October 31, 2012
"Sharing" Is Good (?) - Gordon Fox Worked For Default Riddled Providence Loan Agency
Heh - ace investigative reporter Mike Stanton is at it again. Looks like 38 Studios is not the first time that Speaker Gordon Fox (D) has mucked around with a bad loan program. At least his own law practice didn't benefit directly from the 38 Studios arrangement. Can't say the same about his involvement with the PEDP.
... by the way, he was brought in by then-Mayor David Cicilline. During his tenure as chairman of the PEDP, Mayor David Cicilline presided over a 60% default rate by that taxpayer funded loan agency. But Cicilline made damn sure he brought in the right person to get a piece of that tax dollar action, didn't he, now?
House Speaker Gordon D. Fox has been a closing attorney for a troubled Providence economic-development loan program recently cited by the federal government for lax oversight and a high default rate.Fox, a lawyer, has been paid $40,319 since April 2010 in closing fees on loans granted by the Providence Economic Development Partnership to assist city businesses.
In addition, Fox received an undetermined amount of money for handling closings from 2005 to 2010. The partnership says it doesn’t know how much, because Fox worked during that period as a “subcontractor” to the agency’s lawyer at the time, Joshua Teverow.
David N. Cicilline, then the mayor and chairman of the agency’s board, says that he hired Fox after a discussion between the two friends and political allies. Cicilline says he then asked the partnership’s executive director, Tom Deller, to arrange a meeting between Fox and Teverow “to share work at the PEDP.” ...
"[Speaker Fox is] by no means a dark force or a dirty politician, as Binder has frequently asserted. On the contrary, he’s a good man trying to succeed in an often cutthroat business." - Bob Plain, RIFUTURE 10-31-12
Always remember that the ends justify the means to progressives. It is the single unifying tenet of the progressive philosophy. So to normal people, actions define character and politicians who do sleazy, immoral things are immoral people; but to progressives such as Plain, politicians can do sleazy, immoral things and still be moral people as long as they are using their power and influence to advance the progressive agenda. Unethical behavior, lying, obstruction, and personal gain are all just sums and differences in a utilitarian political calculation weighed against the objectively good progressive end result.
One has to wonder whether there is anything so wrong that a progressive politician could do that would lose progressive support. If Fox or Cicilline killed a man in cold blood, it would not be in the least surprising to see an article up on RIFUTURE weighing the death of one man against the good of the entire state, the downtrodden, and future generations.
Posted by: Dan at October 31, 2012 2:49 PMRut Roh. Don't look now but the RIF regulars are roughing-up Bob Plain over his endorsement of Fox. That says a lot about Plain when his own congregation turns on him.
Posted by: Max D at October 31, 2012 9:04 PMWhat happened to Dan's first comment on this thread?
Posted by: Phil at October 31, 2012 9:23 PMFurther evidence:
www.rifuture.org/cicillines-big-advantage-hes-not-a-republican.html
Sure, Cicilline he may have lied, distorted, obstructed, handed out corrupt loans, hired the Speaker of the House to do legal work for the PEDC etc., etc. but he's *our* guy and can get us things that we progressives like, so it's justified.
"Add to that the fact that David Cicilline’s detractors continue to throw almost every accusation in the book at him."
Yep. Just a bunch of malcontents out there making "accusations." No need to examine whether any of them are true or not, people just attack each other in political season and that's as much investigating and reflection that a self-proclaimed "journalist" should do.
On a totally unrelated note, I've noticed that Plain incorrectly substitutes "us for "we" or vice versa in nearly every post he authors. Attacking grammar is usually a lame resort, and I don't claim to be perfect, but it's become extremely distracting to the point where I now can't help but look for it in each of his posts. I thought he was supposed to have a background in reporting?
Posted by: Dan at November 1, 2012 7:35 AMYou know, for a supposedly "conservative" state (isn't that what the apologists are always telling us?), I notice that a lot of these "progressive" politicians are in positions of power, being elected to higher office, and such. But remember, all the problems of the state are the fault of... who was the last Republican we can think of... oh yeah, Carcieri. All problems everywhere at all times were Carcieri's fault. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Posted by: Dan at November 1, 2012 7:43 AMThe Amazing Gordon Fox:he can fall in a manure pile and come up smelling of money
Posted by: joe bernstein at November 1, 2012 11:33 AM