Editorial
Good move on tough vote

On a regular basis, legislators are considered sheep following the lead of the House speaker, doing as they are told and staying quiet about it.

Sometimes, however, on issues of importance, legislators stray from the herd and vote the way they feel is best. Locally, Reps. Robert Rice (D-Gardner) and Lewis Evangelidis (R-Holden) were two of 10 lawmakers from Central Massachusetts who voted against a negative report on Gov. Deval Patrick's casino plans - and against the wishes of House Speaker Sal DiMasi - a vote for which they should be applauded.

A review of the casino vote by the paper that is detailed in this week's issue shows that support for casinos came from distinct geographic pockets around the state, including North Central Massachusetts where Rice and Evangelidis were joined by Reps. Stephen DiNatale (D-Fitchburg), Harold Naughton (D-Clinton) and Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) in voting against the negative report. They were outvoted, 108-46, but they joined the South Shore and the Springfield area - two regions that would likely benefit from casinos in those areas - as the mainstays of support for Patrick's plan.

While the Patrick plan was flawed, it did move forward on casinos, which would have provided revenue for a state government seeking options. Four of the local state representatives said they did not discuss their votes with regional legislators as a unified front, but for Rice, Flanagan and DiNatale said in separate interviews that increases in local aid, job creation and economic stimulus were their chief reasons for voting against the negative report. Evangelidis said he voted against simply killing the bill by sending it to the study committee.

But in the long run, these four state reps. and others from the region proved they are willing to break away from the speaker and the culture of the State House on important votes - not surprising for Evangelidis one of the lone Republicans on the Hill.

It's a vote that should be taken as a positive. Now, their trick will be trying to balance their independence while still maintaining a viable voice in the building.