Rhode Island Politics
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo has been looking at the state’s pension fund books. She notes to the ProJo’s Kathy Gregg one bit of good news: the return on investment of the pension fund in 2010 was 12%. Unfortunately, that annual return rate was very much an anomaly. This is compounded, as we know, by years…
It’s a few weeks old, at this point, but Robert Plante’s letter to the editor phrases Rhode Island’s predicament too well to be allowed to fade so quickly into the online archives: This is by any measure a tall order to say the least, but it would solve our problems going forward. We do not…
Last night, on the Matt Allen Show, I mentioned my work on population trends and Andrew’s work on legislation. Stream by clicking here, or download it. Once again, I didn’t go into the sales pitch, but please email or call (401-835-7156) me to pledge financial support — as subscriptions, donations, or advertising — for 2011…
The Valley Breeze – exclusively, it appears – broke this on their website today. PAWTUCKET – Owners of the TK Club are saying they’ve rejected a bid by a group of city politicians and businesspeople to purchase the building for a marijuana distribution center. Instead they’ve unofficially accepted a separate bid from a buyer who…
GoLocalProv reported on the 180; h/t Justin. [Newly appointed Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Peter] Palumbo [D, Cranston] said he has just started poring through all the rules, but he already has some ideas about what he would like to see changed. For one, he’d like to tweak a rule that allows a state rep to…
In contrast to the promise of more open government in the Republican-controlled U.S. House that I noted earlier, this head-turner came via GoLocalProv today: [Newly appointed Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Peter] Palumbo [D, Cranston] said he has just started poring through all the rules, but he already has some ideas about what he would like…
I’m beginning to worry about what the Chafee administration and its puppeteers might be trying to distract Rhode Islanders from with his assault on talk radio. As you’ve likely heard, yesterday RI Governor Lincoln Chafee called on advertisers to boycott talk radio. Apart from the petty activism indicated by his lambasting of an entire information…
Awesome editorial by Arlene Violet in today’s Valley Breeze about Gov Chafee rescinding the Executive Order on illegal immigration. Despite anticipatory breast-beating to the contrary by advocates of illegal immigration, Arlene points out that there was not one instance of abuse of the Order in the two years that it was in place. She also…
Back in 2007, I argued against non-partisan elections in Tiverton. Those who disagreed took a very community-oriented view: ARGUING AGAINST asking Tiverton voters whether they’d like to return to partisan elections after one cycle of nonpartisanism, Charter Review Commission member Frank “Richard” Joslin made two points that have the ring of Rhode Islandry: First, that…
Further to my point about a new political wave starting local, the landscape of Rhode Island politics stands as a stark example and testing ground: … while the state has been trying to work through the desperate finances of its smallest city [Central Falls], it has also been working with three other economically distressed communities…