BOSTON — State Rep. Theodore C. Speliotis, West Peabody’s longtime state representative, announced on Thursday he will not run for reelection and end his 32-year career in January.
Speliotis, 67, said he seriously considered earlier this year not seeking another term in the Massachusetts House and made his final decision after the state’s highest court last Friday lowered the signature-gathering threshold for candidates interested in appearing on the Sept. 1 primary election ballot.
“More than anything, it’s a combination of age and being able to retire at my peak. I’ve loved every minute of it,” Speliotis said.
The son of a leather worker, Speliotis lived in Peabody and then Danvers as a boy. He studied to be a teacher but fell in love with political science after admiring John F. Kennedy and mourning his death. He was a Danvers Town Meeting member at the age of 18 and ran for state representative in 1978, the year the House shrunk from 240 to 160 seats.
He said Peabody voters helped him win that election.
“In a nine-man race I won by 800 votes,” he said.
Speliotis lost the 1986 Democratic primary but won election in 1996, returning to the Legislature to represent Danvers, West Peabody and part of Middleton.
He shunned the legislative spotlight to enjoy the detail-filled work of filing and amending legislation and reaching consensus with House colleagues on bills.
“I was mentored by the intensity of the place,” he said.
He is proud of having helped pass consumer-friendly “right to repair” legislation and is currently working with colleagues on legislation to honor “nurse cadets” — women who heeded Eleanor Roosevelt’s call to serve in World War II.
Speliotis insisted he has not hand-picked a potential successor or thrown his support to anyone interested in running for the 13th Essex District seat. Last week’s court ruling extended the deadline for candidates to submit nomination signatures to town and city clerks from April 28 to May 5.
Peabody City Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin said Speliotis’ announcement is sure to generate candidate interest.
“I think it will be a nice healthy race with new faces to energize the area,” she said.
Speliotis said his successor faces challenges working in the Legislature to revive the economy and undertake other rebuilding efforts in coronavirus’ wake. He said Massachusetts is fortunate to have a strong state budget reserve to aid in facilitating that recovery.
“The conversation has to shift quickly to ‘what can we hang onto?’ It’s not a very pretty place to be,” Speliotis said.
His retirement plans are not sketched out, but he said he will shape them with advice from the three people who helped guide his political career — wife, June, and daughters, Pia and Ashley.
