Rhode Island Politics
Whatever the merits of its claims, this argument from the attorney general’s office (concerning why it won’t answer the governor’s call to trim its workforce) is a head-shaker: The attorney general’s office employs 234 workers, barely enough staff to fill the current need, according to Christopher Cotta, director of administration and finance for the attorney…
From the Warwick Beacon: In a unanimous vote last week, the city council approved an ordinance to outlaw healthcare buyback provisions as of January 1, 2008. The measure needs a second passage before becoming law. The ordinance was the first of a series of proposals set forth by Councilman Robert Cushman (D-Ward 1), which he…
Governor Carcieri outlined his $200 million state budget reduction plan. He only mentioned two of the three points–$50 million in cuts to social service programs and $50 million in cuts to state employee health benefits–and focused on the $100 million he intends to save via a work force reduction plan. According to the Governor, of…
One of the disturbing aspects of the revelation of this activity at the DMV is the idea that the State of Rhode Island may have broken the law and hired an undocumented immigrant. This is not to focus on Ms. Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme. It may well turn out that she is compliant with our immigration laws.…
More arrests in the DMV fake ID case, and a little more info on Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme: Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme, 40, of Providence, one of the two clerks arrested in the fraud scheme, had already been ordered deported. Her application for adjusted immigration status had been denied after a federal investigation discovered two fraudulent marriages, according to…
…the answer is, if I may paraphrase Common Cause of Rhode Island using the words of Henry Hill from The Music Man: T that stands for “trouble” which rhymes with P that stands for “patronage”. T also could stand for “traffic tribunal” (twice!). According to Edward Fizpatrick in today’s
Understandably, the emphasis on the just-revealed Rhode Island DMV fake ID scandal is on how a “valid” driver’s license can help an individual avoid some unpleasant questions about their citizenship and/or “activities”: Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme, 40, of Providence, and Soraya Santiago, 42, of Pawtucket, are accused of working with two “middlemen,” who were paid about $2,500…
WPRO reports that U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente has announced a plea agreement with former House Majority Leader Gerard Martineau (D, Woonsocket), who was charged with mail fraud. Martineau apparently opposed pharmacy choice legislation until pharmacies would do business with his company. According to a ProJo piece in 2004: Two of his customers were CVS and…