Mattiello Hires Political Operative Britt as Consultant
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
Mattiello Hires Political Operative Britt as Consultant
Mattiello, who was first elected to represent District 15 in Cranston in 2006, served as House Majority Leader from 2010 until first elected speaker of the House in March 2014.
About Britt
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBritt had been a consultant to then-Speaker of the House Gordon Fox before publicly spitting with the now-jailed Fox over his handling of 38 Studios, to back challenger Mark Binder for the seat in 2012.
Britt has since served as an operative for Republican Ken Block after he left the Moderate Party to challenge Cranston Mayor Allan Fung in the 2014 gubernatorial race.
"We're not talking about races right now, but more the macro stuff, how to handle issues," said Britt of his conversations with the Speaker. "Not that we won't talk about it."
Britt also spoke Thursday to leaving the Republican party, and aligning himself with Mattiello.
"Look, I was a Republican for the long time. I left in December because the direction of the party made me uncomfortable. The tenor and the language right now was not the party I was a member of," said Britt. "The Speaker is probably the most open, accessible Speaker we've had since I've been doing this. He might not have all the answers, but he's always willing to speak with you. He's certainly more fiscally conservative than the past Speaker. I look forward to working with him."
Read: GoLocal's Russ Moore on "Jeff Britt vs. The Establishment" from 2014
Wrote Moore:
[Britt] burst on to the political scene back in 2002 when former House Speaker John Harwood ran into a scandal with reference to some (never proven) allegations regarding his female staffers, Britt decided to manage a campaign against the Pawtucket Democrat. The candidate Bruce Bayuk, Britt's stepfather, decided to run his campaign after the filing deadline, and therefore couldn't get his name on the ballot.
No matter. They pressed forward. They ran a no holds barred campaign and took their reform message to the streets of Pawtucket. And when election day came along, despite Bayuk's name not making the ballot and running as an independent, the result was simply too close to call. It wasn't until more than a week later that Harwood was actually declared the victor in the race.
But the damage was long done. Given the closeness of a race that, in all other circumstances, should have been a slam dunk for Harwood, but he emerged a wounded, sitting duck. Fellow legislators decided the time had come for a new House Speaker, and Bill Murphy, instead of Harwood as elected.
Raimondo and Mattiello - Friction Going Into the 2016 Session
1)
HealthSource
Mattiello has long questioned why little Rhode Island has its own health exchange. His questions center around scale, cost and long-term viability. Raimondo had been defending the Chafee initiative, but the move of Anya Rader Wallack from her leadership position at HealthSource to Medicaid (right when open enrollment started, to boot) is one of the indications of Raimondo’s walk away.
As GoLocal reported in January, Walack’s program in Vermont ended up failing under her leadership
Now the question is, will Raimondo make the policy change in her budget or make Mattiello do the dirty work?
2)
Tolls
Raimondo has been the champion of an ever-changing funding scheme to rebuild Rhode Island’s infrastructure.
No one questions the need to rehab Rhode Island’s failed bridges and roads, but most everyone has raised questions about the constantly changing funding structure and the corresponding lack of disclosure.
Raimondo’s request to legislative leaders has been to pass legislation - and to trust her and her administration. Last session of the General Assembly the Senate functionally went along with the plan and the House held firm on wanting to see the numbers.
Now, it is six-months later and much of the plan has not been disclosed to legislative leaders, the public or the media.
3)
Irony of Transparency
For decades, Rhode Island Speakers have been wildly criticized for being all powerful, Machiavellian, and highly secretive, but in this unusual situation it is often that Mattiello is the open, responsive and proactive communicator.
In contrast, Raimondo less than two months ago came under fire from the media and civil rights groups for secrecy, failing to respond to media inquiries, and non-responsiveness to public information requests.
As GoLocal reported in October:
Five organizations, including ACCESS/RI, American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Press Association, New England First Amendment Coalition,and League of Women Voters of Rhode Island, sent sharply wordedletter to Governor Gina Raimondo on Tuesday asking her to issue an executive order which calls on state agencies to "adopt a strong presumption in favor of disclosure in addressing public information requests.
Mattiello, unlike his predecessors, has been the voice of the voter asking for information and requesting greater transparency.
4)
Election Year
The Democratic Governor enjoys a four-year term, but she needs the support of a legislature who is up for re-election with an electorate that is wildly dissatisfied with the direction of the country, the direction of the state, the performance of Congress. It is a Presidential election year which will only add to the volatility.
The Governor who only won the Democratic primary with 40% of the vote and then was elected last November with 40% off the vote hardly has the most powerful bully pulpit to speak from.
For many legislators the smart political step maybe to show independence and raise questions rather than to lock step with her.
For Mattiello, this means he may need to give far greater latitude to legislators to vote freely.
5)
Raimondo a Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Raimondo is trained as an attorney and worked nearly her entire professional career as Venture Capitalist. Lots of Non-Disclosure Agreements, “paper the deal” with agreements and little disclosure.
This training is great for confidentiality as it relates to high stakes venture, but those skills become obstacles to governing in a Democracy during a period when the public demands transparency.
6)
“I am better than you”
There is a growing sentiment among Democratic legislators that the Governor has a “I am better than you” attitude. Raimondo who was educated at Yale, Harvard and Oxford seems to intentionally or unintentionally exude superiority.
As one legislator told GoLocal at the request of anonymity, “The only thing worse than her being pompous is when she tries to act like she is ‘just like everyone else.’ It is insulting.”
The ramifications of the Governor and her staff’s tone is not lost on legislators. Top Raimondo confidant Representative Joe Shekarchi can only do “Shuttle-Diplomacy” so much.
7)
Guns
Raimondo has announced a series of initiatives to restrict gun ownership in Rhode Island. A corresponding pro-gun control campaign is being funded by Democratic heavy weight Mark Weiner and former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld.
Raimondo uses the issue of gun control as a fundraising trigger with her supporters. The initiative may be good political fundraising, but will put her at odds with Mattiello, who is a strong gun rights supporter who has received high scores for his voting record on from the gun rights organization.
