State Rep. David Torrisi (D)North Andover has indicated he will vote “present” next week instead of voting for Sal Dimasi’s re-election as House Speaker. From the Globe:

Representative David Torrisi, the House chairman of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, said he would vote “present” next week, a decision he labored over for months.

“The allegations are serious, and I think it’s time for new leadership in the House,” Torrisi, a North Andover Democrat, said in an interview. “Quite frankly, I was hoping he would have stepped down by now.”

The Torrisi announcement marks the first public crack in support for Dimasi, who has been clouded by several ethics investigations. It does not appear that Dimasi will have a major problem being re-elected, but it will be interesting to see how many others may abstain. Torrisi will likely be stripped of his chairmanship, and for the time being become a true backbencher. The Speaker was ready with a statement:

DiMasi’s spokesman, David Guarino, said in a statement last night that “Speaker DiMasi enjoys overwhelming support from the members and is proud of the House’s accomplishments under his leadership, from landmark healthcare legislation to nation-leading energy reforms. The speaker is focused on the important issues before the House in the next session and won’t be distracted from the challenges facing the Commonwealth.”

An interesting time on the Hill, and there is likely more to come soon.