Sixteen Republicans, including Carbon County state Rep. Doyle Heffley, joined their colleagues on the opposite of the aisle Tuesday in electing Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, as speaker of the state House of Representatives.

Heffley said Friday his vote was predicated on Rozzi’s pledge to change his registration from a Democrat to an Independent and it allows the House to get off to a quicker start in 2023.

“The alternative, and the Democrats had made a motion to this regard, was to adjourn until Feb. 21 and that, to me, was unacceptable,” Heffley said. “Taking a two-month hiatus when you have as many issues to deal with as our legislative body does, that’s not going to work. I would really like to see the constitutional amendment for voter identification get through so the voters can decide that in the May primary. If the Democrats truly had their way, we would have done nothing.”

According to a Spotlight PA article, in remarks made after his selection, Rozzi, who was elected as a Democrat, announced he would no longer caucus with the party and would act as an independent.

“The Commonwealth that is home to Independence Hall will now be home to this commonwealth’s first independent speaker of the House,” Rozzi said on the floor Tuesday. “I pledge my allegiance and my loyalty to no interest in this building, to no interest in our politics. I pledge my loyalty to the people of the commonwealth.”

State Rep. Matt Bradford of Montgomery County, the Democratic Appropriations Committee chair, told reporters Rozzi had privately assured the caucus “he’s a Democrat.” Another Democratic lawmaker confirmed the remarks to Spotlight PA.

Heffley, however, said he is taking Rozzi at his word.

“Rep. Rozzi, whether he is the speaker or not, is not going to be advancing a liberal agenda,” Heffley said. “There are still plenty of conservatives, myself included, who would block that. With the redistricting, the makeup of the house was going to be 102 Democrats and 101 Republicans and they would have had the majority. With Rozzi becoming Independent, now it’s 101 to 101. I think that’s a better alternative.”

Before Rozzi was nominated, Heffley said the Republicans had caucused and it was determined there was not enough votes to push their own candidate forward.

“It was split about 100 to 100 and that is when Rep. Rozzi came forward and pledged to become Independent and move things ahead,” Heffley said.

According to Spotlight PA, in a closed-door vote Tuesday morning, the caucus settled on state Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, out of four candidates.

State Rep. George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland, formally nominated Metzgar for speaker, but he won just 85 votes to Rozzi’s 115.

With a speaker seated, the House can begin its session and Heffley said there is work to be done.

“We have over $100 million in Cares Act dollars that still has to be appropriated,” he said. “People are coming to my office every day for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program applications. To just not have a legislative body when inflation is at an all-time high, I couldn’t see that. The only path forward was to get a speaker and organize the House.”