Marc Comtois

Harvard Brings Back ROTC

By Marc Comtois | March 4, 2011 |

Unlike at least one of their Ivy League counterparts, Harvard is backing up their previous rhetoric and bringing ROTC (Navy) back onto the campus. On Friday, Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus are scheduled to sign an agreement that will establish the Naval ROTC’s formal presence on the Cambridge campus, the…

BREAKING: RI State Police Commissioner Brendan Doherty Resigns

By Marc Comtois | March 3, 2011 |

WPRO reports that RI State Police Commissioner Brendan Doherty has tendered his resignation to Governor Chafee effective April 1. No surprise, really.

ProJo Eds Get it Right: “Reject Caruolo”

By Marc Comtois | March 3, 2011 |

From the Providence Journal Editors: If George Caruolo’s blatant conflict of interest as a $5,000-a-month lobbyist for a gambling palace does not disqualify him from becoming chairman of the state board overseeing K-12 public education, his dismissal of the need for serious education reform surely should….Mr. Caruolo’s view is that all [of Education Commissioner Deborah…

Taveras’ Proposal – It isn’t just Teachers Taking a Hit

By Marc Comtois | March 3, 2011 |

Ian Donnis has the list of Providence Mayor Taveras’ proposed cuts to deal with the budget deficit. * Effective immediately, the Mayor is taking a 10% pay cut. * The Mayor will submit a FY12 budget that cuts the Mayor’s office payroll by 10%. * Effective immediately, 13 non-union positions, including several school administration positions,…

Union Rhetoric and Fiscal Reality

By Marc Comtois | March 3, 2011 |

There was a rally for Providence teachers yesterday and union leaders, who never met a crisis they didn’t like to exploit, regaled the crowd with unsurprising rhetoric that served to add heat but shed little light. AFT Union President Randi Weingarten: [The Providence teacher dismissal notices are] the most wrong-headed thing I have seen in…

Nesi: Providence Deficit Similar to Central Falls

By Marc Comtois | March 2, 2011 |

Ted Nesi notes the similarity between the Central Falls and Providence deficits: [Central Falls’] budget shortfall was also pegged at about 17% when it filed for receivership during its 2009-10 fiscal year. But because of its small size, the actual amount of Central Falls’ deficit was only $3 million – a rounding error compared with…

Providence Deficits: The Legacy of Cicilline

By Marc Comtois | March 2, 2011 |

Everything was so rosy in Providence under former Mayor David Cicilline. Remember? Now we know why. Cicilline’s adminstration basically slapped an new coat of paint on a rickety jalopy and called it “new.” Earlier this month, we learned that then-Mayor Cicilline’s administration paid for the paint by drawing down on the rainy day funds, underfunding…

Welcome RI Future Refugees

By Marc Comtois | March 2, 2011 |

It’s going on 5 days (or so) since RIFuture.org was “taken over” by one of those ISP vultures. We experienced a similar thing hereabouts a few years back–in fact, the same pleasant young lady was hawking boats and other maritime gear for us–but we were able to get back up and running in short order.…

Rhode Island in Top 10 for Public/Private Pay Differential

By Marc Comtois | March 1, 2011 |

From USA Today, which took a look at compensation (salary+benefits) differences between the private and public sector in each state (using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis numbers), Rhode Island is in the top ten for total compensation for public employees: Total Compensation Rank State Compensation Difference 1 District of Columbia $82,607 $457 2 Connecticut $77,697…

Carruolo II: Pensive Philosophy or Excuse Making?

By Marc Comtois | March 1, 2011 |

To follow up on last night’s post, the full ProJo story provides more insight into the “What, me worry?” philosophy of George Carruolo. For instance: For his part, Caruolo emphasizes cooperation among all groups — teachers, parents, students and the community — as the critical ingredient for school improvement. “Everyone will have to make compromises…