Backers rally to DiMasi defense
Deny speaker broke ethics law
Key supporters of House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi came to his defense yesterday, seeking to fend off reports that he took legislative action that benefited his friends, while also trying to thwart attempts by representatives plotting to succeed him if he vacates his post.
During a day of political fallout concerning the speaker, little attention was paid to passing a $28 billion budget, and almost all focus was on DiMasi. The speaker, who had quelled speculation earlier this year about his possible departure, found himself again at the center of speculation about his future.
"The speaker has been very clear," Representative Byron Rushing, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, said at a press conference yesterday. "He plans to be speaker and serve out his term."
Still, supporters of Representative Robert A. DeLeo, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, have started compiling a list of supporters in case DiMasi leaves. In response, supporters of the House majority leader, John H. Rogers, have started their own campaign, the members said.
"It's a distraction," said Representative Lida Harkins, the assistant majority leader, speaking at the same press conference. "And the speaker doesn't like it."
The legislators were reacting, in large part, to a story published in Sunday's Globe reporting that a group of ticket brokers hired DiMasi's friend, Richard Vitale, last year to work on their behalf, but that Vitale never registered as a lobbyist. The story said that, beyond their friendship, Vitale also gave DiMasi a $250,000 loan secured by a third mortgage on his North End condo in 2006. It is a violation of the state's conflict-of-interest law for a public official to accept anything from a lobbyist.
That story said Vitale was introduced to a group of brokers last year at a private meeting at the Baseball Tavern sports bar. The story cited people who attended the meeting, who requested anonymity because the meeting was private.
Last week, Vitale declined to be interviewed, and his spokesman, George Regan, refused to discuss specific questions at the time about Vitale's role at the meeting. After the Globe story appeared, however, Regan asserted that Vitale did not attend the meeting. He would not elaborate or discuss any details.
Yesterday, Rushing recruited six other top Democrats for the press conference. The key objective: address questions about whether House legislation backed by the speaker benefited some of the speaker's friends and business associates. DiMasi's backers asserted yesterday DiMasi never told them how to handle the legislation.
"We passed a very good consumer protection bill . . . without any influence at all from any of the speaker's so-called friends," said Representative Michael J. Rodrigues, cochairman of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, who sponsored the measure that was favorable to ticket brokers last year.
"We've recently seen a spate of articles about this relationship with people and friends and trying to connect them up to the speaker's actions, which I think they have pretty much failed to do," said Representative Frank Smizik of Brookline, cochairman of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture.
DiMasi's friendships and policy decisions "have not been connected," Smizik said at the press conference.
"I think he's worried about" the appearances created by the coverage, Smizik added. "If I were the speaker, I would be worried about it, too. It undermines his credibility and the House's credibility."
DiMasi's spokesman declined to comment yesterday, but has repeatedly said that the speaker has acted appropriately and that his actions were driven by policy considerations alone.
Yesterday, the state Republican Party called for Attorney General Martha Coakley to investigate DiMasi and his relationship with Vitale. In the last two months, the party has filed three state Ethics Commission complaints against DiMasi.
"For the people of Massachusetts to have any confidence in their government, they have to believe that their elected leaders are and will be held accountable for their actions," Peter Torkildsen, state party chairman, said in a press conference outside the State House. "If members of the House will not hold themselves accountable, we will ask appropriate law enforcement officials to do so."
Coakley declined to say whether she had begun an investigation, but issued a statement saying, "It is extremely important that the public have confidence that government and government officials comply with the law when they undertake public business."
Vitale told the Globe through a spokesman that he was a strategist, not a lobbyist, for the ticket brokers. Secretary of State William F. Galvin warned Vitale Monday to register as a lobbyist or face possible penalties.
In addition to the complaint about the speaker's relationship with Vitale, Republicans asked the commission to investigate whether DiMasi might have violated the conflict-of-interest law by attempting to steer a controversial, multimillion dollar contract to
They also asked the commission to determine if DiMasi accepted a free golf game from Joseph O'Donnell, one of the owners of Suffolk Downs, who was looking to operate a resort casino on the grounds of the East Boston racetrack.
DiMasi has denied acting on behalf of Cognos. With regards to playing golf with O'Donnell, DiMasi has said that he and O'Donnell were longtime friends and that DiMasi offered to pay O'Donnell for the golf at the time of the outing and has since reimbursed him for it. In an interview with the Globe last week, DiMasi said he had no idea Vitale was working on ticket broker legislation pending in the House.
Yesterday, a Globe story said contractor Jay Cashman sold 73 acres in Fall River that was targeted for a liquefied natural gas terminal after DiMasi killed a bill that would have blocked the project.
DiMasi and Cashman said they never conferred on Cashman's business interests, and DiMasi said he was acting on a matter of public policy. 