Rep. Miceli Dies After Collapsing At Little League Ceremony

WILMINGTON, MA -- State Rep. James Miceli (D-Wilmington) died after collapsing at Wilmington Little Leagues opening ceremony Saturday morning. He was 83.

First responders administered CPR for approximately 10-15 minutes to Miceli before transporting him to an area hospital. Police and fire scanner transmissions said Miceli was in full cardiac arrest and that he was not conscious or breathing.

Miceli, the longest continuously serving member of the Massachusetts House, had represented Tewksbury and Wilmington since 1977.

Wilmington Selectmen Michael McCoy, Miceli's nephew, confirmed the legislator's death to the Lowell Sun. "My uncle was deeply devoted to his family -- they always came first. He dedicated the vast majority of his life to public service and his presence will be sadly missed," McCoy said.

Rep. Ken Gordon of Bedford, who represents part of Wilmington, said Saturday afternoon he had just received word of Miceli's passing. Miceli went to work every day thinking about how he would make his constituents' lives better, Gordon said.

"I don't know that two sentences went by that he said without the words 'Wilmington' and 'Tewksbury' in them," Gordon said. "You can see that the residents loved him for that."

In February, Miceli was taken by ambulance from a Democratic Caucus after collapsing during a strategy meeting of House Democrats in Boston. Miceli announced he would be running for reelection after having hip replacement surgery a year ago. House rules have allowed him to cast votes from his office as he recovered from that surgery.

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Patch file photo.

Materials from the State House News Service was used in this report