Monique Chartier

Mayor Leo Fontaine Surprises FOX’s Stuart Varney

By Monique Chartier | March 22, 2013 |

… earlier this week on Varney & Co by not vigorously defending the social program that made Woonsocket the subject of that Washington Post article. Don’t miss the part where Mayor Fontaine holds up a state application for food stamps and points out that the last page of it is a voter registration form. (H’mmm,…

Sarah Palin Flouts The Nanny

By Monique Chartier | March 17, 2013 |

A friend remarked yesterday that Sarah Palin made some great points in her CPAC speech. Undoubtedly. But this was my favorite moment. (Apologies for the preceding ad.) Click here for audience reaction in a double screen shot. Click here for an explanation which, of course, stars New York City’s power-mad mayor. And a great rebuttal,…

Yowzah: RI Campaign Consultant Arrested for Alleged Campaign Violation

By Monique Chartier | March 9, 2013 |

The campaign flyer at the center of this allegedly campaign law violation, and its dissemination at the last minute of the 2012 campaign, was such a nasty maneuver that part of me cheered when I heard that it has resulted in an arrest. (Jim Archer, candidate for the General Assembly, was the target of the…

One of the Few Manufacturing Jobs that We Don’t Need: Gov Chafee Manufactures Out of Thin Air a Brand New Business Climate Factor

By Monique Chartier | March 3, 2013 |

The headline of Governor Chafee’s OpEd in today’s Providence Journal summarizes his premise: Gay marriage key to flourishing R.I. economy But is it? Several analyses have placed Rhode Island at or near the bottom for business-unfriendliness. What criteria did they use to rank the states? Helpfully, in their December, 2012 report [PDF] “A Review of…

Another Big Ask: Woonsocket to Meet With Retirees Monday

By Monique Chartier | February 23, 2013 |

In yesterday’s dead tree edition of the Woonsocket Call (on-line edition sometimes behind a paywall), Russ Olivo reported that, on Monday, Woonsocket will meet with the city’s 780 retirees. On the agenda is the fiscal necessity to shift all retirees to Medicare at age 65 and to abolish the pension COLA for the 250 retirees…

Station Night Club Fire: Tenth Anniversary and A Grotesque Footnote To It

By Monique Chartier | February 20, 2013 |

Ten years ago occurred the horrific and completely avoidable fire at the Station Night Club in West Warwick. Far from being held accountable, the person most responsible for the one hundred deaths and two hundred injuries, West Warwick Fire Inspector Dennis LaRocque, was actively shielded by then Attorney General Patrick Lynch for what can only…

Dave Kane: The Highly Dubious Assistance of Patrick Lynch

By Monique Chartier | February 19, 2013 |

In response to my e-mailed inquiry, the following was received from Dave Kane, the father of the youngest victim of the Station Night Club fire. I promised myself that after the release of the Station fire land to the victims and their families, I would stop writing press releases and go quietly into the night.…

UPDATED – Providence: 8th Highest Residential Tax Burden in the Country (Commercial Taxes Even Worse)

By Monique Chartier | February 16, 2013 |

Funny that this should pop up now. (Major H/T Michael Graham. By the way, welcome back to the air, Michael. We missed you.) It’s the reason that I haven’t shared the enthusiasm [link added] for the … um, fiscal “achievements” of Mayor Taveras’ tenure, genuinely nice guy though he is. His pension reform, as tepid…

The (Incomprehensible) Method By Which Scituate Authorized New Pensions

By Monique Chartier | February 8, 2013 |

On Monday, WPRI released a detailed expose about how, as Scituate’s pension fund was becoming progressively more underfunded, the Scituate Pension Board, from the middle of 1999 and July 2011, met on exactly one occasion. The WPRI story is all original work, well and thoroughly done. It includes, by the way, an aborted, so-called “ambush”…

How Much Are Central Falls’ Dilettante Officials Costing Taxpayers?

By Monique Chartier | February 7, 2013 |

It was very tempting, indeed, to title this post: “Seriously, are certain Central Falls officials anticipating a commission from the Receiver’s legal fees?” Presumably, the answer is, no, they are not. However, as the “stand-off” between state officials and certain C.F. council members now moves, ludicrously, to mediation, an observer can be forgiven for wondering…