Dan McKee – RI Future

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016

RI Progressive Dems urge Clinton to withdraw Raimondo appointment

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The Executive Board of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats wishes to express extreme displeasure that Hillary Clinton would name Governor Gina Raimondo as a co-chair of the Democratic convention. While this role is purely ceremonial, it indicates that some of Clinton’s advisors may consider Raimondo an acceptable figure within the national Democratic party, a sentiment that would be deeply chilling. Raimondo’s politics represent a brand of conservatism well to the right of basically anyone of prominence in the national Democratic party. Deeply unpopular in Rhode Island, Raimondo is known for her aggressive push to restrict women’s access to abortion coverage through plans sold on Rhode Island’s exchange. She is also one of the most aggressive proponents of pension cuts, which Democrats just voted to oppose in our party platform. She has been a feisty advocate of expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, and she even opposes repealing Rhode Island’s tax cuts for the rich. A former private equity executive, Raimondo epitomizes an extreme type of Wall Street politician. After the withdrawal of banker Antonio Weiss, the national party has had an informal rule against Wall Street appointees for top posts. Raimondo appears to violate that rule.

We ask that the Hillary Clinton campaign withdraw this appointment. We believe it is crucial for the Hillary campaign to send a signal that they will not be considering Raimondo for any posts in a Hillary administration, an event that would place the even more right wing Dan McKee in power. McKee is such a far right Democrat that we took the completely unprecedented step of urging voters to support his Republican opponent Catherine Taylor, and the AFL-CIO went further and openly endorsed Taylor.

Moreover, we urge Hillary to make it clear that she, the national Democratic party, and the DSCC will oppose Raimondo in the primary should she attempt to take a US Senate seat in the future. Raimondo is so unpopular in Rhode Islanders that she could easily lose to a Republican. In fact, she only won by four points against a weak GOP opponent in a state that Obama won by 27 points. A Raimondo nomination is the GOP’s only path to a US Senate seat from Rhode Island, and it is of utmost importance that the national party prevent such a debacle. The national party has often intervened in primaries to stop weak nominees from jeopardizing a Democratic US Senate seat, most recently in Pennsylvania. We urge Hillary Clinton to make clear she will do the same in Rhode Island to prevent a Raimondo nomination and a GOP victory, should Raimondo attempt to take a US Senate seat.

February 10, 2016February 10, 2016

Fast tracking RhodeWorks: Passing unpopular legislation in an election year

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Ahead of yesterday’s finance committee votes in both houses of the General Assembly approving RhodeWorks, the truck toll plan, a press conference was held at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) featuring some of Rhode Island’s most powerful political, business and labor leaders. They were there to present a unified message in support of the tolls, despite vocal opposition.

One prominent Rhode Island business owner, whose business has “been a member of the Chamber for almost as long as there’s been a Chamber” told me that contrary to GPCC President Laurie White‘s claims that this issue has been discussed with membership, he was never consulted about the plan, despite his business’s dependence on trucks for shipping. In fact, he said, “I didn’t even hear about this meeting until I heard about it on the radio this morning!”

As I said before, RhodeWorks is inevitable. The legislation has been fast tracked not because there is a sudden, urgent need to fix our roads and bridges; the need for this repair is decades old. The legislation is being fast tracked because the necessary arrangements between the various parties involved have been carefully worked out, but in an election year, meaning that the sooner elected officials put this issue in their rear view mirror the better. Several legislators are going to be challenged for their seats because of their votes on this.

Not that Republican challengers are offering anything better. As Sam Bell pointed out yesterday, the Republican plan seems to be privatization, which means private businesses will take over our roads and bridges and charge whatever tolls they want to for profit, or their plan is cutting the budget, denying important social services to families in need. (Not to worry, though: Senate President Paiva-Weed promises that she and Speaker Mattiello will continue to cut the budget, cut taxes and cut services. More on this in a future article.)

The cost of RhodeWorks will be passed onto consumers. Ocean State Job Lot raised a stink over the weekend when they put their expansion plans on hold, threatening as yet unrealized jobs, but after this all pans out, Job Lot will not lose out on any profits: They will simply raise the price of their goods. This means that we are not imposing a user fee on businesses as much as we are coming up with yet another regressive tax that will affect the poor and middle class more than the rich, which is just the way our political leaders like it.

The General Assembly is expected to pass RhodeWorks today, and Governor Raimondo will sign the legislation asap. In the meantime, you can watch the full press conference below.

Laurie White, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) President

RI Governor Gina Raimondo

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza

Peter Andruszkiewicz, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island CEO and President

Scott Wolf, Grow Smart Rhode Island Executive Director

Lloyd Albert, AAA of Southern New England Senior Vice President

Michael F. Sabitoni, Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council President

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello

Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed

Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt,
Central Falls Mayor James Diossa and
Lt. Governor Dan McKee were in attendance but did not speak.

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015

RI Historical Society now a Smithsonian affiliate

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The Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) formally announced its new status as a Smithsonian Affiliate last night in an event attended by US Representatives David Cicilline and James Langevin, Lt. Governor Dan McKee and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. The new status makes the RIHS, the fourth oldest historical society in the United States, one of 204 Smithsonian Affiliates nationwide, and the only affiliate in the state. The event was hosted by RIHS executive director C. Morgan Grefe and took place at the John Brown House on the East Side of Providence.

Harold Closter, Smithsonian Affiliations Director, spoke briefly about the beginnings of the affiliation program. In 1996 Providence was the first stop of the 150th Smithsonian Anniversary tour, a tour that ultimately convinced the Smithsonian that a more sustainable way of interacting with local Historical Societies was needed. In essence, with the addition of the RIHS, the program has come “full circle,” said Closter.

Closter also mentioned Rhode Island’s importance in the history of the United States as being integral to the development of religious freedom and the first state to declare independence from British rule.

According to the RIHS press release, “There are Smithsonian Affiliates in 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama. Affiliates represent the diversity of America’s museum community – size, location and subject – and serve all audiences. More than 8,000 Smithsonian artifacts have been displayed at affiliate locations. These loans reflect the entire Smithsonian collection: space capsules and aircraft from the National Air and Space Museum, Abraham Lincoln’s hat and Kermit the Frog from the National Museum of American History, sculptures and paintings from the Smithsonian art museums and ethnographic and mineral collections from the National Museum of Natural History, to name a few.

“While the Affiliation designation is new, the RIHS has lent artifacts to the Smithsonian before, and is working on plans to do so again. Artifacts from the DeWolfs, the leading slave-trading family in U.S. history, will be lent to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for their inaugural exhibition ‘Slavery and Freedom.’ The National Museum of American History is also considering the collections of RIHS for its exhibitions “Religion in Early America” and ‘Many Voices, One Nation,’ and may include the loan of Roger Williams‘ pocket compass-sundial.”

This should make for some very exciting future exhibits.

Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea told a funny story about being in Philadelphia and noticing an exhibit with a timeline that mentioned the Boston Tea Party but neglected the Burning of the Gaspee as one of the founding acts of resistance against British rule. “That already set me on edge,” said Gorbea, “but what really put me over the edge was they actually have New Hampshire as the first state to declare independence.”

Gorbea announced herself as the Secretary of State in Rhode Island and said, “We have a problem with your board here…

You can watch the full event below.

October 4, 2014October 4, 2014

Who should be the next lt gov?

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There are no fewer than four candidates from four political parties running fot lt. governor: Democrat Dan McKee, Republican Catherine Taylor, Moderate William Gilbert and unaffiliated Libertarian Tony Jones. There is no liberal in this race.

On NBC 10 News Conference with Bill Rappleye, the four debated, among other things, whether charter schools or vouchers are a better way to fix education. Two of the candidates want to eliminate the office altogether. And none mentioned anything that would make the progressive left pleased.

Watch their debate here.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

McKee is the best known, but it’s mayoral academies he’s known for. Mayoral academies are a kind of charter school created by local executive branches (mayors or town administrators). This could win him some conservative support, but it also will cost him a good deal of votes from the liberal left. Taylor, on the other hand, worked in Linc Chafee’s administration. This may endear her to some progressives, but probably not to her party base.

My read: there’s no good option for liberals in this race and Taylor has the clearest path to victory. And if Taylor wins and Democrat Gina Raimondo becomes the next governor, it would be pretty great if Rhode Island has two females from different political parties in the state’s two highest offices.

Justin Katz and I discuss here:

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

May 8, 2012May 8, 2012

RI Progress Report: Property Taxes, Jason Pleau, URI Contracts, Gemma, the Mob and Occupy Providence

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Here’s a list of the 19 cities and towns that are considering raising taxes in next year’s budget, according to a great article by Dan McGowan, of GoLocal: Bristol, Charlestown, Cumberland, East Greenwich, Hopkinton, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Narragansett, New Shoreham, Newport, North Kingstown, North Smithfield, Portsmouth, Richmond, Smithfield, Tiverton, Westerly and Woonsocket.

He quotes conservative mayor Dan McKee of Cumberland as putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of former Gov. Don Carcieri: “The former Governor claimed he needed to cut funding to teach cities and towns a lesson,” McKee told McGowan. “His assumptions were not grounded in fact.”

At least if URI professors would have gotten their raises, tuition hikes would pay for something. With salaries now effectively frozen, tuition increases will pay only for the state to not fund state schools. It’s all part of a growing trend to make the University of Rhode Island into the University in Rhode Island.

Almost three months to the day, the Catholic church is closing a day shelter that Occupy Providence won in negotiations with the city in exchange for ending its encampment in Burnside Park. Occupy Providence agreed to leave the park if the city ran a day shelter for the homeless for at least three months.

The question now is whether Gov. Chafee will appeal the Jason Pleau decision to the US Supreme Court. He has 90 days to decide. In the meantime, “it is wrong for the federal government to impose on our state a policy that Rhode Island eliminated more than a century and a half ago,” said Steve Brown of the RI ACLU. “The ACLU and other groups opposed to the death penalty will continue to urge that the federal government drop any plans to proceed with a death penalty case against Pleau, who has already agreed to serve a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.”

Ted Nesi reports that Anthony Gemma will soon be holding a press conference to introduce new staffers … still no word on whether or not Gemma knows what a press conference is or how one is supposed to work.

Don’t tell the local media this, or our shared cultural understanding of this state, but the mafia in Rhode Island is no longer all that influential.

Meanwhile corporate America made a record $824 billion last year as pretty much the rest of the country floundered further into debt.

Congrats to Susan Lusi, the interim superintendent who was just named the permanent head of the Providence school system.

April 26, 2010January 12, 2012

Will Anthony Gemma run for Congress?

Update: I just spoke to Anthony Gemma, and he confirmed with me that he is “considering a run for Congress”. Currently, he is doing his due diligence, speaking with his family and considering whether or not a run is the right thing to do.

Gemma has never ran for public office before and has always thought that “he could do more by being on the outside,” never really considering getting directly involved in the political process as a candidate before now. Could his political inexperience be the ultimate rallying cry of an “outsider” candidacy in a political environment in which incumbency and political experience may very well be poisonous?

There will be much more to come.

Original Post: I’ve been hearing from a couple different sources that Anthony Gemma, president of Gem Plumbing & Heating, may be considering a run for Congressional District 1 as a Democrat. If true, he will be running against Bill Lynch, David Cicilline, and possibly (likely?) David Segal in September’s primary.

It’s also likely that Gemma will be the more conservative of the Democrats running. The recent news that Cumberland Mayor, Dan McKee will be seeking reelection rather than entering the CD1 race leaves open a space for a conservative Democrat to make a competitive run. If we know anything about Rhode Islanders, it’s that they love their conservative Democrats.

Anthony Gemma is also president of a new media and advertising company called Mediapeel, as well as Co-Founder of the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, established in 2004 in memory of his mother in order to “raise breast cancer awareness, increase breast health education, and generate funding for critical breast health programs that are in desperate need of being brought to fruition.”

I had a brief conversation with Anthony Gemma several weeks ago, before I heard this rumor. We talked politics, because what else is there? He was friendly, outgoing, and ultimately concerned with making it easier for businesses to open and operate in the state. This could translate easily for a main campaign theme.

I put a call out to Anthony for confirmation, and will update this post if or when he returns my call.