It’s long been known in the State House that Senate President Jospeh A. Montalbano wants to become a judge in the state or federal courts.

But last week he publicly showed a brief glimmer of that ambition.

Montalbano serves as municipal court judge in his hometown of North Providence. That city’s former mayor, new Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, swore in Montalbano and the rest of the Senate last week and Montalbano took a moment to thank Mollis.

He then added: “Ralph was the first person to make me a judge and I hope he’s not the last.”