RI Political Corruption
The state of Rhode Island likes monopolists, it would seem: The other condition that Tufts needs to change is a state law that says only health plans that did business in Rhode Island in 2001 can take the health status of members into account in setting rates for small groups. As a result, only Blue…
Not to start the day with cynicism, but I just can’t help myself: On the evening of Wednesday, June 4, The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) will travel to Providence with the first Indonesian ACYPL delegation to visit the United States since 2002. The delegation will visit as part of an 11-day political…
Well, the first mistake was treating the government like a free-food delivery service: The director of the city’s summer lunch program[, Jane Shugrue,] has been fired and the entire administrative staff will not be brought back after a state audit found that the program falsely claimed it had served far more lunches than it actually…
Not surprisingly the Prostitution State is also the Corruption State. AG Patrick Lynch has proposed legislation to make the latter illegal: Amid the drumbeat of alleged public corruption scandals in Rhode Island, state legislators are considering a bill that would for the first time make it a felony to violate the public trust. Currently —…
Commenter Pragmatist notes, in response to my post suggesting the withholding of pensions to the politically corrupt, that such a law already exists. But the Public Employee Pension Revocation and Reduction Act merely makes it possible for the state to take away a pension (or reduce it): (c) In any civil action under this chapter…
The latest instance of corruption and abuse of position in RI government gave me an idea for legislation: The Rhode Island State Police have charged a Department of Administration employee with felony embezzlement for allegedly stealing cash from the agency. The police said an investigation revealed that longtime state employee Patricia Pirolli, 59, of 15…
Well, this is a no-brainer: Rep. Raymond C. Church has filed legislation rescinding legislative approval granted last year for a new courthouse in the Blackstone Valley, saying the state shouldn’t be borrowing money for large projects when grappling with huge deficits. “At a time when the state is trying to identify money to close a…
Judging from the Providence Journal’s letters section, social work students at Rhode Island College have been given the assignment of denouncing Bill Felkner’s January 13 op-ed. Amanda Eyes is the latest “candidate for a master’s degree in social work” to make the opinion page, and she contributes the following interesting statistic: The problem with dialogue…
Yesterday’s Political Scene shouldn’t fly under the MLK Day radar: Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield, was paid $92,606 last year as senior business agent for the largest state employees union: Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Senate Majority Whip Dominick Ruggerio, D-Providence, was paid $181,041 in salary and…
Kenny Cicerone, whom I mentioned last week, has some specific allegations against local politicians in North Providence (with details likely to be found on his Web sites) and a question that Anchor Rising readers might be able to answer: How does an individual or group go about filing ethics complaints against elected officials?