able to understand the finer points of policy and translate them into workable solutions.”
“I’m incredibly humbled to be nominated for this position by the Speaker,” Sanchez said. “Having chaired the Committees on Public Health and Health Care Financing, I hope to use this post to protect those in most need of it — like many of my constituents — while protecting our state finances and the Massachusetts economy.”
Sánchez, who grew up in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, was first elected to serve in the 15th Suffolk/Norfolk District in the 2002 election. His district includes parts of Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roslindale and Brookline.
He earned a BA from UMass Boston and an MBA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
