(Part ten of the Ten Names to Shake Up Rhode Island series).

When RIFUTURE was first starting to get noticed in local political circles, the mainstream media would frequently refer to us as a “Democratic-leaning” blog.  One of the blog’s first big “breaks” came during the 2006 Rhode Island Senate election between incumbent Lincoln Chafee and challenger Sheldon Whitehouse.  We were proud to take an active, activist role in electing Senator Whitehouse who is making us proud with his progressive service in the Senate.  

But sometimes the past is not prologue and 2010 is a very strange political year.  Here at RIFUTURE we have tried to emphasize it is the ideals of progressive government, not the party label, which important.  We are, we believe, more vociferous in our criticism Democrats than Republicans in our State who chose failed conservative policies for the sake of political expediency rather than sound public policy. That is why we cannot support the endorsed Democrat for election in 2010. At best, it would be a continuation of the Carcieri years. At worst, it would be a further step to the Right.

Lincoln Chafee is a man we can trust. It is an old fashion value in politics but one that is sorely needed, especially from the chief executive of the state.  Poll driven, media handled slicksters may rule the airwaves and get the headlines: but what do they really know, or care, about you or me and our day-today problems…other than what their highly paid Madison Avenue handlers tell them to think?  And by the way, Madison Avenue is only a short Limo ride from Wall Street so it won’t take long for the noose…I mean the circle…to close on the loop.

Lincoln Chafee is a man of integrity.  This whole issue with the Kurt Schilling 38 Studios deal truly shows some remarkable backbone.  When the rest of government and the business community, including his Democratic opponent, supported the deal, he stood up and said hold on a minute, let’s look at this from a different perspective.  And he was right.   He was steady.  He didn’t waiver.  And by holding his ground he moved public opinion to his side and he even moved the other candidates to his side!  Integrity brings leadership.

Lincoln Chafee is a progressive.  And he has foresight.  There will be much made out of Linc’s proposal to raise the sales tax 1% on certain items.  But if you did the math, which Ed Pacheco and Frank Caprio don’t want you to do, you will figure out that you would need to spend $30,000 more in groceries a year to be taxed more under Linc’s plan than under the property tax increase plan passed by the General Assembly this year.  There is nothing more regressive than the property tax and the Democrats know that. So shame on them for campaigning like they stole Gio Ciccione’s play book.

Linc, on the other hand, stood up to George Bush and voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, while Frank Caprio has repeatedly said that Rhode Island needs to cater to “our best customers” meaning, the elite, the rich, those people who do not need a helping hand.  That’s why Carpio’s latest ad is just oozing with cynicism……

For all of the reasons, for the future of Rhode Island, to start of our next decade with the best possible leadership and to lead with optimism not cynicism, RIFUTURE supports Lincoln Chafee to be the next Governor of the State of Rhode Island.

In the midst of a spirited forum at the WBNA Tuesday night, Councilwoman Josephine DiRuzzo accuses Sabina Matos of stealing a mail-in ballot..

Although the evening clearly could have used a few bouncers from Lupo's (particularly one DiRuzzo supporter who needed to be removed), Sabina Matos finally received a chance to respond:  The ballot is sitting at the Board of Electors, who have pursued no claims of theft or fraud.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHwFVIgj94k]

DiRuzzo played a pretty bad hand.  She also told a local crowd how she is helping people all over "the state," which may not curry many votes in a district which has one of the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in Rhode Island.  After 35 years of working in seemingly every department in the state, and considering the current state of affairs, one could argue DiRuzzo has created more problems than solved.  Nobody has the magic potion, but it is time for someone else to give it a try in Silver Lake and Olneyville.

But then someone points out that not everyone reads footnotes the same way I do, and so some important points I want to make get missed.

So to repeat, for those who might have wondered: I had nothing to do with the mystery "whatcheerprov" emails about John Lombardi and Steven Costantino that have been floating around lately. I appreciate the implicit compliment of the name and also that the most recent email was simply forwarding a post I wrote about Costantino last week.  But as I said in that footnote, anonymity isn't my style.

I'm not going to insult the mystery emailer because of a hidden identity.  There are plenty of decent reasons someone might want to be able to write or post things anonymously. (Of course, despite its popularity, the freedom to be gratuitously abusive isn't one of them.) A professional position or family situation might make it difficult for someone to speak their mind openly. And since after the election, many will have to make peace with the victors, the temptation always exists to hide one's identity when taking a stand against a candidate.

The whatcheerprov emails aren't really abusive or personal, and they mostly dwell on policy issues, which are what campaigns ought to be about. I'm not really sure what the point of the anonymity here, but that isn't the question I have been (repeatedly) asked.

So it's not me and that's that, but now that I have your attention, there are two points I'd like to add to this note. The first is that there is a candidate who stands out among the Mayoral choices, and who represents the best way forward for the city I love, and that's Angel Taveras.

There are other candidates who deserve mention. I've written about Steve Costantino, and though I think there would be a certain poetic justice in forcing him to deal with the municipal finance crisis he helped create, his misfortune would be ours, too. John Lombardi is, by all accounts, a decent man, and says a lot of the things you want a Mayor to say. But he has been part of the City Council for over two decades, and spent quite a lot of that time in a position of authority, as Council President. Like Costantino, he has been part of the political system that has created the current crisis, and I can't see how that recommends him to take the helm now. (Plus, he doesn't seem to believe in living wage legislation and other policies I think would have been good ideas.)

It's foolish to blame everyone in government for the state it's in. But the incumbents in question -- Costantino and Lombardi -- haven't been bystanders watching our crises unfold, or activists resisting them. They have actively participated in its creation, despite their good intentions. They will not be the ones to chart a new course out of these waters.

On the flip side, Angel Taveras has no vested interest in the status quo.  He doesn't have to defend his old decisions when changing circumstances suggest we do things differently.  Of course being new is not enough.  But there is more.  I've only had a few conversations with him, but in those conversations, I've been pleased at the combination of intellect and humility I see.  That's exactly what we need: someone smart enough to see what needs fixing, and humble enough to take suggestions from people beyond his inner circle, even if it means changing the way business has always been done. I have been delighted to be able to help his campaign, and I hope you can too.  Please join me in supporting Angel for Mayor, Providence's best chance for a better future.

I said two points I wanted to add. What's the second point? Just that I've got a book to sell and that it contains a lot of suggestions for ways to look at our crises through new eyes, and some ideas for getting out, too. Many of the suggestions are unconventional, but it was conventional thinking that brought us to where we are today, and are you happy with that?

At the critical moment when the voters of Rhode Island's First District are making up their minds in the Congressional race, David Segal today called on David Cicilline to put an end to his “disturbing pattern of dishonesty and distortions.” A recap of David Cicilline’s claims is attached. “If we can't trust Cicilline when he says he's signed a pledge about election reform, then how can we trust his claims to support the reforms that the pledge references." Segal said, "Cicilline's stock answer to any criticism has become, 'I cannot control how my opponents run their campaigns.' But surely he can control what comes out of his own mouth -- and stop trying to deceive the voters.”

A transcript of the exchange between David Segal and David Cicilline during last week's debate is included in the attachment.

“Corporations hand candidates large sums of money because they are investing in those candidates,” said Aaron Swartz, a prominent national advocate for electoral reform and a fellow at Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. “These are classic pay-to-play contributions that should make it clear to Rhode Island voters that David Cicilline is the candidate of big corporate interests – not ordinary Rhode Islanders.” Mr. Swartz was referencing Cicilline's long list of contributions from corporate PACs and principals at corporations; excerpts from that list are included in the attachment.

He continued, “We absolutely must break the connection between private money and politics: That's why I'm supporting David Segal. Not only has he already taken on clean election work at the state level but he's taken no corporate PAC money and has instead raised money in small donations from thousands of contributors.”

“David Cicilline is running his campaign on the work that David Segal has done,” said Dania Flores a community organizer and David Segal supporter. “From the environment, to issues of economic opportunity, to election reform there is only one candidate who has consistently fought for Rhode Islanders and fought for our progressive values- that's David Segal.”

(Part nine of the Ten Names to Shake Up Rhode Island series).

The conventional wisdom in Democratic Party circles is, generally speaking, the differences between thecandidates running for Congress in the First Congressional district are irrelevant for all practical purposes.  Once the winner gets down to Washington, DC they are going to be one of 435 Congressmen and are simple going to toe the Party line; and given our record as a liberal stalwart we, (the royal WE) in the progressive movement are not likely to be disappointed by the voted record of any of the people we send down there.

WE are not buying it.

The conventional wisdom may in fact be true and the voting record may well match up to the progressive ideals that we advocate for here on the digitized columns of RIFUTURE but politics should be about much more than votes taken and votes recorded. It should be about advocacy and leadership.  For us, there is only one candidate in the race who has demonstrated time and again who will not just be a steady vote, but an advocate for the people of Rhode Island that we can all be proud of:

RIFUTURE endorses David Segal for Congress.

This was, in fact, a difficult decision.  Segal is not without his flaws and is not immune to criticism.  However, his body of work as a legislative leader has earned him a promotion to Congress. This short video from his time as a City Councilman in Providence shows his ability to bring communities together:

And as we showed here on RIFTURE back in May, here is David “showing us what Democracy looks like”

[video:http://vimeo.com/11715912]

For all these reasons, RIFUTURE endorses David Segal for Congress in the First Congressional District.

Now that its official, Congressional Candidate David Cicilline's ad was made in Washington D.C., one local filmmaker is calling on Cicilline to pull his "Made In Rhode Island" ad.  This comes after his Jobs Now ad was called on to be pulled, after being proven to be another distortion of the facts.

"I feel like work that should be going to us is being outsourced," I stated to myself.  "Its just another example of this guy talking out both sides of his mouth.  When Hollywood makes a movie in another location, the film studio pays California taxes.  The cast and crew pay taxes where they live.  Any local unpaid extras don't help anybody's economy anywhere."

As a winner of several small time awards, I'm not the most high profile filmmaker in Rhode Island.  But if Cicilline were to give me $75,000 (what some unnamed sources say the ads cost to create) I could have spread that out amongst several make up artists, hair stylists, lighting grips, sound techs, and directors of photography.  That is about four months pay for a 10 person crew. 

It is no wonder so many people in Mayor Cicilline's city are unemployed or underemployed.  We can't even get loyalty out of our CEO.  He would prefer to hire PR people who learned their trade through the World Bank and Lehman Brothers... forces of freedom and happiness that they have proven to be.

Interesting night at the WBNA Candidates Forum tonight.  Amongst the state legislature races, nearly all the crowd questions were directed to the District 9 race between incumbent Anastasia Williams and newcomer Wynnel Wilson.  Anastasia faced two pointed questions regarding her role working for Mayor Cicilline's administration on the First Source hiring ordinance.

Half a million dollars and 10 years later, Rep. Anastasia Williams (D-9 Providence) claims,

"As the Coordinator of First Source, the reason I accepted the offer of taking on that position is because I felt that I could ensure the employment of many individuals on the STATE LEVEL as a state representative because many of those civil services jobs come to me.  And as working for the city, I had the option of utilizing both those positions making sure of employment.  Unfortunately, I AM NOT THE ENFORCER of First Source.  I consider myself window dressing to many of your accusations as far as First Source is concerned.  Thom Deller and Gary Bliss are the ones who in fact make the decisions as to whether who should get what.  As far as the Renaissance Hotel, I have to give credit where credit is due.  I must always tell the truth.  They have been one of our biggest employers."

Williams claims to be a leader in the city of Providence, and looking out for her district's 13,000 residents with her other $14,000 job as State Rep.  In 10 years as Coordinator, First Source has hired in the neighborhood of 500 jobs.  This is about one per week.  Such statistics may be good for a job placement coordinator at a low budget non-profit, but not exactly worthy of the only mechanism to hold corporations accountable for their tax breaks.

A lawsuit created Rep. Williams' job with the City, as Mayor Cicilline opposed implementation and even tried to appeal the ruling.  Perhaps a leader in the community who sees mismanagement by Cicilline's appointees Deller and Bliss would do something about it.  Especially anyone who wishes to honor the hard work of community activists and city councilors and a volunteer lawyer who got over that first hurdle.   Naturally, it is understandable to not say anything, to hold onto one's job.  Yet we see regular people every day step up and try to correct wrongs in their workforce, sometimes to great opposition and repercussions.  Anastasia claims to be a leader, but is "go along to get along" a leadership quality?

Later in the evening I called her out on the Seat Belt issue, where last session she took the odd position of supporting the police pulling us over whenever they see us unbuckled (odd for an urban legislator, but there were millions of federal dollars at stake).  She dodged the Racial Profiling issue by talking about safety, and supporting the state forcing us to pay money if we don't fasten our seatbelts.  

When she accused constituents (meaning me) of not reaching out to contact her, the whole crowd caught my miming of calling and emailing.  Like a girl who gives me her number... after three unreturned phone calls and a handful or unresponded to emails, I gotta just let her go!

And she never did answer the question:  How do you stand up to a company, although willing to take our money, is not willing to live up to their end of the bargain?

Such dodginess cannot be rewarded with another term.  Vote Wynnel Wilson.

We need volunteers to help with our Get Out the Vote campaign September 11th through Election Day on September 14th. Even if you only have an hour or two we need your help!

For more information or to volunteer contact:

Kate Brock at kvbrock33@gmail.com or call 401-237-0136

(Part eight of the Ten Names to Shake Up Rhode Island series).

Progressives should unite behind Angel Taveras in the Providence Mayor's race which will be decided one week from today on Tuesday, September 14th.

Here's why.

Creating Jobs:

There's only so much a Mayor can do to bring jobs to a city.  Kudos to Angel for recognizing all of them in his his Retain, Recruit, and Reform 17-point economic development plan:

Housing:

Taveras's solution for the 900+ abandoned and vacant homes littering the city is absolutely correct.  Essentially, Taveras would use the Abandoned Properties Act to snap up boarded up houses and put them into receivership to allow local housing organizations to fix them up and put them back on the market at affordable rates.  Taveras's plan handles four pressing issues at once: foreclosures, abandoned properties, homelessness, and unaffordable homes.  This is a creative and effective approach that no one else seems willing to pursue or even address.

Education:

Everyone knows that the education system in Providence is atrocious at certain schools, is mediocre at others, and is actually good in a few.  No one can seem to agree on why this is the case, or what to do about it.  Some blame unions, teachers, the administration, or the students themselves.  There are a lot of factors at play, and they largely stem from unresourced schools in poor neighborhoods.  Without getting into a debate about the effects of poverty and lack of stability on student learning, the Taveras approach addresses most of the important issues affecting student learning absent crucial economic conditions that are more convenient to brush under the rug than actually face.

City Services & Open Government:

Everyone knows government doesn't work as well as it could and should.  City departments shouldn't be relying on index cards to process public information solely because that's the way they've been doing it for 50 years.  Taveras has the best plan to improve city services, bring 21st century technology to City Hall and to combat corruption. How does Taveras want to make your life easier?

There's more to Taveras than the four issues above.  He has a great environmental program, a great artist promotion and support program, and is really keyed into supporting and growing public transportation options in the City.

It is important to note that most of the city's progressives are with Taveras:  From campaign manager Lauren Nocera, his campaign chair Myrth York, his deputy campaign manager Victor Capellan, RIFuture founder Matt Jerzyk, Councilman Miguel Luna, Councilman Cliff Wood, Councilman Seth Yurdin, Councilman Kevin Jackson, Rep. Edie Ajello, Sen. Rhoda Perry to progressive organizations such as the RI chapter of the National Organization of Women, UFCW, SEIU and Clean Water Action.

For all these reasons, we are endorsing Angel Taveras as Mayor of Providence.  To learn more and get involved in the campaign, visit his website www.angelforprovidence.com or call his campaign at 484-1244.

Once we heard she could sing... the interview was not going to be enough. Wanting to revitalize public education and develop reintegration programs for the formerly incarcerated was not enough...

She Had to Sing to Survive the Revolution!
and she killed us.... softly.

UPDATE:  Ian Donnis has a post up about today's grand event at the WRNI blog:

Former governor Theodore Francis Green might be best remembered for ushering in “The Bloodless Revolution,” the 1935 maneuver that launched 75 years of Democratic rule in the General Assembly. A year earlier, four men were killed when Green called in the National Guard to quash a 1934 strike in Central Falls, an event remembered by labor historians as the Saylesville Massacre.

Speaking this morning during the unveiling of a monument to the workers at Moshassuck Cemetery (where one tombstone still bears bullet holes from the long-ago clash), RI AFL-CIO president George Nee called for renaming the airport:

I think it is disgraceful that our aiport is named after Theodore Francis Green. How can we name an airport after a governor who called out the National Guard and shot and killed those four workers?

A gathering of about 150 people greeted Nee’s comments with enthusiastic cheers.

Nee suggested the airport be named after “a worker” instead of the former governor.

So that when people arrive and get into Rhode Island, they’ll scratch their heads a little bit and say, “Who are those people?’ And then maybe the union flight attendant can have an announcement, and the union pilot can say, ‘You’re coming to a state that honors workers who fought so that others can have a better life.’

Original  Post:

In 1934, then Rhode Island Governor Theodore Francis “T.F.” Green ordered the Rhode Island National Guard to squelch a strike organized by the workers at the Saylesville Bleachery in Saylesville, Rhode Island.  As a result, the National Guard open fired on unarmed workers picketing near the Moshassuck Cemetery in Central Falls.  When the “Battle of the Gravestones” was over, four workers lay dead: Charles Gorcynski, William Blackwood, Jude Courtemarche and Leo Roulette.

Rhode Island’s key airport is named after Governor Green.  But on Labor Day, 2010, Rhode Island AFL-CIO President George Nee issued a call to change the name to honor the martyred dead of the labor movement.  Why should we honor a man who ordered the killing of unarmed strikers who were exercising their constitutional and human rights?  We should honor instead those who died and continue to sacrifice so that working people have the right to have a voice on the job, have a safe place to work, have decent pay, and the respect that hard work deserves.

Its time Rhode Island’s airport was named “Workers Memorial Airport.”  You can show your support for the change by signing up for the FACEBOOK group.  More details to follow.

(Part seven of the Ten Names to Shake Up Rhode Island series)

Labor Day seems the perfect time to announce our support for David Bennett’s campaign to unseat long

time incumbent Warwick State Representative Al Gemma in District 20.  Bennett is proud to campaign as a Union Nurse, an R.N. at Butler Hospital, and judging by the activity surrounding his campaign, solidarity plays a key role in everything he does.

There is something that is quintessential working class Rhode Island when you meet Dave Bennett.  There is an earnest when you talk to him about the issues affecting his district ( he always reminds you that he still lives in the house he grew up in, such a “Rhode Island” thing but so important to). And while the policy wonks who are regulars here may be able to pontificate about spreadsheets and data analysis (and you know who you are, Dave has a way of breaking things down to the human level. IT comes from years of working with patient’s who need him….but also from working on the front lines of a health care system that is so messed up that he has had to go out of his way to make sure his patient’s get what they need, system be damned.

That is the type of person all Rhode Islanders should have as their State Representative, and that is why we proudly support David Bennett, R.N., for State Representative, District 20, Warwick.      

What gets under my skin are those who are taking this opportunity to shoot the messenger and shoot those who have hired the messenger.  The paralegal who filed the report on Leo Medina is Luis Estrada, who happened to have served time.  Newsflash:  Formerly Incarcerated people are in your society.  We are parents, workers, bosses, neighbors, and are just as worthy of filing a complaint with the Courts as anyone else.

Yes, Mr. Estrada was hired into the law office of Taveras and Corley (Corley has his own practice now), and how lucky for them.  Every law office should have a bi-lingual former jailhouse lawyer with a razor sharp mind.  And I wouldn’t recommend a criminal defense lawyer who doesn’t.  The best thing I can say for certain about Angel Taveras is that he did not wait 20 years for Estrada to be “safe” to give a job to.  He did not tell a man who has spent two decades studying the law, who holds a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, to go get a degree first.  People coming home from prison need a second chance, and they need a job before that meager savings runs out.  NOT 20 years down the line.  If the most educated of us, albeit often self-educated, cannot get hired: what does it say to the millions of folks who had been in prison?  (And oh yes: Luis has an Associate's in Paralegal Studies, a B.A. in Management from RIC, and he even has a barber's license if you need a little somethin' off the sides...)

The best thing I can say for certain about John Lombardi is that he has been in the trenches for himself, and he knows the mental and spiritual toughness it takes to make it.  He also knows that a guy needs to catch a break, get just one boost, and in this case that came in a law office of Angel Taveras.  I can’t imagine Lombardi bad-mouthing the hiring of Luis Estrada.  But I CAN imagine some ignorant supporters (Costantino’s too) coming out of the side of their mouths in an attempt to knock Taveras down.  And I hear our most celebrated, wealthy, and socially accepted former prisoner (BUDDY) was talking smack too.

I don’t listen to Cianci’s show, not out of some Cicilline boycott (or whatever he was whining about), but I just don’t listen to anything with commercials.  Its annoying.  But Buddy, if you are going to be such a hypocrite as to judge someone who has been in prison, you are a total joke who learned nothing on the Inside.  You should be talking trash about WPRO and ABC and who all pays your bills.  I’ve been a big supporter of your “right” to work and contribute to public dialogue, and that people should accept you as part of the pastiche of Providence.  But to use Luis Estrada, who is nothing short of an amazing man and upstanding citizen, to take a cheap shot at Angel?  That’s pathetic.

I hope the multiple reports I got about Buddy aren’t true.  I hope the other candidates didn’t say any of these negatives themselves, nor put any of their friends up to it- because that is a sure way to get me to not only vote against them, but to badmouth them all over the city.  And I hope Taveras keeps his back straight and says, “I would hire Luis Estrada again in a second.  The economy of our city, the prohibition of drugs, and the deterioration of our schools have created a culture so steeped in criminal records that we will not get anywhere as a community by any futile attempts to cut off the masses who have records.  We are losing many of our best and brightest people who happened to be born into low income communities of color.  But if they can survive through to the other side, like Luis Estrada and others, they need to know that we are still here ready for them.”

And as for Leo Medina (who apparently owes lots of money to the Man, while buying some BIG ASS SIGNS): you have to wonder why he would want to unseat one of the true leaders of Providence, Rep. Joe Almeida.  Joe is a fighter who stands up for the folks of his community, overwhelmingly Latino, Black, and low income.   He has built up years of goodwill and seniority.  Leo might have moved a few streets and ran for another office, where he might one day realize just how difficult it can be for a South Side politician to hold any clout in this state.

Angel Taveras has a huge citywide day of action this Labor Day, Monday September 6th, starting at 9:30AM at the Armory/Dexter Training Grounds. 

Angel will welcome the group at 9:30AM before everyone heads out to either go door-to-door or go make phone calls.

The first 100 volunteers who go door to door or make phone calls will receive a free t shirt.

At 200PM, there will be a lunch to thank all the volunteers for their hard work and their commitment to moving Providence Forward.

This will be the most important outreach event of the campaign to date.

Be there!

Taxes.  Even though people love to complain about them, very few people take the time to understand how they work ---and how they really get hurt by them. In other words, how the rich, the powerful, and well connected REALLY game the system for their advantage.  Teresa Tanzi, running for State Representative in District 34 in Narragansett, Wakefield, and Peacedale understands how taxes work and that is one the key reasons why RIFUTURE supports her campaign.

Read this short section from her latest letter to the editor about the $10million “oops” that the incumbent, David Caprio, supported:

Well, whose priorities is Representative Caprio looking out for? Certainly not the interests of his constituents in Wakefield and Peace Dale, where our car and property taxes have gone up, and there is persistent talk of closing neighborhood schools. And he is not looking out for the interests of those in Narragansett either, where the maximum 4.5% cap for raising property taxes was hit once again.

As a result of a June vote to dismantle the tax code, 30 individuals will benefit from this tax cut, while the rest of Rhode Island struggles. When we face unprecedented budget shortfalls and decide to “fix” the system that balances the budget, yet fail to bring in a single additional dollar, that is more than merely irresponsible, it is grossly negligent. Yet, to now peer through the smoke and mirrors and see a tax break, AGAIN, for the uber-rich is just more than our little state can bear. When we are told cuts to education and state funding for our towns must be made, we understood times were tough. Now to take that money and not plug the gaping hole in the budget, but actually siphon it off to the top 30 tax payers, is beyond reproach.

Once again, we have members of the General Assembly and the Governor to thank for putting our state on the path to financial ruin. We need to repeal this tax “reform” now, and put our state on secure financial footing. We also need to make sure we vote in September for people who have OUR priorities in mind, the other 999,970 Rhode Islanders who don’t make $10 million or more a year, but are actually struggling to keep our heads above the flood waters of a sinking state.

Read more about Teresa on her website.  RIFUTURE supports Teresa Tanzi for State Representative in District 34.

This Labor Day the Rhode Island Labor History Society will be unveiling a commemorative granite marker at the site of the 1934 Saylesville Massacre, where unarmed strikers were gunned downed by the Rhode Island National Guard.  The Governor  at the time, Ted Green, tried to cover himself by saying “this is not a textile strike, this is a communist insurrection.”  And the legend of the “Battle of the Gravestones” was born.

You can watch a really neat newsreel video of the actual battle by clicking THIS LINK.

I think this quotation from the Rhode Island Labor History Society flyer for the event is enough of an invitation:

In this hostile, anti-union environment we live in today, Labor Day can no longer ne the last beach visit, a final picnic before autumn, a last visit the barbecue grille.  We need to pay homage to the martyrs who died for our future and determine to honor their memories by rededicating ourselves to union ideals. 

You can RSVP on FACEBOOK.

Here is a poem for Labor Day (based upon the Irish Freedom Poem “Who Dares to Say Forget)

 Who dares to say forget the past to those of with Labor’s Spirit?

 Who dares to say cease fighting for our place upon this earth?

  Let remembrance be our watchword and our dead we‘ll never fail.

  Let their graves to us be as miles stones on that blood-soaked one way trail.

  Remember how The Maguire’s fought, Schuylkill mine beside,

  No man can say a coward fell when Tommy Munley died.

  Remember Kehoe and McGeehan and forget who ever will,

  The heroes hanged at Mauch Chuck and nearby Pottsville.

  How Parson’s gallant handful, under threat of heavy losses

  In Chicago gave their challenge to the forces of the Bosses.

  And then for a time ‘twas silent -- was Labors struggle dead?

  The answers in the negative thundered Eugene Victor Debs.

  And then when Capital thought she'd won-- that we at last were meek

  Roared forth the furious challenge of the sit down Strikes in Flint!

  Remember how our strikers fought the scum of hired scabs,

  fought off the cops with brick bats, the mob, and those bastard Pinkertons.

  And then by men we trusted, this cause of ours was sold,

  They sold our friends to enemies as Judas did of old

  Remember in Decatur how they tried to make us fall

  God, think of Staley, when our leaders didn’t heed our call.

PATCO, P9, NAFTA, Detroit News, to feed Bosses greed

  Their legislation tried to kill us, with Democrats at the lead.

  Hear we not the voice of Paul Robeson, the workers constant friend

  Our conquered soul asserts itself, and WE SHALL RISE AGAIN!

  For Freedom, yes and not to starve, and not for lower pay

  But for this country’s working class, we fight and die today.

  And what, says Bill Haywood, if the last man is on the ground

  If he is lying, weak and helpless, and his enemies ring him round.

  If he’s bloodied, beaten down, and spent his final shot,

  And they say, come scab for the company,

  he will answer, I WILL NOT!

  So fight, fight on, brothers and sisters

 La Lucha Continua is our battle cry today

  While our comrades stand beside us

  With the blood of martyrs set

  Wayside crosses to remind us.

  WHO DARES TO SAY FORGET! 

While Joe Hill’s tomb is uninscribed,
Until we our rights assert,

 Until the workers  takes their  place,

Among the leaders of the earth.

No matter which candidate wins the 1st Congressional District race, they should expect to be pelted with phone calls from a businessman in Central Falls whose entire business depends on government contracts.  And due to the nature of the contracts, the success or failure of this business depends on federal government contracts.  Without enough tax dollars, under the Laws of The Market, this business will fail.  

The businessman's name is Brian K. Murphy, the former interim commissioner at the CT Department of Corrections, who left public employment to work here at the Wyatt Detention Facility, in Central Falls.  At $115,000 per year, he may be one of the highest paid people in the small city.  He was surely hired to use his connections bring excess prisoners from Connecticut to Wyatt, as this business struggles to stay solvent.

Murphy's predecessors hounded Rep. Patrick Kennedy, appealing to him to save this business and send people to fill the cages on High Street.  Although Wyatt appears on its surface to be one of the most mis-managed and corrupt businesses around, particularly one that is tax-free, it was the death of Jason Ng which prompted the withdrawal of wholehearted federal support.  None of the RI delegation would scurry to the aid of this particular business, despite them having paid $10,000 per month in lobbying fees over the course of years.

What would any of the new guys do?

Two of them are easy answers, two less so.  

Anthony Gemma has (on at least two occasions) referred to imprisonment as a jobs program for prison guards, and determined Wyatt's corporation is an "underused prison."

David Segal has long held that prisons are something we should see as a last resort.  They represent the failures of our society to deal with social problems.  They are wildly expensive and our criminal justice policies should not be influenced by the profit motive.

William Lynch should be differentiated from his brother Patrick, the Attorney General who was clearly too close to this business and others.  Bill Lynch was Chairman of the Democratic Party when former Wyatt Board Chairman Daniel Cooney was appointed to be one of the 75 Democratic State Committee members.  Cooney was fired from Wyatt after public uproar regarding his comments that he would treat the prison like a Motel 6, and didn't care where his prisoners came from.  Lynch may or may not have close ties to the corporation.

Both Lynch and David Cicilline noted that Wyatt is not a high enough security to hold prisoners from Guantanamo.  Neither have outlined clear positions on corporations that cage people, but it is likely those corporations (bondholders and employees) have already attempted to influence the candidates' opinions.  Detailed campaign finance reports often reveal peculiar surprises.  At one point, Brown University was the largest shareholder in Wyatt's prison bonds.  A safe investment?

With spotlights such as the New York Times following the story of this corporation, which was a tax-free creation by government and private contractors under the guise of Job Creation, it will certainly be news if one of these four fights to ensure the bondholders of the Wyatt continue to prosper.

We are calling all progressives in RI to get together for an evening of great food, great conversation, and great fun.  We all work so hard on so many issues important to us all, but rarely do we ever celebrate together.  Now is the time to party!

Sunday, September 12th, 5-8pm
Edgewood Yacht Club, 3 Shaw Avenue in Cranston

Come out and enjoy a great evening with friends and other like-minded folks for an end of the summer potluck dinner in a beautiful location (bringing food is encouraged, but not necessary).  Find out how many others share your vision for the state and the country.  Working together we can have the political clout to be a driving force in the state, a force to be reckoned with and one that can make politicians responsive to our progressive agenda.

There will be a cash bar and some food will be provided, but people should bring food to share as well.  Suggested donation of $5 to defray the cost of renting the facility.

Mark your calendars and don’t miss this state-wide event! (Yes, that means you have to leave Newport, Little Compton, the East Bay, South County etc., but you are a progressive; you can do it!!)

To RSVP, click here, or on Facebook.

by Venus Sings

PROVIDENCE, RI - Ok, so it's been a couple seasons since my last update on RI Future, but that doesn't mean I don't care.  Ask my family in Washington, D.C. or my friend Lizzie in NYC - they'll tell you that if I cared once, I'll always care.  And yes, Venus Sings cares about RI Future.  So here's some catch-up, from one friend to another:

1) I've been DJ'ing out... A LOT!  It's been great!  I've been doing gigs - as Venus Sings and DJ Reza Wreckage - for event ceremonies and community celebrations; to open national acts and to close local ones; to share treasures unearthed in my travels as a DJ and to support different friends releasing and promoting albums.  A majority of it is probably happening under Isis Storm, a collective of women who are musical and visual artists, writers, educators, and activists. 

2) I've connected with a number of established and up-and-coming artists, some of whom I've played on mixtapes, some of whom I've played out at events and some of whom I've played on Venus Sings Radio (my show on WRIU, which is part of the weekly Voices of Women show).  Well, things are getting even better, because I, "Venus Sings," and "Isis Storm" are producing a new show on BSR, Brown Student and Community Radio, and this time, anything goes - music by men, interviews and community news, and, of course, the many voices of Isis Storm.  

3) For the fun of it, I created a series on VenusSings.com called Playlist Mania, where, while catching up with postings documenting May through August radio sets, I started adding biographical notes, videos, podcasts and other fun extras.  Consider that in July alone, I banked three days instead of one on WRIU due to fill-ins and the extra Saturday, and there's definitely something there if you're looking for new music and you want fresh and new, underground, throw-backs, and even goodies by the fellas thanks to my coverage one morning of One O'Clock Radio.     

First, let me say a couple of things. When I talk about business, I am talking about large corporations, and not about small businesses.  Corps and small business are not naturaly allies, even though corporations and their running dogs the Chamber of Commerce lie and say they are allies.

Corporations view small business as a potential rival, and so, as the enemy. They have to be squelched along with regulations.

Don't believe me? Why are the Repubs stalling the very modest small business bill that has been languishing in Congress for the past month or so? 

Answer: because the Repubs' corporate masters have told them to squelch the bill, and Boehner & McConnell have jumped to do their bidding.

Small business owners: at the national level, the Republicans are not your friends.

Second, much as I would love to, I cannot get involved in ongoing discussions. My blood pressure and mental health won't allow it. So, if people disagree, I can't hang out and debate. Sorry.

The latest installment:

I have provided data to show that state tax rates do not have an impact on where high-end earners (HEEs) decide to live. Here's more.

If you look at the 7 states that had the biggest increase in percent of people making over $200k per year, 5 of the top 7 are states in the top quintile for tax burden.

Only two states in the bottom quintile cracked the top 10 for increase in percent of population making over $200k per year. These were Tex & Alaska, clocking in at #9 & #10 respectively.

Now a bit about NH and Alaska, two states that do not have a state income tax. We hear a lot here about the state gov't. Believe it or not, NH has just about the same percentage of its population working for the gov't than RI does. So much for 'starve the beast.'

And, btw, NH is projecting a $300 M deficit for 2011.

As for Alaska: of all 50 states, AK has the largest percentage of gov't workers than any other state. It has the highest percentage of gov't workers, public administrators, and a much smaller percentage of people working in private industry than RI.

How do they manage? Because places like NJ and NY and CA pay for their state gov't. Alaska has a storied history of sucking up federal tax dollars. They get back $2 for every $1 sent to the Fed. Not bad. (RI breaks dead even by the latest Tax Foundation stats.)) The famous "bridge to nowhere" was only the latest in a very, very long line of boodoggles sent north. The late Ted Stevens was a hero in Alaska for his ability to bring back fed tax dollars to the state.  

Plus, Alaska gets a lot of  from oil revenue. This money is then used in lieu of taxes. IOW, they have a socialist gov't that owns the means of production and then distributes the funds to the public.

So the next time Sarah Palin blathers on about rugged individualism, call her a liar. As gov, she sucked tax money from the rest of the country to finance her little empire up there, while running a socialist gov't.

Everybody and there mother pictured Obama the other night, in a flight suit, on an aircraft carrier, telling us the “Combat Mission in Iraq is over.”  Eyes everywhere begin rolling when we learn that the violence will not end and that 50,000 troops remain in Iraq.  In reality, the kids cleaned up their room- but obviously they will continue to play, and of course it will get messy again.

What can the people of Rhode Island do about killing and dying half a world away?  For starters, we can vote.  We can also educate ourselves with alternative media that is not beholden to corporate advertising.

In a recent televised debate, poetically airing simultaneously to Obama, David Segal was accused as “someone who supports peace.”  The moderator actually used that word:  “accused.”  Segal, naturally, owned the claim- Yes, he is for peace.  He has been clear that his version of “supporting the troops” is their safe return home, and vital services for the soldiers and veterans who are here in America.

Let us take a look at the revised Occupations as supported by Congressman James Langevin, candidates Lynch, Gemma, and Cicilline.  They are all very status quo.  They all support counterinsurgency tactics from the 50,000 troops in Iraq, 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, and 50,000 mercenaries in the region.  The troops Obama recently brought home were merely replaced by a  surge in mercenary hiring, at a cost of 3x more, with no accountability.

Mercenaries?  Yes, known as “contractors” in the official jargon, they are former Navy SEALS, and other special ops from around the world, including death squads from Honduras and Chile.  Some of which received their training in counter-terrorism (meaning terrorism against those accused of terrorizing the government)from the infamous School of the Americas.  This is what is known as “a smaller strategic footprint.”  

Transferring the funding to another part of the Pentagon (story in video above), from our troops to Blackwater XE and “black ops” projects, is not ending or shrinking the occupations in any way.  It is merely “privatizing it.”  XE is also the same company that recently paid $42 million in fines (for illegal weapons sales, and more), has had employees convicted of murder, and their founder moved to Abu Dhabi for fears of being arrested in America.  Yet we still employ them by the $millions$.

Rep. Jim Langevin (District 2) is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and never voted against a single spending bill, never opposed a single project for the mercenaries, and never jumped in when the Defense Department clearly is the largest black hole of stolen money in global history.  Government “waste” is not a proper term.  If you throw money in the fire, this is waste; when you get duped out of it, this is fraud.  The list of billions being bilked by the War Profiteers has become endless, with an amazing amount of it public.  $9 billion is “officially” known to be missing.

“Supporting our Troops” is the corporate euphemism for supporting the construction companies and their subsidiaries.  It is code for paying off local leaders who control areas in the way that Pablo Escobar controlled Colombia.  The unspoken fact is that Afghanistan is ground zero for opium/heroin production in global history, and through it the British fought the Opium War with China (to force their opium exports on an unwilling trade partner), and the Russian Mafia became the primary power on heroin trade during their occupation of Afghanistan.  It is hardly a coincidence that opium production has spiked since the American occupation and, historically, we can expect the opium/heroin trade to soon be dominated by American merchants.

With Veterans Day fast approaching, I am reminded of a report last year which cited grim statistics showing our Middle East vets have already exceeded the Vietnam vets on things such as poverty, substance abuse, incarceration, mental illness, and suicide.  Supporting our troops does not stop at giving them bullets and meals while deployed.  We cannot bring them home and dispose of them, which is the sad reality that our Armed Services Committee is allowing to happen.  Where is Rep. Langevin?  Vacant.  Such abandonment of the troops needs to be tossed out of office, and Betsy Dennigan should win the Democratic Primary.

The Vietnam Wall house 209 Rhode Islanders listed.  Twelve of our residents died in Iraq, from Holly Charette, a 21 year old Lance Corporal who died from a suicide car bomb, to  Christopher Potts, a 38  year old Sergeant killed by an IED.  What goes unnoticed are the 467 “contractors” who also died, many of whom are “NAME NOT RELEASED.”  There have been two deaths so far in Afghanistan, including the widely reported death of former Tolman footabll captain Kyle Coutu.  The Congressional debate moderator  asked the tough question:  “Did those soldiers die in vain?”  Who dares answer directly?  Our troops are valuable people, not canon fodder- and it will be for vanity that people continue to die because our leaders don’t have the courage to admit a mistake.

In the First Congressional District, critics worry that “peace” could damage our war economy.  It makes sense that reducing a war budget means someone is not getting paid, but it is rarely noted that this industry is more about corporations and shareholders than about rank and file workers.  David Segal has stated that the technology and creative people creating our war machine can be incentivized to transform themselves into other applications, such as sustainable energy solutions.  Sending Segal and Dennigan to Washington, D.C. is one clear message Rhode Islanders can send to the nation about the wars, a.k.a Occupations, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By Kimberley Donoghue 
PBN Web Editor

JOHNSTON - Recycling is rewarding, and not just for the environment; 36 Rhode Island towns and cities divided up $681,014 in profits from the sale of household recyclables, said the R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation on Wednesday.

The profit-sharing checks averaged $18,917, with the shares based on the amount each municipality brought in recycled tonnage to the Materials Recycling Facility in Johnston during the 2010 fiscal year.

“In a difficult year, when the markets were so unpredictable, we are proud to announce that we turned a profit at the recycling facility and now share that benefit with the municipalities who serve as our partners,” said Michael O’Connell, executive director of the quasi-state RIRRC.

North Kingstown and Charlestown performed the best, both with a 33 percent recycling rate (the amount of recycled waste as a percentage of all the waste each municipality brought in), which translated into $27,340 and $3,176 in the profit-share, respectively.

The RIRRC highlighted Portsmouth’s improvement during the year, reaching 30 percent in FY 2010 from 13 percent in 2009. Providence also received praise for the “no bin, no barrel” efforts, called Green Up Providence. The city jumped to 13 percent from 10 percent in just six months, earning $75,212.

“Nearly two-thirds of Providence household are multi-family, and they have the added burden of needing to constantly re-educate residents due to the ever-changing population and demographics”, said O’Connell, pointing to the positive effect of education materials in Spanish, community groups and ensuring that all households had access to recycling bins and collections.

The municipalities that took home the biggest checks were Warwick, with $78,033, and Cranston, which ranked third after Providence with $59,492.

RIRRC manages almost all of the state’s municipal and commercial solid waste; the facility processes more than 92,000 tons of recyclables, and the Central Landfill disposes of 750,000 tons of solid waste annually.

Since being Mayor is mostly about fixing potholes, keeping the buses running and ensuring that the streets get sweeped and plowed, we here at RIFUTURE wanted to see where the various candidates stood on the issue of City Services.

While Angel Taveras has a detailed plan on improving city services and John Lombardi kinda, sorta talks about city services, Steven Costantino has NOTHING on his website about City Services except two words: "coming soon."

With election day only 10 days away, how much longer will we have to wait?  Is the problem that Costantino will do to city services what he did to state services and slash them?  Is that why there's no "plan" on his website?  Maybe, maybe not.  One thing I am certain of is that after the Costantino people see this post, something will be up on their site soon!

PolitFact Rhode Island examined John Lombardi's claim from last Tuesday night's WPRI Channel 12 debate that  "80 to 85 percent of my campaign funds go to donations to various organizations throughout the City of Providence."

Result?

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Since Lombardi didn’t specify a time frame for the 80-percent donation rate, we elected to start by looking at his 2010 second-quarter campaign finance report.
 
Lombardi said he gave to "various organizations," rather than "nonprofits," so we gave him a little latitude on whom we counted.
For example, we included his donations to the 15th Ward Democratic Association as well as checks written to fundraisers and schools.
The only exception was when such a donation specified "advertising," as was the case with money he gave to the Rhode Island Catholic Diocese and several other organizations.
 
(It is worth noting that giving away money -- including campaign contributions -- is a standard practice for candidates to reward supporters and attract votes.)
The most cash Lombardi had on hand during the second quarter was $121,393; he gave about $5,400 of that to local organizations. That's about 4.4 percent of the total, nowhere near the 80 percent to 85 percent he suggested.
 
When we asked Lombardi about his second-quarter filings, he said the 80-percent figure was never meant to apply to that period because he is spending so much of his campaign funds on his run for mayor. "But if you go back last year or so before, you’ll find that," he told us. "…Other than this year, that’s a matter of course for me."
We understand that rationale. It makes sense that he’s not giving away much of his money during a heated primary, which is why we took him up on this suggestion as well and checked all his filings from 2009.
That was before he was ramping up his mayoral campaign, but after his last City Council race was over. So it seemed like a reasonable time for him to have given more to charity.
He didn't.
In the first quarter he gave about 4.2 percent of his funds to local organizations. That number jumped to 7.4 percent in the second quarter, before dropping to 3.5 percent in the third quarter and 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter. That's a yearly average of 4.35 percent. It doesn't even break double digits.
In a follow-up conversation, Lombardi's campaign treasurer said the candidate meant to phrase the claim as 80 percent to 85 percent of his total spending, not his total cash. In the interest of fairness, we ran those numbers too. In 2009, just under 20 percent of his spending, on average, went to local organizations. Again, the numbers never came close to 80 percent.
Lombardi himself offered another defense, insisting that many of his paid ads ran in church bulletins and should therefore be counted as charitable donations. But regardless of where they appeared, those announcements were still paid advertisements promoting Lombardi. When he filed his campaign reports he listed them as just that.
It's clear that Lombardi gives donations to local organizations. But his statement at the debate that he donates 80 percent to 85 percent is simply wrong.
Lombardi may have been joking, as he maintains, or perhaps he just made an unfortunate exaggeration that in a less politically charged time may have gone unnoticed.
Speaking on camera during the debate, he didn't say he was speaking in jest, nor did he crack a smile or do anything else to suggest he wasn’t serious.
What he did was lead voters to believe he deserved credit for a level of charity that was, at best, greatly exaggerated.
Pants on Fire.

When Jay O’Grady was the President of the Lincoln Town Council, he did some amazing things: he fought to make sure the people of Lincoln had a chance to vote (on a Saturday, a first for Rhode Island) before Twin River would expand to 24 hours on weekends, he helped the janitors of SEIU Local 615 fight back against an employer that was trying to pay them sub-minimum wages, helped the workers at Twin River during an organizing drive, and all this while he was going to graduate school to finish his Master’s Degree in Public Administration for URI, working for the non-profit Olneyville Housing Corporation in Providence, and starting a family.

O’Grady has a firm understanding of how taxes are supposed to work.  He told the Valley Breeze newspaper in a recent interview:

 Why are you running?

"The reason I've gotten involved was based largely on the decision of the General Assembly at the end of the session this year to virtually eliminate all municipal aid, which caused towns like Lincoln to have to scramble and essentially raise their car taxes pretty dramatically," said O'Grady.

This displays the willingness of the General Assembly to put the state's financial woes onto the municipalities, said O'Grady.

"Mary Ann Shallcross-Smith is a member of the House Finance Committee, she was an author of that budget and I think these actions deserve to be challenged," said O'Grady.

How would you have voted on the recent state budget?

Against, said O'Grady, because it contained taxation that is "blind" to income.

"I believe that taxes should be based on one's ability to pay," said O'Grady. "Car taxes are due whether you've had your hours cut at work or you've been laid off or you're on a fixed income."

If you would have voted against lowering the car tax exemption refund, what would you have done differently?

"We need to do a better job spending taxpayer money," said O'Grady. "Like the $40 million a year the state awards in business tax incentives to produce jobs that may not be effective."

He said he also believes Rhode Island relies too heavily on debt to fund its operations. For instance, he said, the state will pay for highway repairs by issuing general obligation bonds.

"So what we end up doing is paying on debt that was used to pay for roads that have long since fallen into disrepair," said O'Grady.

RIFUTURE supports Jeremiah “Jay” O’Grady for State Representative in District 46: Lincoln/Pawtucket.

Head versus heart.  That’s what the battle for the corner office at City Hall has come down to. 

On one hand, it’s Steven Costantino, the House Finance Chair who claims he helped turn a $200 million deficit into a $17 million surplus while lowering income taxes, reforming pensions and passing the education funding formula.  On the other, it’s Angel Taveras, the former housing court judge with the better story and the bigger vision for the city of Providence. 

At the ABC6 debate last night, the two acted like the favorites in the race, trading barbs and taking it on the chin from Chris Young.  It was at least the ninth time these candidates have gotten together to talk about the city’s most pressing issues and at this point, it all goes like clockwork.  The candidates deliver opening statements… Chris Young questions their faith… Costantino and Taveras take swipes at one another… John Lombardi pounds the podium and threatens to fire people.  In the end, everyone leaves unsatisfied and desperate for a stiff drink.

But unless you’re talking to the Lombardi camp, the consensus seems to be that Costantino and Taveras are neck and neck as we head down the stretch.  There also seems to be a relatively large number of undecided voters out there who are probably asking the exact same question I’m asking myself.  Do I vote with my head and choose Costantino because he’s more likely to get the city’s finances in order or do I vote with my heart, knowing that Taveras is the one best equip to put Providence back on the national radar?  I know. I know.  Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!

Either way, it will be interesting to see each candidate’s strategy leading up to the September 14 primary.  We’re less than two weeks out, so I’d say it’s a safe bet that we’ll be seeing plenty of Taveras and Costantino on our televisions during Jeopardy and surely a few more mailings and e-mail attacks from each camp.

As one person at last night’s debate indicated, “anything goes when it’s this close.”

Notes

-- The wild card in this race is not Chris Young.  It’s Lombardi.  Lombardi could drop out today and still get his 20 percent of the vote.  But it seems to me that he missed a golden opportunity to establish himself as the anti-Cicilline candidate, something that would have separated him from his opponents.  If I were running that campaign, I would have told Lombardi to highlight the fact that he’ll be getting rid of Chief Esserman and criticize Taveras for being too close to the current Mayor.  Instead, he let Young play that card and because Young is a lunatic, no one cared.

-- I’m not sure I agree with the folks who believe the turnout will be low this election.  Depending on who you talk to, the likely turnout seems to be anywhere from 23,000-27,000 voters.  I have a feeling it will be closer to 30,000 so long as we get a nice day on the 14th.

-- The team at ABC6 did the best it could to cope with the Chris Young factor, but at times they lost control of the debate.  Young’s incessant (and often pointless) yelling prevented any in-depth discussion on a variety of important issues, namely education, pension reform and city services.

Grades

Steven Costantino: B
Steven Costantino has been very consistent when it comes to defending his record as House Finance Chair and he’s correct to criticize Angel for never voicing an opinion or coming to the State House in the past.  But what I want to know from him isn’t so much about the programs he’ll cut to get the city’s finances in order; it’s the programs he wants to keep.  What is it that you like about the city, Mr. Chairman?

At the debate, Costantino differed from his opponents when it came to the Curt Schilling deal.  He said that while he didn’t support any additional tax benefits going to Schilling’s 38 Studios, anyone that can create 450 well-paying jobs should be welcomed to the city.  In regards to job creation, he said that he doesn’t believe mayors create jobs, he believes businesses create jobs and the best way to bring companies to the city is to clean up the fiscal mess and streamline the regulatory process.

Costantino reiterated his thoughts that it was irresponsible to say that he would fire Chief Esserman without knowing all the facts.  On immigration reform, he said we need consistency across the country and it should come from the federal level.  He thinks diversity is one of the city’s strengths and said that he supports a pathway to citizenship.  He also said he supports making crime against the homeless a hate crime.

It’s also worth noting that Costantino was a little more aggressive last night than he has been in the past.  He went right back at Taveras, saying it was a shame when people try to make experience in public service a negative thing.  At the end of the debate, he appealed to the voters in Providence, asking “would you choose a surgeon who has never done surgery?” 

John Lombardi: C+

In his ideal world, a John Lombardi commercial would say “I’m John Lombardi and I’ve got the balls to fire anyone.”  That seems to be his answer for cleaning up the city’s budget woes.  But again, just like Costantino, I wish he would explain the positions or programs a Lombardi administration wouldn’t automatically terminate.

Lombardi defended his long record on the City Council by saying that he has voted against budgets and union contracts when they were bad for the city.  As an example, he said that in 1993 the Council sent back Mayor Cianci’s budget because it would have raised taxes.  When asked about the Curt Schilling deal, he called the state star struck and said he wouldn’t support any additional tax incentives for the company.  It’s interesting that he doesn’t support Schilling’s deal, but is on the record as saying he would consider a casino because you have to sit down with anyone willing to offer that many jobs.

Lombardi’s plan for growing business in the city revolves around an “infusion in capital” for small companies.  He said that instead of giving all that money to Schilling, the EDC would have been better off spreading the money to the smaller businesses already in the state.  On immigration reform, Lombardi said he supports the Dream Act and a pathway to citizenship. 

He also stayed consistent with his plans to fire Esserman, who he referred to as a divisive leader who is not respected by the rank-and-file officers.  Lombardi also said he agreed that crimes against the homeless should be considered a hate crime.

Angel Taveras:  B
Angel Taveras came out just as aggressive as he’s been the past few debates, criticizing his opponents’ long records as elected officials.  He was particularly tough on Costantino, suggesting that he lost sight of the fact that he was supposed to be representing the people who elected him to office first, but instead he cut their education funds.

Like Lombardi, Taveras is against the Schilling deal, saying that the $75 million could have gone to a lot of small companies.  He also said he has a plan that will focus on retaining existing businesses, recruting new businesses and reforming the permitting process so companies have less regulatory issues.  He said the city needs to help the 7.000 businesses it already has and make more loans available. 

Taveras continued to say that his plan is to evaluate all department heads before making a decision on whether or not to replace them, which includes Chief Esserman.  There is speculation now that Esserman may wind up the Public Safety Commissioner in a Taveras administration.  He did praise Esserman for refusing to follow Governor Carcieri’s executive order.  He also said that he supports the Dream Act and thinks crimes perpetrated on the homeless should be considered hate crimes.

Dan McGowan can be reached at DanMcGowan21@gmail.com

Segal said, "Our robust fundraising is evidence of the strength of our message.  Each day, more and more Rhode Islanders are joining our cause: The corporations and extraordinarily wealthy have all the power and influence they need.  Rhode Islanders want a Congressperson who will be a voice for everybody else."

Segal continued, "Throughout my eight years in office I’ve stood up to powerful, moneyed interests. I’m proud to have so many donors and contributors - they are a testament to the campaign we are running, and that I will remain accountable to the people, not to the powerful." 

Segal noted his strong support for several measures that would make it easier for ordinary people to run for office, including the Fair Elections Now Act, his co-sponsorship as State Representative of legislation to create publicly-financed elections, his vocal opposition to the Supreme Court’s recent Citizens United decision -- and that unlike David Cicilline, Segal has signed MoveOn's pledge in support of those causes.  (At this week's candidates' debate, Cicilline falsely claimed to have signed on to that pledge.)