Moulton swears by the Sixth

Sixty-three days after voters gave him a convincing mandate, Seth Moulton dropped the “-elect” from his title, being sworn in as a U.S. representative from the 6th Congressional District.?It?s a tremendous honor and a humbling responsibility,” said Moulton, one of 58 freshman representatives, in a phone interview Tuesday. “It?s a job of public service. My job is to represent the people of the 6th District and I?m going to work very hard.”In his first run for public office, Moulton beat nine-term incumbent John Tierney in the primary by 11 percent, and followed that with a 15-point victory over Republican Richard Tisei in the general election.Moulton said his fellow congressmen from Massachusetts have been “tremendously helpful and supportive” as he prepared for his new job.?I?m new to politics. I don?t have the background,” he said.Asked about the obvious disadvantage to being a freshman representative in the minority party, Moulton reverted to one of his key messages during the campaign: a willingness to compromise.?Of course it?s going to be challenging,” he said. “But my approach will be to do whatever I can to break the gridlock in Washington so we can begin to do the work of the American people.”A Marine commander who served four tours of duty in Iraq, Moulton put his leadership skills and savvy to good use in selecting an office.?We didn?t get a good pick in the lottery, but we picked very well,” he said of his digs in Room 1408 of the Longworth House Office Building.As for an office in the district, Moulton said he would be using the space in downtown Peabody previously occupied by Tierney for a few months while he looks for permanent space.Watching Moulton taking the oath as a member of the 114th Congress were his parents, Lynn and Tom, brother Cyrus and Mohammed Harba, an Iraqi who served as Moulton?s interpreter on one of his deployments and who lived with Lynn and Tom while seeking asylum in the U.S. in 2007.Prior to being sworn in, Moulton attended a bipartisan prayer breakfast and volunteered at Martha?s Table, preparing meals to go out on McKenna?s Wagon, a food truck that serves hot meals across D.C.After the representatives were seated, a vote was taken for speaker, with John Boehner beating Nancy Pelosi – whom Moulton voted for – by a comfortable margin, 216-164. Moulton capped the day with a reception for staff and supporters at the Hawk ?n Dove restaurant.Moulton said in the coming weeks he will be holding office hours and town hall meetings, visiting communities across the district. “I hope to hear people?s ideas for our district, and specific issues with which my team can help,” he said.