PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The picture of who will lead in the House of Representatives should Rep. Gordon D. Fox be appointed House Speaker on Thursday continues to emerge.

Fox has confirmed that should he be appointed, he will ask his fellow Democrats to support his plans to name:

• Rep. Patrick O'Neill, D-Pawtucket, to the post of majority whip, replacing Rep. Peter F. Kilmartin, D-Pawtucket;

• Rep. Elaine A. Coderre, D-Pawtucket, to the post of speaker pro tem, replacing Charlene M. Lima, D-Cranston; and

• Rep. Donald J. Lally Jr., D-Narragansett, to the post of Deputy Whip, replacing Coderre;

Fox said he also plans to retain Rep. Timothy A. Williamson, D-West Warwick, as senior deputy majority leader.

Fox, a Providence lawyer who has served as majority leader since January 2003, confirmed earlier this week that he plans to name Rep. Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston, House majority leader.

The current House speaker, William J. Murphy, said Tuesday that he plans to step down on Thursday.

The transition is expected to happen something like this:

Fox will call a party caucus after Murphy opens the session. In the caucus, he will ask for party support of all the appointments, including his appointment as speaker.

The House would then reconvene, Murphy would announce he is stepping down, and members would vote on Fox's appointment.

The speaker's position is the only appointment that needs approval from the full House, but with Democrats holding 69 of 75 seats, it's a foregone conclusion that whomever the party chooses will be the next speaker. Fox said Tuesday that he has 53 supporters -- 15 more than is needed.

The appointments could lead to other changes.

Lally, for instance, plans to give up his chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee, House spokesman Larry Berman said.

Kilmartin, who is expected to announce soon that he is running for attorney general, has said he did not want to be reappointed as majority whip.