Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 24, 2022

HOT

Springfield's Looking a Whole Lot Smarter Than Providence

Officials in Springfield, Massachusetts were poised to borrow hundreds of millions to bail out their city’s underfunded municipal pension fund.

Now, they are pulling the plug on the plan due to rising interest rates, a plummeting stock market and the threats of a recession.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and Providence City Council President John Igliozzi have been shepherding a similar financing scheme for the City of Providence to borrow $515 million in pension obligation bonds.

Two weeks ago, 4% of registered voters Providence voters turned out and voted to approve the borrowing, and legislation to allow the borrowing is now working its way through the Rhode Island State House.

According to the state legislation that authorizes the city to move forward with the pension obligation bonds, the interest rate for the borrowing must be 4.9% or lower. The instability of the financial markets is threatening that borrowing rate.

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HOT

Vin Marzullo

Sometimes, it seems like Vin Marzullo is everywhere.

A least one group got him long enough to give him a well-deserved award -- The Rhode Island Senior Centers Directors Association honored him for advocacy and service.

Kudos. 

HOT

A Rose is a Rose

The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence has announced its productions for their upcoming 2022-23 Season.

The shows include the 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Play, The Humans, by Stephen Karam; Obie Award winner We’re Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee; Indecent from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel; and the world premiere of a new musical by playwright and poet Darcie Dennigan, Off With Their Heads.

Also in the lineup? The world premiere of veteran Rhode Island actress Rose Weaver’s Silhouette of a Silhouette.  

Inspired by loss, it is a story of redemption and hope told through music, song, and scenes – the story of a family struck by tragedy, and how we pick the pieces up to move on again.

“I love telling stories…I just love it,” said Weaver in an interview with GoLocal. 

Weaver said it was in the course of working with Wilbury Director Josh Short and playwright and director Don Mays on God Talks to an Agnostic that Short asked Weaver if she had original material she could share. 

Not only did Weaver have a play — she had a trilogy. 

“They’re all based on things that happened in my family,” said Weaver. “One of my brothers go into drugs and got AIDS from needle use, and toward the end, he started seeing the devil.”

“He was trying to be like my stepfather, who was an industrious man who couldn’t read a lick but knew how to hustle, who said if Joe Kennedy can sell liquor, so can I,” said Weaver. “All the boys got involved in drugs. So in this play, the devil and God are fighting for Bobby’s soul — we tried to save him. Us humans don’t have power against that kind of power. Good and evil exist in everyone. Oftentimes we practice both of them.”

Read more here. 

HOT

Rotary Making a Difference

The Providence Rotary Charities Foundation, the charitable arm of the Rotary Club of Providence, has awarded grants totaling $114,000 to 26 nonprofit agencies serving children in and around the city and to its signature Childhood Literacy Initiative.

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HOT

That Vision Thing

Raymond Two Hawks Watson in his MINDSETTER™ column may have hit the proverbial ball out of the park as to an assessment to Rhode Island's single biggest problem.

Watson writes:

“Without a vision, the people will perish.” The late Michael S. Van Leesten shared these words of wisdom with me while reflecting on how to most effectively be of service to the community. I’ve found much value in Mr. V’s remarks over my professional career. In 2022 Mr. V’s words continue to be relevant, especially when considering Rhode Island.

In my opinion, there’s no vision for Rhode Island; at least not one that’s inspiring. Rather, the situation is more properly described as a state that is doing a lot of things, but not necessarily getting a lot of things done. With no vision, the State remains stuck in this cycle of active stagnation, and millions of public dollars are expended in the process.

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HOT

Speakman Honored for Smart Growth

Rep. June S. Speakman received the 2022 Rhode Island Smart Growth Award.

The award honors contributions to shaping stronger, more ​sustainable and socially just communities across Rhode Island. The organization honored Representative Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol) for her efforts to advance affordable housing initiatives, preservation and conservation and public transit. She was presented the award yesterday at Grow Smart RI’s Power of Place Summit at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Speakman has been leading a special legislative commission, created through legislation she sponsored, to study the Rhode Island Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. In 2021 she championed an amendment to the state budget to establish Rhode Island’s first permanent funding stream for affordable housing. 

Speakman said, “I am very grateful for this recognition, although I believe this is an honor that I must share with my colleagues in the General Assembly and the many dedicated advocates whose passion and hard work informed all of this legislation. Their efforts and collaboration are what made these bills possible.”

HOT

Score One for the Enviros

The Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), People’s Port Authority, environmental justice organizations, and community members issued a statement on Monday stating the groups have “strong opposition to toxic, plastic burning or so-called 'advanced recycling' bills (S2788/H8089) which undermine efforts to protect environmental justice communities and meet Act on Climate goals.”

RI Department of Environmental Management also joined the opposition. 

Finally, the legislation died.

HOT

Not Abandoning Regulatory Oversight 

On Tuesday morning, GoLocal published a story about growing opposition to a bill that opponents say would allow for the unregulated burning of plastics and what proponents call an innovation to recycle plastic products.

“The House will not be considering legislation (H 8089/S 2788A) this year that adds advanced recycling as a definition for refuse disposal. We are a member-driven body and our members have spoken to us loudly and clearly that they have serious unresolved questions about this bill,” said Shekarchi’s office in a statement.

The Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), People’s Port Authority, environmental justice organizations, and community members issued a statement on Monday stating the groups have “strong opposition to toxic, plastic burning or so-called 'advanced recycling' bills (S2788/H8089) which undermine efforts to protect environmental justice communities and meet Act on Climate goals.”

“We have had the best year ever regarding environmental legislation and we do not want to take a step backward by passing this bill. As examples, we have passed, or are about to pass, legislation that establishes the strongest renewable energy standard in the country, increases renewable energy production and supply, increases offshore wind capacity, reduces the use of plastic bags, removes harmful ‘forever chemicals’ in our water and packaging, and invests hundreds of millions of dollars to support climate resilience and the green and blue economy. We enacted the landmark Act on Climate legislation last year, and really kept the momentum rolling in our session which is wrapping up this week,” Shekarchi’s office said.

American Chemistry Council sent out a message on Monday via the lobbying group New Harbor which stated, “Advanced recycling is a manufacturing process that uses different technologies to convert used plastics into virgin-quality new plastics that have been approved for use in the most sensitive applications, including food contact and medical uses. The process will help decrease plastic waste in Rhode Island’s Central Landfill, which is projected to be at capacity in the next decade. Advanced recycling supports continued progress toward eliminating waste and achieving sustainability goals and could double the plastics packaging recycling rate in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, according to a recent report by Closed Loop Partners, an investment and research firm."

RIDEM voiced strong opposition ot the legislation. "Our interpretation is that if it were to pass, DEM would not have authority to require permitted activities or otherwise regulate these facilities under our solid waste regulations. Also, how much these facilities would be regulated under our air pollution control regulations is unclear. As the letter indicates, we raised concerns about the original bill. The Sub A adds limitations on where an advanced recycling/pyrolysis facility could be built and requires additional air quality monitoring for any such facility. Our concerns with 2788 Sub A Senate bill remain the same as they were initially," said Michael Healey, spokesperson for DEM.

"DEM believes that it sets a bad precedent to provide regulatory exemptions to a specific technology. I don’t believe the House version of the bill has received a hearing yet, but our testimony would be the same. The solid waste permitting process should allow an opportunity for public comment, authority to set conditions on the overall facility construction and operation, and provide financial assurances that closure would be done properly should the facility run into difficulties. Given that this is an innovative technology, we believe these measures are important," adds Healey.

HOT

The Man Behind the MVP

Steph Curry was the NBA Finals MVP much to the disappointment of Celtics fans.

But, Rhode Island's Rob McClanaghan -- Curry's personal shooting coach for much of his career -- was in the celebration for the Golden State team.

Kudos to McClanaghan.

PHOTO: Facebook

NOT

Daughter of Wealthy Political Donor Claims She Is Not from a "Well-Connected Family" 

The political season is often called the silly season due to the ridiculous claims some politicians make.

Well, we have the season's most ridiculous claim to date.

Nellie Gorbea, a Democratic candidate for governor of Rhode Island has launched a new TV campaign in which she claims “I don’t come from a well-connected family.”

Her parents, however, are an influential powerful couple in Puerto Rico. Her father is an energy company executive and served on the board of a leading bank. He was the subject of a major lawsuit by the U.S. federal government as part of that bank's failure.

Gorbea’s father was a donor to the campaigns of George W. Bush in 2000 and the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004, donating a total of $3,000 to the Bush campaigns.

He made those donations when he was President of Lord Electric Company, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

He has given tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations — from Alaska to Rhode Island, including donations to Republican Alaskan Congressman Don Young [who died in March of 2022]  and to former Rhode Island Democratic Governor Gian Raimondo.

Parents' Subject of Federal Lawsuit

U.S. banking regulators at the FDIC in 2012 filed suit against the director of a Puerto Rican bank of which Gorbea’s father was an officer, alleging that reckless lending and improper management led to the April 2010 collapse that cost the deposit insurance fund nearly $1.5 billion.

Gorbea’s mother was also named in the suit.

Officers and directors of R-G Premier Bank failed to adequately supervise the huge increase in commercial lending during the housing boom and bust in the U.S. island territory, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said in the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Juan.

The suit sought at least $257 million in damages and named 19 bank officials, including founder and CEO Victor Galan Alvarez. The suit also names the spouses of 17 of the directors and officers so that the government could seek their assets and recover losses from the failed institution.

“Between November 2004 and December 2008 alone, the bank extended over $350 million in loans that any prudent banker should have known would probably never be repaid,” the federal lawsuit stated. “The directors and officers also exacerbated and accelerated these losses by robotically approving virtually any loan request that crossed their desks, even though such loan requests had been processed through the obviously deficient lending structure they had created at the bank."

The lawsuit was ultimately settled for millions.

At the same time as Roberto Gorbea was the subject of the FDIC lawsuit, he was posting photos on Facebook of multiple vacations throughout the Caribbean. 

NOT

No Ban on Assault Rifles

If you look at the largest mass killing events -- Las Vegas, Buffalo, and Uvalde -- the gunmen all used assault rifles.

These events are just a small sampling of the worst mass killings using assault rifles.

Second Amendment, yes.

Weapons of mass murder against small children, no.

NOT

Bogus Claim -- and Press

For weeks, former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa's General Treasurer campaign has been pitching to news organizations that opponent Stefan Pryor -- RI's Commerce Secretary -- was ineligible to run for the office because of the Hatch Act.

The act is a federal law that prohibits people who are paid with federal funds from running in partisan elections. 

The law is specific, "The Hatch Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326, restricts Federal employee involvement in partisan political activity. Partisan political activity is any activity directed toward the success or failure of a partisan candidate, political party, or partisan political group."

Pryor was not paid by the feds and the claim was bogus.

One news organization bit.

Two seconds of journalism would have found that the claim was false.