On November 3rd, voters in the 20th Middlesex district passed a non-binding measure instructing incoming Representative Joseph Markey to support reforms to the legislature’s pay structure, with 77% of voters in favor according to unofficial results. The 20th Middlesex district encompasses Lynnfield and parts of Middleton, North Reading, and Reading. It was one of eight state house districts to pass the measure last week, with an average of 81.8% of voters in favor across all districts. Official results can be expected in the coming weeks.
The non-binding ballot question appeared as Question 10 in Lynnfield and Middleton, as Question 11 in North Reading, and Question 12 in Reading. It read as follows: “Shall the representative for this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation or rules to reduce the House Speaker’s and Senate President’s control over state legislators’ stipends (extra pay) and to provide stipends only to legislators who do significant extra work that is transparent and accountable to the public?”
“This result confirms what Act on Mass knows from our grassroots work: Bay Staters overwhelmingly reject a system of legislator pay that puts political leaders in charge of their representatives’ salaries,” said Scotia Hille, executive director of Act on Mass, a grassroots transparency group that backed the question. “The voters have spoken: legislators should be able to vote on behalf of their constituents without risking their livelihoods. We hope that stipend reform will be a first step to dismantling the top-down power structures that control the movement of legislation on Beacon Hill. We look forward to following through on this result with reforms in the Legislature next year and, if necessary, returning to the statewide ballot in 2028.”
The question targeted the anomalous system of legislator pay in the Massachusetts Legislature, where 149 out of 200 members receive extra annual pay in the form of “leadership stipends.” Tacked on to legislator base pay ($82,000), stipends range from an additional $7,700 annually to an additional $119,000 annually. Each member’s pay is determined by the Speaker and Senate president, who assign committee and leadership positions. A Boston Globe investigation identified 12 legislative committees whose chairs and vice-chairs receive significant leadership stipends, yet which do not meet or consider bills. Critics contend that this system amounts to “loyalty pay,” with former legislators reporting that the stipends are used to control votes.
The question was put forward by Act on Mass and the Legislative Effectiveness and Accountability Project (LEAP); LEAP’s chair, John Lippitt, is a Reading resident. These groups originally sought to bring a stipend reform question to the statewide ballot, gathering over 90,000 signatures in the initial round. In April 2026, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that certain provisions of the ballot measure were not fit for the statewide ballot. In response, supporters gathered signatures to secure the non-binding question in eight legislative districts, including the 14th Middlesex. A complete list of the districts can be found on Act on Mass’ website.
The outgoing representative of the 20th Middlesex, Brad Jones, long served as the House Minority Leader, a role which afforded him an extra $89,724 annually in leadership stipends. As a result of the expansion of stipends for the minority party, Republican members of the Massachusetts General Court are paid higher on average than Democratic members. Incoming Representative Democrat Joseph Markey is likely to start at legislator base pay of $82,046. At present, Markey has not released a position on the stipend measure.
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