(Disclosure: I have gone on record as supporting the Governor’s Casino plan)

House Speaker Sal Dimasi prevailed in a titanic political struggle with Governor Deval Patrick, winning a critical Committee vote 10-8 on the Governor’s Casino proposal. The vote appears to have come out tied initially, but a rules maneuver and a late switch by Republican House member Richard Ross produced the victory for the Speaker. Today the full House will take up the matter of whether to overturn the Committee recommendation, and it is all but assured that the House will support the Speaker and kill casinos in Massachusetts. The Governor reacted: From today’s Globe:

Patrick denounced the process that resulted in the death of his initiative as “midnight maneuvers.”

“It’s disappointing, but not surprising,” Patrick said. “The process – given the midnight maneuvers last night, and backing and forthing today – speaks for itself.”

He also suggested DiMasi has not kept a promise to provide a full and fair debate in the House.

“You can’t have an open debate on the House floor with the maneuvered and engineered outcome from the committee like the one we had,” he added.

Dimasi took the opposite view:

During a brief press conference, DiMasi defended the process as “full and fair.”

“There is going to be a full debate on the governor’s bill,” DiMasi said.

He also denied putting any pressure on lawmakers or making promises to help secure a negative committee vote. “Not at all,” he said. “No deals, no bargains, nothing.”

Senator Bruce Tarr questioned the lack of public voting by the Committee.

Senator Bruce E. Tarr, a Republican from Gloucester, accused Bosley of stifling debate and making decisions without consulting committee members. The two votes were taken by e-mail, and the first vote was never officially announced. With the exception of listening to testimony, none of the committee’s deliberations were conducted in public.

“I would have rather had the committee reconvene in the light of day after a marathon meeting and evaluate our options,” Tarr said. “. . . I would have liked the process to have been a little bit more democratic.”

Politically a big win for the Speaker, but the Governor continues to drive home the point that with localities everywhere suffering where is the plan to add jobs and revenue? Just saying no is not sufficient. Cities and towns across the Commonwealth are going to be imposing draconian cuts in services in this coming budget cycle and I do believe that we ought to be seeking solutions, be it casinos or other alternatives. The status quo just is not going to make it.