Paiva Weed

PROVIDENCE — Confident she has the votes to succeed ousted North Providence Democrat Joseph Montalbano as Senate president, Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed yesterday called a Democratic caucus for Monday to seal the deal and begin putting her own team in place.

The caucus does not have the power to elect the new Senate president. That vote will be taken by the full Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, soon after the legislature convenes in January.

But Sen. Daniel P. Connors, the 32-year-old lawyer from Cumberland who expects to take her place as majority leader, confirmed last night that a Democratic caucus will be held at the State House on Monday where Paiva Weed both hopes and expects to win the endorsement for the presidency from a “sizable majority” of the Democrats, who will outnumber Republicans in the next session by 34 to 4.

Connors, who first took his legislative seat 12 years ago when he was still a junior at Providence College, hopes to be elected majority leader at the same caucus. A lawyer, he is currently affiliated with Montalbano’s law firm.

And while he would not confirm all of the domino moves expected to follow the election of a new Senate president, Connors confirmed that Sen. Daniel DaPonte of East Providence is defeated-Sen. Stephen Alves’ likely replacement as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in a Paiva Weed-Connors led Senate.

He would not disclose his own likely replacement as Senate Labor Committee chairman, a job he was given last winter after the death of his predecessor in that spot, Sen. Roger Badeau. But speculation centered on the possible appointment of Sen. Christopher B. Maselli of Johnston, a lawyer.

Meanwhile, in West Warwick, House Democrats once again gave their blessings to the reelection of Democrat William J. Murphy as House Speaker during a closed-door caucus last night at the West Valley Inn. They also reconfirmed the rest of their party’s leadership team, including House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, Speaker Tempore Charlene Lima, House Majority Whip Peter Kilmartin and Deputy Majority Whip Elaine Coderre, according to House spokesman Larry Berman.

The actual election of the House speaker is typically held the first week of the new legislative session by the full House. But, after Tuesday’s election, it appears that Democrats picked up seven additional seats, leaving Republicans with only six seats in the 75-member House.

With reports from Journal Staff Writer Linda Borg

kgregg@projo.com