Much ado has been made about the fact that General Treasurer Gina Raimondo spends a lot of time traveling out of state raising money, gives curious speeches while accepting awards from conservative groups, accepts contributions from SEC violators and maintains friendships with Enron traders.
But I have not read much about the fact that she seems to be using taxpayer dollars to campaign for higher office.
I did notice, though, that Providence Journal investigative reporter Kathy Gregg did sniff out one clear example of this.
Gregg pointed out that Raimondo’s recent “Telephone Town Hall” cost the Taxpayers $1,800 for 8 people to make calls to the Treasurer over a span of 45 minutes. That is $225 per call of the public’s money. Can’t you find a lawyer for cheaper than that??
Gregg also investigated the consultant that Raimondo used with this $1,800 in Taxpayer dollars – Stone Phones – which turns out to be a company of “political strategists” according to their website.
This leads to an interesting question. Which 10,000 people did Stone Phones call? Did they call the voter list? And, if they did, does that violate campaign finance or ethics laws?
And why is she using Taxpayer dollars to pay a political consultant anyway?
If Raimondo really wants to use your tax dollars to campaign, her time would be better spent supporting Public Financing for RI Elections.
]]>]]>It’s a down-ballot race more than three years away, but politicians are already angling to succeed Ralph Mollis as Rhode Island’s secretary of state when the term-limited incumbent completes his tenure in 2014.
At least three Democrats – Providence City Councilman Terrence Hassett and two state senators, Jamie Doyle of Pawtucket and Juan Pichardo of Providence – are seriously considering a run for the office, WPRI.com confirmed this week.
“I’m not going to say that I am running, and I’m not going to say that I’m not running,” said Doyle, 39, who leads a medical business and is the son of the six-term Pawtucket mayor. “My biggest concern is 2012, which is my Senate election. … That’s the first hurdle.”
Pichardo, 44, a self-employed consultant, also acknowledged eyeing Mollis’ job. ”I’m definitely interested,” he said. “Absolutely.”
Hassett, who survived a near-fatal car accident last fall, has already made clear he is likely to run for secretary of state. The councilman considered a bid for the office in 2006, the year Mollis won, and is “as serious as a heart attack” about it this time, a person close to him told WPRI.com.
Hassett, 51, starts out with a sizable financial advantage over Doyle and Pichardo. The councilman’s campaign war chest totaled $33,942 on June 30, while Doyle had $7,088. Pichardo had $3,105 on March 31, the last time he filed a report.
A fourth Democrat whom insiders think may consider entering the race – state Rep. Deborah Ruggiero of Jamestown – demurred but did not rule it out. “It is a long, long way away, and there’s an awful lot of ground to cover in between,” she said. “I’m certainly flattered that my name is being bandied about by people.” Ruggiero had $12,504 on June 30.