Rhode Island Politics
ProJo’s 7 to 7 reports that “Grande Dame” of the RIGOP Eileen Slocum has passed away: Eileen Slocum, grande dame of Newport society and a nationally known Republican Party advocate and fundraiser, died yesterday at Newport Hospital, according to her son. She was 92. Slocum, who hosted fundraisers in her Bellevue Avenue mansion and opened…
I just noticed that Jonathan Pincince has translated his experience with the Rhode Island Law Journal blog to his campaign for school committee in South Kingstown. As an intellectual matter, I’m not sure I buy his reasoning for running as an Independent, but from what I’ve read of his over the past couple of years,…
… once again, an open position in the Rhode Island court system goes to someone connected to the General Assembly. An assistant legal counsel to the Senate majority leader has been chosen for a $128,650-a-year job as a Family Court magistrate. Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. last week selected Colleen M. Hastings…
From 7to7: The largest state employees union has overwhelmingly rejected a four-year deal brokered by its own leaders and the Carcieri administration, by a vote of 2,870 to 196. Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, announced the election result this afternoon, after tabulating the votes of its 24 member local unions…
Not that I’m happy to see any of these legislators go specifically or in general, but the brazen optimist in me hopes that this is the backdraft before some sort of explosion: The already lopsided balance of power in Rhode Island’s state legislature could tip even further left come November. Five of the Assembly’s 18…
It’s the time line that’s the thing: Early in the week, Dana Peloso was informed that only 14% of the signatures on his state House nomination forms for Barrington would be accepted. On Wednesday, the Barrington board of canvassers certified those results at 3:00 p.m.. On Thursday, the candidate had to drag at least 13…
With reports of Rhode Island Republicans’ difficulties getting on ballots continuing to roll in, it’s difficult not to decry something as criminal (if only metaphorically): The Warren Board of Canvassers is investigating whether signatures were improperly collected on nomination papers returned by Dana Peloso, a Republican challenging incumbent Democrat Jan Malik for the District 67…
I grew up in northern Maine (Bangor-area), where the Maine Turnpike Authority kicks in around Augusta and you pay on down the road until you hit New Hampshire. One of the things I like about Rhode Island is not paying tolls on the regular highway. But we may be headed that way, according to the…
CNBC rated the business climate of the 50 states. Well, at least we didn’t get worse…. Interestingly, while RI was pretty static in most categories, there were gains in Workforce and Education (almost into the upper 1/3 in each). Here is CNBC’s description of each category, respectively: Many states point with great pride to the…
A habit of governance in Rhode Island came into view after an interesting item from the Tiverton Schools Administrative Policy came up at last night’s School Committee meeting: Distribution of literature as to candidacy, bond issues, or other public question to be submitted at election: prohibited. No literature which is any manner and in any…