Local pols among DiMasi backers

LYNN – When the state House of Representatives votes Wednesday on whether to keep Salvatore DiMasi as House Speaker, support will come from at least three legislators on the lower North Shore.”I’ll be supporting him for reelection as Speaker come Wednesday,” said Rep. Robert Fennell, a Lynn Democrat and vice chairman of the House Committee on Transportation. “I have always believed that if somebody is being looked into for possible wrongdoing, but they have not been implicated or found guilty, then we must assume they are innocent. That’s how democracy works. Besides, we have accomplished a lot over the last few years under his leadership.”Controversy surrounding DiMasi stems from the investigation of his close friend Richard Vitale, scheduled for arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court for alleged violations of state lobbying and campaign finance laws. Vitale has been accused of concealing his work as a lobbyist and having contact with DiMasi while pushing a bill on behalf of ticket brokers.DiMasi has denied any wrongdoing.According to Fennell, DiMasi has been at the forefront of a plan to revamp the state’s transportation system, an initiative embraced by Gov. Deval Patrick, who also is working on a master transportation plan.”I’ve met with the speaker privately on the consolidation bill and he is well engaged,” said Fennell, referring to a large-scale plan that could be unveiled later this month and recommend the consolidation of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority into the state Highway Department. “This is a large transportation bill, something that the speaker has been very involved in, and one of the first pieces of legislation that we’ll be acting on. Sal DiMasi is one of those people that when you talk to him, you know he’s tuned to the fiscal issues facing us this year and next. If someone who is his friend or lawyer or accountant is being looked into, well, he’s already associated with them, but that doesn’t mean he knows what they’re doing every minute.”Rep Mark Falzone, a North Shore Democrat whose district includes Saugus, counts himself among DiMasi’s supporters.There are a couple of reasons for that, he said.”He’s done well for the area in the Legislature and it’s tough to ignore that. I also don’t think it’s a good time for the Legislature to be in turmoil, given the tough economy. We need leadership right now.”Rep. Steve Walsh, a Lynn Democrat, said he, too, will offer support to DiMasi when the Legislature convenes in 2009 for the first time Wednesday.”I will absolutely be voting for him, basing my decision on the leadership he has shown over the past legislative session and my working and personal relationship with him,” he said.Walsh said the Legislature has marked many major accomplishments under DiMasi’s leadership, including passage of a $1 billion life sciences bill, a green jobs and green communities act, and a $1.6 billion environmental bond bill.Sal DiMasi is the first speaker to focus on environmental issues, Walsh said. “We have an energy package and a health care reform act that is being followed as a model by other states around the country.”More recently, DiMasi helped spearhead the Transportation Bond Bill.”The speaker has been fighting alongside me against the toll increases proposed by the Turnpike Authority. He understands that these tolls are inequitable to the people living on the North Shore. The speaker has his own transportation reform plan and it’s the hallmark of the next legislative session,” Walsh said.