Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi will resign today, ending a 30-year career as a state legislator amidst ongoing suspicion that he abused his powerful post. Meanwhile, local representatives have by and large lined up to support state Rep. Robert DeLeo in the contentious battle to succeed the outgoing speaker.
DiMasi's decision, which he announced on Sunday, comes as the State Ethics Commission and two grand juries are looking into his relationship with his former accountant and a $13 million contract that the speaker's associates secured for a software company.
While DiMasi has not been charged with any crimes and denies allegations of wrongdoing, Beacon Hill insiders say that the evidence against him appears compelling. "Although I hope he is ultimately vindicated, it certainly looks very, very bad," Tom Birmingham, a former president of the Massachusetts state Senate, told the Daily.
DiMasi is the third consecutive Bay State speaker of the House to step down in the face of ethics probes. In 1996, Charles Flaherty resigned after being charged with tax evasion and suspected of inappropriate relationships with lobbyists, and in 2004, Thomas Finneran vacated the post while under investigation for misleading a federal court about a redistricting plan. After drawn-out inquiries, he pled guilty to obstruction of justice in 2007.
Birmingham, now senior counsel at the law firm Edwards, Angell, Palmer and Dodge and a visiting faculty member in Tufts' political science department, said that the allegations against DiMasi add to an already skeptical -- although misrepresentative -- view of local politicians.
"It reinforces a very cynical and jaded view of the types of people who are in politics," he said. "Three speakers in a row left under a cloud, so you can hardly blame people for that cynicism."
Still, even in the face of mounting suspicions, DiMasi has found support in his North End district, and his Democratic colleagues have not shied away from praising him for his accomplished career.
"Speaker DiMasi has served for 30 years and has prioritized things that are important to me, including health care and gay marriage," Rep. Carl Sciortino (LA '00), whose district includes parts of Medford and Somerville, told the Daily. "It's sad to see him go under a cloud."
Rep. Sean Garballey, who also serves portions of Medford, agreed. "He accomplished quite a bit," he said. "It was a surprise to hear [about] his early departure."
DiMasi's announcement added new urgency to a succession battle which began in earnest last week as rumors emerged that he was considering stepping down.
Rep. Robert DeLeo, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Majority Leader John Rogers have both laid claim to enough support to win an internal election. Deleo, though, has circulated a list of 87 likely endorsements -- a majority in the 160-member House -- leading some to believe that he has the position shored up.
Currently, DeLeo enjoys majority support among Medford and Somerville's five state representatives. Sciortino, Rep. Denise Provost and Rep. Paul Donato have all backed him, while Garballey and Rep. Tim Toomey remained uncommitted as of yesterday afternoon.
Sciortino, who said that DeLeo is sensitive to the needs of individual representatives, expects the Ways and Means chairman to be formally elected speaker either today or tomorrow because legislators, who are bogged down with a number of bills and ongoing budgeting concerns, are likely to want a quick resolution to the leadership dispute.
"There are a lot of really critical issues [facing] us now, and we need to be getting to work on them," he said.
Birmingham said that, although the infighting will get personal, it is important for the party to air its concerns and transparently select a new leader. "I think it's probably healthy to have a contest for the presiding officer rather than to just hand it off," he said. "I think it forces the candidates to some extent to articulate their vision for how the institution should move forward."
While legislators are mostly concerned with helping the state weather the economic crisis, DiMasi's resignation will likely prompt them to revisit lobbying regulations and push for more stringent disclosure rules.
Richard Vitale, DiMasi's former accountant, has already been indicted for secretly lobbying the outgoing speaker, with whom he was purportedly overly cozy. In particular, Vitale lent him $250,000 in 2006 and was among a group of DiMasi associates who secured a $13 million contract for the Burlington, Mass., software company Cognos ULC. DiMasi and Vitale reportedly received payments in connection with the contract, which was later rescinded.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has said that Vitale was frequently in contact with DiMasi about his lobbying activities, but her office declined to comment on the resignation. Meanwhile, Gov. Deval Patrick released a statement supporting DiMasi's past work. "I am losing a valued partner and a good friend in the legislature," he said.
Sciortino said that the current controversy underscores the need for lobbying reforms. "The [state's] lobbying disclosure laws and the ethics laws are some of the strongest in the nation, but be we have clearly seen some gaps that need to be fixed," he said. Specifically, he suggested beefed-up requirements that would force lobbyists to disclose their relationships with legislators and allow the secretary of the commonwealth to better police potential violations.
Birmingham noted that even with extensive lobbying, legislators look first to merit. He agreed, however, that new rules are needed to protect against the potential for abuse.
"I think that they ought to be toughened up. I think when people are paid large sums of money to try to influence legislation, there's all sorts of potential for skullduggery," he said.
