Doreen Costa – RI Future

April 18, 2016May 14, 2016

Julie Casimiro will again challenge Doreen Costa for NK House seat

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Democrat Julie Casimiro is again challenging Republican Rep. Doreen Costa for the District 31 House seat in North Kingstown, RI Future has learned.

Casimiro lost to Costa in 2014 53.1 percent to 46.8 percent.

“Running again was not part of my plan as my family commitments have been exhausting, but the groundswell of support for me to do so has been absolutely overwhelming, from within the district and throughout the state,” she said in a news release. “It’s hard to say no during a presidential election year!”

Casimiro added, ““I am running on a platform of respectable values and a desire to serve my constituents for what’s important to them – creating jobs, improving the economy,” she said in the press release. We need to do things differently in order to move Rhode Island forward…the status quo is not going to cut it!”

In 2014, Casimiro took 2242 votes and Costa won 2547 – a difference of 352 votes.

While Costa, a very conservative tea party Republican is close with Democratic Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello, Casimiro’s press release says she has the endorsement of the Democratic Party. The speaker of the House has great influence with the Democratic Party in Rhode Island.

In 2014, as was reported by RI Future, Casimiro won the endorsement of the Republican Town Council President Liz Dolan, who said at the time, “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate.” But the North Kingstown Fire Fighters union endorsed Costa, saying, “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

According to her press release: “Casimiro has experience in both the private and non-profit sectors. She has been married to her husband, Richard, for 32 years. She has held several leadership positions on various boards and committees and earned a BS in Marketing from Providence College. She is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island’s class of 2008 and newly appointed 2nd Vice Chair of the North Kingstown Democratic Town Committee.”

Costa was a guiding force behind the Exeter recall election and mocking then-Governor Linc Chafee for using the term holiday tree instead of Christmas tree. In 2014, she told RI Future she was less conservative than people think. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

Update: I reached out on Twitter to North Kingstown fire fighters to find out of they would again endorse Costa. In a direct message, that they said I could publish: “@NK_Fire has been burnt by politicians, both local and statewide in the past from both parties. Therefore, we have chose not to be politically active at this point.”

March 16, 2016

Full video: House hears testimony over driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants

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Two competing bills were heard in the House Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday evening in a hearing that lasted well over 6 hours and had over 4 dozen people testifying. House bill 7610, submitted by Representative Anastasia Williams, would grant driving privilege license to undocumented immigrants. House Bill 7859, introduced by Representative Arthur Corvese, would make issuing such licenses illegal. Over 200 advocates for licenses filled the main rotunda with reverberating chants during the hearing, which was often emotional and contentious.

2016-03-15 Driver's Licences Undocumented 007 — Gorman and Nardolillo

This became evident immediately as Reps Williams and Corvese verbally sparred even before presenting their bills, which were heard simultaneously. Committee Chair Cale Keable worked hard to keep the peace, and surprisingly did not put a cap on speaking times, allowing people to speak until they were done.

Both bills have been held for further study, and the ultimate fate of the bills is in doubt. Governor Gina Raimondo has indicated that she wants a bill allowing driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants to be passed and that she is ready to sign such a bill. She made a campaign promise to issue an executive order granting such licenses within her first year in office, a promise she has broken in favor of a legislative solution.

Below is all the testimony presented during the hearing last night, each speaker given a separate video. For the purposes of time it is impossible for me to do justice to all the wonderful testimony given in support of allowing undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, just as it is impossible for me to get into some of the racism and xenophobia presented by the other side. Hopefully, the occasional notes I’ve provided below can point people towards some of the testimony I found the most interesting.

Rep Doreen Costa, vice-chair of the House Judiciary Committee, told Corvese that he had presented a “great bill.”

Rep Joseph Almeida took Corvese to task for using the term “sanctuary city” in reference to Providence. Corvese responded that, “I do not countenance political correctness,” said Corvese, “and I never have.”

Mayors Jorge Elorza of Providence and James Diossa of Central Falls both spoke in favor of licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Rep Robert Nardolillo, who quoted FAIR, (Federation for American Immigration Reform) in his Providence Journal op-ed, did not exactly do himself any favors by testifying. FAIR has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Foundation as a hate group. At one point Nardolillo seemed to imply that immigrants were more likely to drive without insurance that non-immigrants. Here’s a quote from the founder of FAIR for Nardolillo and others to ponder:

“As Whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night? Or will there be an explosion?”
— John Tanton, founder of FAIR

Terry Gorman, of RIILE, lists FAIR on its links page. They also list the Minuteman Project and American Border Patrol, also listed as “extremist nativist groups” by the SPLC. I don’t know how RIILE avoids being on the SPLC hate group list.

July 14, 2015

‘I’m a great tipper’ A House debate on tipped minimum wage in 5 minutes

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The RI House of Representatives floor debate on the tipped minimum wage featuring Representatives Joseph Shekarchi, Doreen Costa, Patricia Morgan, Aaron Regunberg, Michael Chippendale, Antonio Giarrusso, Teresa Tanzi and John DeSimone.

Featuring such classic lines as, “I’m a great tipper. I’m sure all of you are great tripper.” and “Percents don’t change!”

April 17, 2015April 28, 2016

Record numbers at State House ‘Rally Against Gun Violence’

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There were more than 350 people in support of the Rally Against Gun Violence at the State house Thursday afternoon, by far the largest gun control rally in Rhode island’s history. The event was organized by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV), made up of over 60 groups representing 100,000 Rhode Islanders.

This year the RICAGV is advocating for three pieces of common sense legislation that seek to make our state safer. The coalition wants to pass legislation to deny guns to domestic abusers, keep guns out of schools, and limit magazine capacity to ten bullets.

Rally Against Gun Violence 050 — Mayor Jorge Elorza

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza was at the rally and in support of the bills. Noting the presence of Teny Gross, executive director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, Elorza said, “I can’t think of a better slogan than the institute’s ‘Everybody, let’s choose peace.’” Elorza advocated for non-violence training in schools, and asked that people join him in committing “to being preventive rather than reactive to gun violence.”

The rally was emotional at times, with a gripping account by Carmen Cruz, founding member of SOAR, Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships. She came to Rhode Island in 1999 to escape an abusive relationship, but her ex-husband found her and shot her in front of her eight-year-old son and her granddaughter. “Domestic abuse and firearms are a terrible combination,” said Cruz.

Rally Against Gun Violence 007 — Extraordinary Rendition Band

There was also lighter entertainment, starting with music from the Extraordinary Rendition Band, then Sheryl Albright sang a rousing version of “If I Had a Hammer.”

Myra Latimer-Nichols took to the podium to talk about losing her son, Steven, to senseless gun violence four years ago. Two days short of his 23rd birthday, Latimer-Nichols’ son was outside a club and accidentally leaned on the wrong car. The car’s owner tracked him and his friends down later in the night, and shot them in a drive by. Steven died, leaving his daughter, Nevea, behind.

Rally Against Gun Violence 054 — Myra Latimer-Nichols

“The last time I saw him and his daughter together he was telling her about the importance of education,” said his mother, “She was robbed of a life with her father.”

Said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré, “Every year we come here to ask for the tools to keep us safe. This is common sense legislation.”

Commenting on the need to limit the number of rounds in guns, Pare said, “If you need a banana clip, you should be hunting, not on the streets of Providence. We won’t give up until we’re there.”

Rally Against Gun Violence 062 — Wendy Bowen

Retired school teacher Wendy Bowen spoke next. Bowen was a teacher in Newtown, CT the day a gunman shot and killed six teachers and twenty elementary school children. When her school went into lock down, Bowen and her students, “huddled together in fear, with absolutely no idea what had happened.”

Students have a “right to learn in a safe environment, free of fear. Guns do not belong in school,” said Bowen, “Supporting gun sense laws would save so many lives.”

Episcopal Bishop Knisely led the crowd in prayer (but included a nice shout-out for random Humanists in the crowd) as Representative Doreen Costa skirted the edge of the crowd taking photos with her phone. Costa has an A+ voting record with the NRA, and is a keen opponent of most legislation that might even slightly inconvenience gun owners.

Sheryl Albright then led a collection of schoolchildren from six different schools in Central Falls in a rendition of “Give Kids a Chance” before the crowd was asked to move inside the State House for a direct appeal to the legislators.

In the main rotunda of the State House, Julia Wyman, legislative director of the RICAGV, made a valiant effort to be heard over the clanging of the bell that calls the legislators to session. She introduced Teny Gross who said that the law should clearly state that guns are not allowed in schools. “When my kids go to school,” said Gross, “I don’t want someone with a license to carry to be in charge of protecting my children.”

Rally Against Gun Violence 084 — Mayor James Diossa

The last speaker was Central Falls Mayor James Diossa. Diossa is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The mayor introduced the Central Falls schoolchildren a final time, and they sang a moving song about Sandy Hook Elementary, a song that mentioned the names of all twenty children who died that day, a tragedy many in our state are trying to prevent from happening again.

Rally Against Gun Violence 034 — Sheryl Albright

Rally Against Gun Violence 043 — Carmen Cruz

Rally Against Gun Violence 061 — Commissioner Steven Paré

Rally Against Gun Violence 064 — Bishop Knisely

Rally Against Gun Violence 078 — Harold Metts

Rally Against Gun Violence 082 — Teny Gross

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014

Conservatives from both parties scramble NK political alliances

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Rep. Doreen Costa is too conservative for North Kingstown Town Council President Liz Dolan, a Republican who endorsed Democrat Julie Casimiro for the House District 31 seat.

But Costa’s conservative credentials didn’t stop the local fire fighters’ union from throwing their support behind the tea party right-winger who sponsored a right-to-work bill in the state legislature.

“We haven’t had that conversation yet,” said Ray Furtado, president of IAFF 1651, which represents NK fire fighters, when I asked him about Costa’s support for right-to-work legislation. “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

That’s not how Dolan decided who to support.

The town council and fire fighters are mired in a bitter legal battle over staffing issues, and both House candidates have been advocating that the council drop its lawsuit. Furtado said “in no way, shape or form is this negative about Casimiro” noting they decided to endorse Costa before Casimiro decided to run.

Dolan said she broke ranks and backed a Democrat because “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record.”

She said Costa’s allegiance to the NRA, her role in the Exeter recall election and her hyper-concern over holiday decorations have made her ineffective at representing the district. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate,” Dolan said.

Costa accused Dolan of lying saying, “I had nothing to do with that Exeter recall.”

She also portrayed herself as a moderate. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

At least not two weeks away from a general election, she’s not.

When asked why she sponsored a right-to-work bill, Costa said, “I did it because I was asked to do it.” At first she said she didn’t recall who asked her to sponsor this bill, and then she remembered, she said, that it was two union teachers whose names she did not know.

“It’s not something I would ever revisit,” Costa said about right-to-work legislation. “Not right now anyway.”

About her bill to drug test people who benefit from certain public subsidies, Costa said, “I still think it’s a good idea but I am not going to put it in again.”

She is still undecided about payday loan reform and raising the minimum wage, but she walked back her vote against same sex marriage. “If I had that to do over again, I would probably vote yes on marriage equality,” she said.

On guns, though, Costa said she’s as conservative as ever. “I will not change my mind on gun legislation.”

Casimiro chalked up Costa’s tack to the center as typical election-year politics. “I think Doreen is running scared right now,” she said.

But Casimiro also has a reputation for being a conservative – a conservative Democrat. “I am fiscally conservative,” she said.

She said she’s also pro-choice, pro-marriage equality and will support working class legislation. “I would absolutely raise the minimum wage,” Casimiro said. “It’s not a living wage.”

Casimiro is a board member of two charter schools in Rhode Island: Blakcstone Valley Prep in Cumberland and Southside Elementary in Providence. “It doesn’t make me anti-labor,” she said. “It means I’m pro-kid.” She added that she “works in some of the worst performing schools in the state” through her work with Family Services of Rhode Island.

Her husband is a Republican and she says she donated to Allan Fung’s first campaign for mayor of Cranston when they worked together at MetLife. This year Casimiro is voting for Gina Raimondo, whom she said she has been campaigning with. “I’m on Team Raimondo.”

March 19, 2014

Teny Gross: Does the gun lobby have a racial problem?

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Teny Gross, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, did not pull any punches yesterday as he spoke to a crowd gathered under the dome of the Rhode Island State House about class, race and gun violence. Guns are the leading cause of death for young black men and it’s the second leading cause of death for young men in general in the United States, according to Gross.

“I’m not a prophet,” said Gross, “but I will make a very sure prediction today. You can take it to Wall St. and bank on it. There will be another Sandy Hook. There will be many more Sandy Hooks in the United States. It is partially, in large part, because of the proclivity and the looseness and the stubbornness of a small group of leaders in the NRA and their local supporters. I recommend to the NRA members that are here: Start thinking about a compromise. This is not about the Second Amendment. No right is absolute.”

Gross had some tough words for Representative Doreen Costa, who at the time was outside the State House at the anti-common sense gun laws rally.

“The one comment from last year that really rings in my head and it was recently reawakened is Representative Costa saying at a hearing that [gun violence] doesn’t happen in Exeter, [gun violence] happens in the inner city. Recently a letter to the newspaper… also said this violence is an inner city problem. Last I checked, the inner city is part of the United States of America and they’re citizens.”

“I have a question,” asked Gross, putting it all out on the table, “Does the gun lobby have a racial problem? Let’s put the elephant right here in the room.”

Not compromising on reasonable gun legislation and refusing to work with law enforcement suggests that, “you think that your children are not dying, it’s other children. Are some Americans worth less if their skin color is darker?… On some streets it’s okay when there’s death and some streets it’s not okay? Some children dying is okay and some children dying is not okay? Tell us? This is an open question.”

“Let’s be honest,” continued Gross, “Sandy Hook got a lot of press partially because it was white kids in a privileged community.”

February 7, 2013February 7, 2013

RI Republican Admits DINOs Skew Party Balance

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corvese — Rep. Doc Corvese is the Rhode Island poster child for conservatives who run as Democrats.

Some people think DINOs are Democrats who tend to be less than liberal. Not in the Ocean State. Here in Republican-rejecting Rhode Island, Democrat in Name Only literally means those cunning and conservative politicians who are Democrats only in name.

But don’t take it from me … that’s what Rhode Island Republican Ann Clanton told NPR earlier this week.

“We have a lot of Democrats who we know are Republican but run as a Democrat — basically so they can win,” she said.

It’s a great scenario for local conservatives; their philosophies are well-represented at the State House – think tax cuts for the rich, pension cuts for the poor, voter ID, marriage inequality and much more – while they get to complain that Democrats are ruining the state and its economy.

It’s why crafty conservatives like Dawson Hogdson and Doreen Costa spend more time griping about Democrats than actual policy. The reality is there are more Rhode Islanders aligned with progressive values than conservative values, but there are more center-right Democrats than center-left Democrats.

Whoever is ruining the state’s economy, they’ve done it by implementing conservative policies. Which party they caucus with really shouldn’t matter to Rhode Islanders…

December 4, 2012December 4, 2012

Daily Show Declares ‘War on Christmas’ a Joke

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Sometimes only the court jester can successfully call out the king for wearing no clothes. While Fox News, John DePetro, Bishop Tobin and Rep. Doreen Costa are hardly still royalty in post-tea party America, John Stewart can still shed some sanity on their completely fabricated and self-indulgent “war on Christmas.”

After all, I’m certain the vast majority of us agree this annual holiday assault from the right has more comedic value than cultural. Watch the very funny and insightful Daily Show segment here:

Doreen Costa, the last elected member of the tea party standing in the Rhode Island, was even featured in the Daily Show segment. Stewart pulls a clip of a Fox News personality asking Costa if they are “nuts” for thinking there is a war on Christmas.

Stewart’s response: “As a general rule, if you are trying to tell if you and one other person are nuts, ask a third person. Preferably someone from outside the asylum.”

Stewart’s talent is offering up social truisms in the form of jokes. Such as:

Yes you are fucking nuts. Because for whatever annoying, local ticky-tack Christmas-abolishing story you and your merry band of persecution-seeking researches can scour the wires to turn up the rest of can’t swing a dead elf without knocking over a inflatable snow globe or a giant blinking candy cane.

For God’s sakes, Fox News itself is located in midtown Manhattan, the epicenter of all that is godless, secular, gay, jewy and hell-bound and, yet, even here, all around your studio, it looks like Santa’s balls exploded.

He goes on to enumerate just a few of the ways in which Christmas completely dominates the month of December in our society.

Even at the Rhode Island State House there are no fewer than 12 manger scenes on display, I was told yesterday by someone who works there (I’ll try to get some pictures of them all later today). But one tree doesn’t contain the word Christmas and the religious right declares war.

That is a joke.

February 6, 2012February 6, 2012

Occupy Providence and the Right’s Selective Support of the 1st Amendment

Occupy Providence has the fringe-right all in a tizzy over an incident in which condoms were dropped on a anti-choice rally at the State House, spawning not one but two diaries calling for criminal charges to protect the religious right from the inconvenience of being confronted with opposing views. Here’s Justin nearly hyperventilating over a list of “possible charges” and the need to criminalize exercising one’s First Amendment rights:

11-45-1 Disorderly conduct. — (a) A person commits disorderly conduct if he or she intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly: … (1) Engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior; … (3) Directs at another person in a public place offensive words which are likely to provoke a violent reaction on the part of the average person so addressed; … (5) Engages in conduct which obstructs or interferes physically with a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering

Clearly, there’s room to suggest that throwing objects during a political assault on such a gathering as the pro-life rally is illegal… unless, of course, the judiciary has effectively nullified these sections of the law or the AG’s office just wants pesky right-leaning bloggers to go away like the mainstream reporters do.

Among the other grievances was a “hair assault” on Rep. Costa. We can only hope the Representative gets the counseling she so desperately needs after her ordeal.

What’s funny is how different the fringe right views these protests depending on whether or not they agree with the sentiment. Who can forget the “disorderly conduct” of the religious right this past holiday season, who interrupted a children’s concert to protest it not being Christian enough. But don’t bother looking over at that other blog for the calls to have those folks arrested. Those laws only apply if they disagree with you.

August 26, 2011January 6, 2012

Oh, Doreen, Please….

Someone please give me notice if Rep. Costa’s “Paying More For TANF” bill makes it to a hearing next spring, because that should be a fun one. As I pointed out in a prior post, drug testing mothers on assistance may feel good to some, but its not getting anyone “off welfare” in any productive manner.

According to my good friends at PolitiFact (who actually came with some numbers this time), Costa’s proposal will guarantee the state spends more money on the program. So ironic. If the state wants to up the budget by $100k, I’m sure there are better ideas. And, according to the ProJo, there are less than 6,000 people receiving TANF in RI. If they were all at a PC basketball game, you would be saying “there’s nobody here.”

FYI Rep. Costa: Take a lesson from John Dillinger. When they asked him why he robs banks, he said “That’s where the money is.” You can’t balance the budget on the backs of the poor. Any mathlete can tell you that.