The Cashman giveaway prompted Dartmouth’s John Quinn to take to the podium to rail against DiMasi. It was one of the few times that a House Democrat has publicly carped about the process abuses that many of them bitch about privately. Rather than back up Quinn, his colleagues left him twisting alone in the wind.
Don’t expect too many outbursts like Quinn’s to slow down the budget process, though, which DiMasi will speed through later this month. You’ll find many more of those House Democrats quietly watching the roll-call board, waiting to find out how the Speaker wants them to vote.
Most votes cast against DiMasi since 2005
Frank Hynes, 91
Colleen Garry, 80
Paul Casey, 69
Christopher Fallon, 61
Walter Timilty, 61
William Greene Jr., 56
James Fagan, 55
John Quinn, 54
Timothy Toomey, 54
Michael Rush, 52
Patrick Natale, 50
Cory Atkins, 45
David Flynn, 43
William Pignatelli, 43
Angelo Scaccia, 40
Harriett Stanley, 40
Fewest votes cast against DiMasi since 2005
Daniel Bosley, 1
Patricia Haddad, 1
Lida Harkins, 1
Kevin Honan, 2
Marie St. Fleur, 3
Ruth Balser, 4
Antonio Cabral, 4
Michael Costello, 4
Rachel Kaprielian, 4
Elizabeth Malia, 4
Jeffrey Sánchez, 4
Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, 5
Byron Rushing, 5
Peter Koutoujian, 6
Tom Sannicandro, 6
Frank Smizik, 6
Of members who have been in office since the start of the 2005–’06 session. Source: Boston Phoenix, from Massachusetts House Journals.
On the Web
David S. Bernstein's Talking Politics: http://www.thephoenix.com/talkingpolitics
