Don't overlook DiMasi's successes

Massachusetts Speaker of the House Salvatore F. DiMasi. (John Bohn / Globe Staff)

IT HAS BEEN hunting season, and the media have been trying to bag their third consecutive Massachusetts speaker of the House through a process of accusation, trial, and conviction by the press.

But driving a speaker from office should not be a spectator sport; it is a political decision, and one that ought to be based on a balanced view of the merits of the speaker's record.

A prophet without honor in his hometown newspapers, Sal DiMasi received national recognition as one of the "Public Officials of the Year" by Governing Magazine, published by the Congressional Quarterly, for his leadership on healthcare. To mention only a few of his most significant achievements:

Universal healthcare. More than 100 years after Bismarck recognized healthcare as a right of citizenship that would strengthen a country, the United States remains the only industrialized nation without a coherent system of universal healthcare. Massachusetts took a leadership position on this fundamental issue, and hopes are high that with the leadership of President-elect Barack Obama and Senator Edward Kennedy there will be federal action on this fundamental issue. DiMasi made the Massachusetts healthcare reform law more progressive and affordable, and is recognized as one of the principal authors of this success.

Gay rights. When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court took the position that prohibiting the right to marry violates the constitutional rights of gay people, the talk-show world insisted that people should be able to vote to deny this right. DiMasi led the successful fight to prevent a constitutional right from being subject to referendum, a victory for protecting the rights of all minorities from the tyranny of the majority and preserving an independent judiciary's actions in defending individual rights.

Casino gambling. The speaker deserves credit for blocking casino gambling legislation, which would have unleashed a gusher of gambling industry lobbying and influence peddling. First, for permits, then for a barrage of advertising aimed at persuading people to gamble away their ability to support their families in pursuit of unearned wealth, all the while with the odds heavily stacked for the casino owners (and a slice for the state).

The whole casino "debate" would have been accompanied by a carefully orchestrated campaign to persuade people that the Commonwealth can get better public services without paying for them, by exploiting the shortsightedness of gambling addicts.

While the focus on DiMasi may raise questions about the judgment of some of his associates, it raises even more questions about the judgment of the rest of us.

Why do the local media, which largely encouraged his positive role in advancing universal healthcare and in blocking a referendum on gay marriage, seem to have amnesia in their current reporting and editorializing? Why are the beneficiaries of his leadership now gaming who the next speaker may be, rather than considering the overall record of the speaker we have?

The enormously positive public benefit of DiMasi's leadership needs to be considered before the media blitz hustles us into driving him from office. Particularly with the economic and fiscal crises facing the Commonwealth, his strong and effective leadership is important to all of us.

Of course, elected officials need to be held accountable for their mistakes as well as their achievements, but the media attention must be balanced in order for the public to make intelligent judgments. Is it too much to ask that both sides of the equation get equal weight? After all, the fall season for big-game shotgun hunting officially ended on Dec 14.

Fred Salvucci is a former Massachusetts transportation secretary.