Rhode Island Politics

Dealing with the Second Primary

By Justin Katz | December 30, 2010 |

It seems as if something has significantly changed in electoral politics — or else, that something that has been changing crossed into a visible field of light. The most striking example may have been in Alaska, where Senator Lisa Murkowski rejected the decision of the Republican Party’s primary voters and ran as a write-in candidate,…

If You Love an Idea, Set It Free

By Justin Katz | December 30, 2010 |

I’ve got the third offering in Ted Nesi’s week-long series of letters of advice to Governor-elect Lincoln Chafee: Cynical political observers might suggest that Chafee should take a lesson from Politics 101 and host short, pointless meetings with his issue-by-issue opposition in order to deflate their claims of exclusion. The governor-elect’s problem goes deeper than…

UPDATED: Trainor’s Had That First Bitter Taste

By Justin Katz | December 28, 2010 |

Ian Donnis reports that the voice of Chafee, Michael Trainor, may not be on board for the job post-inauguration: Michael Trainor, who managed Lincoln Chafee’s winning gubernatorial campaign after the departure of J.R. Pagliarini — and who had been expected to serve as communications director in the Chafee administration — might not be staying with…

The “RI Recipe for a New Way Forward” (per L. Chafee)

By Monique Chartier | December 28, 2010 |

Today’s Yesterday’s ProJo Political Scene reports that the following recipe was handed out, attached to a large candy cane, to guests at a party recently held by Governor-elect Chafee. (It was Senate President Paiva-Weed who shared hers with the Political Scene.) “One 10-pound satchel of HONESTY … A gallon of LISTENING … Three quarts of…

Can Rhode Island Be the Exception to Foolish Consistency?

By Justin Katz | December 28, 2010 |

An interesting juxtaposition. Reading around the Internet, yesterday, I came across Ed Morrissey’s observation that all ten states that lost seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are majority Democrat states: Michael Barone’s analysis probably comes closest to the truth: low-tax states attract larger populations, while high-tax, high-regulatory states tend to lose people. That also…

What They’re Planning, and What We Should Plan

By Justin Katz | December 23, 2010 |

Andrew reviewed some of the budget suggestions on display at last week’s budget summit on the Matt Allen Show last night. Stream by clicking here, or download it. The insights available through Andrew’s liveblog of that event (here, here, and here) illustrate well the ability of Anchor Rising to collect and analyze the likely strategies…

Toward Fighting the Usual, Expected Interpretation

By Justin Katz | December 20, 2010 |

This is the sort of claim that begs for a well-researched response: “The data … clearly illustrates the need for more affordable homes in the Ocean State,” said Nellie M. Gorbea, executive director of HousingWorks. “As lawmakers convene in January, it is imperative that they fund affordable-housing programs like the Neighborhood Opportunities Program … to…

Receiver: Merge Central Falls/Pawtucket

By Marc Comtois | December 16, 2010 |

Former Judge Mark A. Pfeiffer, appointed as receiver for troubled Central Falls, has come out with his recommendation (PDF): merge Central Falls with Pawtucket (via 7to7). “The problems are so severe that they cannot be solved solely through efficiencies and additional revenue at the city level,” he wrote. ” … state action is required if…

Tabulating Rhode Island’s FY2011 Federal Earmarks

By Marc Comtois | December 16, 2010 |

For those interested, HERE is a working list of all of the earmarks contained in the lame duck FY2011 budget. I assume it will be continually updated as required (hence, the “working”). I’ve also broken out the RI earmarks from messr’s Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin and Kennedy and you can download it HERE. All told, according…

Invitees to Gov-Elect Chafee’s Budget Summit

By Monique Chartier | December 15, 2010 |

List courtesy WPRI’s Ted Nesi. The summit takes place this Friday at RI College; Nesi provides schedule and format details here. John Simmons, Executive Director, Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council Robert Flanders Jr., Chairman of the Board of Regents Ray M. Di Pasquale, Commissioner of Higher Education Elizabeth Roberts, Lieutenant Governor (tentative) Anne Nolan, President…