Giarrusso missed vote on bump stock bill
When East Greenwich legislator Anthony Giarrusso was asked about a ban on assault weapons, he talked about a bill banning bump stocks. But when it came time to vote for the bill that bans bump stocks, Giarrusso wasn’t there. “This is my sixth session and the first time any major bill was considered on the […]
Caleb Chadsey bequeathed a library, NK Town Council wants a restaurant
When Caleb Chadsey died, in 1894, he left $10,000 and a parcel of property in the heart of Wickford to the town of North Kingstown for the purposes of creating a community library. And there, at 55 Brown St., is where the local library stood until 1975, when a bigger one was built a few […]
Giarrusso, Caldwell hold impromptu debate over gun legislation via email
The first debate of the campaign to represent East Greenwich in the state House of Representatives happened via email. It was between Republican Anthony Giarrusso, the current occupant of the District 30 seat, and Democratic challenger Justine Caldwell. It largely concerned gun legislation at the State House, but also touched on the so-called War on […]
Island legislators tackle issues at forum
Six local legislators fielded questions from the public during a two-hour forum at the CCRI Newport auditorium Thursday morning. Hosted by executive director John Shea of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, the event featured questions submitted beforehand as well as a robust Q&A period. Senators Lou DiPalma (D-12), Jim Seveney (D-11), and Dawn Euer (D-13), […]
Sam Bell declares for Paul Jabour’s Senate seat
Sam Bell is running for state Senate. The occasional RI Future contributor (and supporter) filed papers to run for the seat currently held by Sen Paul Jabour. The Providence Journal reports there could be a three-way Democratic primary for the seat. “We need to take on the fight to resist the Trump agenda right here […]
Lawyers are winning EG’s war against its public sector
Time will tell how the East Greenwich Town Council’s cost-cutting crusade will affect future budgets. The full financial picture won’t be clear until the mounting pile of lawsuits are sorted out years from now, and homeowners learn if an antagonistic campaign to shrink local government in an upscale suburb known for good schools and nice […]
Corrigan’s EG tenure benefits Bob Flanders’ law firm
Whether or not Gayle Corrigan’s tenure as East Greenwich town manager is benefiting Bob Flanders’ community, it’s definitely benefiting his law firm. The town paid Whelan, Corrente, Flanders, Kinder & Siket $104,518 for services through November. Flanders, an East Greenwich Republican who is currently running for the US Senate seat held by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, […]
Gayle Corrigan says Town Charter indemnifies her against ethics complaint
One of the first things Gayle Corrigan did when she took over as town manager of East Greenwich was replace the finance director with her friend and colleague Linda Dykeman. That isn’t a violation of the state Code of Ethics, she insisted in an interview on Friday, because the Town Council had final say over […]
Two more OMA violations for EG, a total of seven so far
Add two more Open Meetings Act violations to the East Greenwich Town Council effort to restructure local government led by controversial and court-prone Town Manager Gayle Corrigan. Attorney General Peter Kilmartin’s Open Government Unit announced the additional violations Friday afternoon, less than three months after a Superior Court found the Town Council violated the state […]
Corrigan recommended EG hire her business partner, says Council VP
Gayle Corrigan, East Greenwich’s controversial and court-prone town manager who is being investigated by the state Ethics Commission for helping her friend and colleague Linda Dykeman become the town’s finance director, recommended Dykeman for that position at her first Town Council meeting as town manager. That’s what Town Council Vice President Sean Todd said on the […]
Ethics Commission is investigating Gayle Corrigan
The Rhode Island Ethics Commissions is investigating a complaint against East Greenwich Town Manager Gayle Corrigan that alleges she recommended the Town Council hire Linda Dykeman, her friend and business partner. Dykeman worked for Corrigan’s consulting firm that was initially contracted by the Town Council to audit the budget. She was named joint finance director […]
Marcela Betancur keeps busy for Rhode Island
Marcela Betancur is director of the RI New Leaders Council, vice-president of the RI Latino Political Action Committee and a policy associate with the ACLU. She was raised in Colombia and moved to Rhode Island when she was 12. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a BA degree in political science and public administration […]
East Greenwich rehires Gayle Corrigan
Disappointing hundreds of residents who came to advocate against Gayle Corrigan, the East Greenwich Town Council reappointed the controversial rookie town manager on Monday night in a three to two vote. “Is she an unpopular character? Sure,” said Republican Town Council President Sue Cienki in defending her decision to stick with Corrigan after a Superior […]
Cienki, Corrigan, Dykeman are big donors to Flanders’ Senate campaign
As Bob Flanders was considering running for the Senate, he was also talking up his friend and former colleague Gayle Corrigan to East Greenwich Town Council President Sue Cienki. “Gayle was someone we did talk about, yes,” Flanders told me in June. “We talked about her skill set and what she can bring to the […]
Flanders announces in Central Falls, Dems say he profited off the struggling city
Bob Flanders announced his campaign for a US Senate seat today in Central Falls, where he was once the court-appointed receiver as the city went through bankruptcy. The Rhode Island Democratic Party responded by pointing out how much money Flanders made in that role. “There’s no question that the million dollars Robert Flanders and his deputies collected […]
Justine Caldwell to challenge Giarrusso for House seat
Progressive activist and East Greenwich resident Justine Caldwell announced she is considering running for House District 30 against incumbent Republican Anthony Giarrusso. Caldwell was an important part of the effort to remove Joe DeLorenzo from a leadership position in the Democratic Party, and her and husband David Caldwell have been key organizers in the effort […]
EG Town Council cancels meeting instead of re-appointing Corrigan
There’s some evidence the East Greenwich Town Council is considering changing its strategy as it cancelled its meeting last night instead of re-appointing Gayle Corrigan as town manager. It’s unclear if the cancellation indicates the Town Council has soured on Corrigan. But Council President Sue Cienki did admit for the first time publicly that Corrigan […]
Coventry GOP chairman says CCFD also suffers from transparency, election issues
As the East Greenwich Town Council considers continuing its relationship with embattled Town Manager Gayle Corrigan, Coventry Republican Party Chairman James Pierson says Corrigan, who is also the executive director of the Central Coventry Fire District, ran a flawed election at the fire district’s annual meeting in September. “I don’t think she did her job […]
Isaacs, Sequino, Gee don’t like the Gayle Corrigan era in East Greenwich
Even local Republicans in East Greenwich have soured on Gayle Corrigan. “I think it’s time for the Town Council to re-assess the Town Manager position, bring in a new manager and move forward expeditiously with the manager search,” said well-respected former town council president Michael Isaacs, a Republican who served for 12 years on the […]
What is driving Gayle Corrigan’s scorched earth strategy in East Greenwich?
A few short hours after a Superior Court judge effectively rescinded Gayle Corrigan’s appointment as East Greenwich’s town manager – as well as chided and fined the town for violating the state open meetings law and the Town Charter in appointing her to that position – the Town Council posted notice for a November 14 […]
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