Monique Chartier

Rep Dickinson’s “Report” From Smith Hill – Part 1 of 3: “the [Speaker’s] chief of staff was a political operative who considered everything of value to be under his control”

By Monique Chartier | September 9, 2012 |

Representative Spencer Dickinson (D-South Kingstown) faces a Democrat challenger in this Tuesday’s primary. In the last few days, he mailed out a five page letter to some, or possibly all, of his constituents, making the case for voters to choose him over his challenger, Councilwoman Kathy Fogarty, at the polls on Tuesday. (Full letter as…

Cicilline and the “Locked Out” Auditor – PolitiFact Does the Right Thing And Doesn’t Shield Him Behind a Technicality

By Monique Chartier | September 9, 2012 |

Alright, alright, I’ll say it! Much as it pains me to admit it in view of their unfortunate record on so many other ratings, PolitiFact did a very good job rating an important and inaccurate statement that David Cicilline’s made during the WPRO Dem primary debate Tuesday night. Below is my transcription of the exchange,…

Abolition by Merger of the Board of Governors for Higher Education: Explain Again Why We’re Doing This?

By Monique Chartier | September 8, 2012 |

At the last minute and with zero public notice or input (this session, anyway), the General Assembly in June rushed through a merger of the state’s Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Governors for Higher Education into an 11-member Board of Education. After days of questioning by the Providence…

Chariho Starts Down the Path Blazed by East Providence

By Monique Chartier | September 5, 2012 |

In early 2009, finding itself at the end of its fiscal and negotiating rope, the East Providence School Committee “unilaterally” set the new terms of employment for teachers. In due course, their decision was upheld by Superior Court. Now the Chariho School Committee finds itself in a similar position with the teacher contract that expired…

Mail-In Ballots: Completed With a Number Two Pencil. And It’s A Problem.

By Monique Chartier | September 4, 2012 |

Last week, Anchor Rising spoke to two people at the RI Board of Elections with regard to the requirement that mail-in ballots be completed with a pencil, not a pen. Gregg McBurney, Program and Planning Specialist for the RI BOE, advised that mail-in ballots must be completed with a number two pencil because the BOE…

Patrick Lynch on Voter Fraud: Not To Worry, Statute of Limitations Is Only a Year

By Monique Chartier | August 28, 2012 |

Extending, even out of office, his repugnant legacy of coming to the aid of Rhode Island’s political bad guys, no matter the crime or infraction, former RI Attorney General Patrick Lynch helpfully tweeted the following this morning at 7:22 am (re-tweeted by the spokesperson of the current Attorney General). Rhode Island legal trivia: There is…

Note To GoLocalProv: RI “Rich Pay Less In Income Tax” = Third Highest Income Tax Rate In Country

By Monique Chartier | August 27, 2012 |

GoLocalProv’s Dan Lawlor has a column today in which he attempts to causatively link Rhode Island’s top income tax rate to our unemployment rate. In 1997, during a boom economy in RI- remember the Renaissance? – the top income earners had a 27.5% income tax rate. Our jobless rate was 5.3%. Ah, but then, in…

The Gemma Press Conf About Voter Fraud: Questions that Doubters Must Answer

By Monique Chartier | August 26, 2012 |

Yes, it’s true, it appears that Anthony Gemma missed his intended target at his press conference on Wednesday. No evidence was presented that David Cicilline himself participated in carrying out voter fraud (though there is also no doubt that it was his election bid that would have benefited from these alleged efforts). But in the…

Re: The War on Women?

By Monique Chartier | August 25, 2012 |

Under Patrick’s post questioning the alleged War on Women, commenter Candace McCall remarks stop pretending you don’t know this is about abortion and contraceptive rights. We’ll take them one at a time. #1, Abortion: there is nothing new this election on the issue. So this is not about abortion. #2. There is, however, a new…

Gemma’s “Breaking News”: What Did You Think?

By Monique Chartier | August 22, 2012 |

The day previewed last week by Anthony Gemma in a somewhat hyperbolic announcement finally arrived. WPRO carried the press conference live – their follow-up report here – though they disappointingly cut away from the press conference after Gemma had finished his statement. An extensive report by WPRI, which includes reaction from various quarters, also names…