Senator Vinny DeMacedo To Step Down From Senate Seat At Bridgewater State

State Senator Viriato deMacedo, who has represented the Plymouth and Barnstable District since 2015 after eight terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, announced today that he has an accepted an offer to join Bridgewater State University as Director of Regional Partnerships.

Another member of the Cape and Islands legislative delegation is calling it quits. The date of a special election to fill deMacedo’s office has not yet been determined, but his staff will remain in place until a successor is chosen, he said.

DeMacedo, who served as a state representative for Plymouth for 16 years before moving to the Senate to succeed Senate President Therese Murray, said he decided earlier this year that he would not seek re-election to a fourth term in the Senate next fall. DeMacedo, who turned 54 Oct. 16, said he wanted to spend more time with family and less on the road.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to continue working at the intersection of three of the things I’ve focused on in public service: education, health care, and economic opportunity and development,” Senator deMacedo said. “The chance to connect students to career opportunities, to provide constituent services to the next generation, has me thrilled to open the next chapter.”

DeMacedo says the position of director of regional partnerships at Bridgewater State, which comes with an annual salary of $99,000, presented an opportunity that was “something right up my alley.”

He said politics and traveling to serve his constituents have taken a toll on family life. When he started his son was an infant; now he is graduating from college and about to pursue a master’s degree. DeMacedo and his wife have two grandchildren as well.

“Outside of my family, there is nothing of which I’ve been prouder than having the honor to represent first the people of Plymouth, and later of Kingston, Pembroke, Bourne, Falmouth, and Sandwich as well,” said Senator deMacedo. “It’s been a privilege to have been a part of a bipartisan Plymouth County and Cape Cod delegation that has worked diligently and in unity to provide the good people of this region with representation at the State House.”

At Bridgewater State, deMacedo will assist the school in securing paid internships for students, connect the school’s resources with regional needs, act as an ambassador to the nine chambers of commerce it belongs to and build stronger relationships with institutions and businesses, such as hospitals and banks, in Southeastern Massachusetts.

In his last campaign, in 2018, Senator deMacedo received endorsements from, among others, the Massachusetts Retirees Association, the Massachusetts Police Association, the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association, the Cape Cod Times, and Governor Charlie Baker.

Senator deMacedo was first elected to the Legislature in 1998. After eight terms in the House, he was elected to the Senate in 2014. During his time in the Legislature, he received widespread recognition, including being named Legislator of the Year by the Jewish Community Relations Council, Legislator of the Year by the Massachusetts Police Association, Legislator of the Year twice by the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association, and Legislator of the Year by the Council of Human Services Providers. He also received the Presidential Medal from the Government of Cape Verde.