Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not
Russell J. Moore, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article listed Judge Sarah Taft-Carter as "Not Hot" for appointing former Superior Court Chief Justice Frank Williams as a "special master" in charge of discovery issues in the landmark pension case. The article claimed that it was a conflict of interest for Williams, and that his pension would increase if the state lost the case. In fact, retired justices are NOT party to the pension lawsuit, and Williams' pension would remain unchanged regardless of the outcome of the case. GoLocalProv regrets the error.
Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not - March 12, 2015
HOT
Gina Raimondo
The Governor called for an increase in the minimum wage, which would benefit the hardworking people at the bottom of the economic food chain by giving them additional income, and that means more purchasing power. There are so many minimum wage jobs in our state, and the people who perform them shouldn't be forced to live in poverty.
HOT
Blue Cross
The state's dominant insurer has doled out $319,000 in grants to community organizations that work to combat childhood obesity. It's a smart investment by Blue Cross because it will not only improve the quality of life of children, it will also cut down on health care costs in the long run.
HOT
Rhode Island College
The state college is investigating whether or not it can revoke an honorary degree that the school conferred on former House Speaker Gordon Fox in the wake of news that he admitted to taking a bribe as a member of the Providence Licensing Board. There should be consequences for when public officials use their public office for their own private, personal gain.
HOT
Dan Jaehnig
The NBC 10 Anchor will be subjecting himself to a "roast" in order to raise money for the Fund for Community Progress on March 20 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, starting at 5:30 p.m. The charity event will raise money for the 25 non-profit organizations across our state that work to create fairness and opportunity for all Rhode Islanders.
HOT
Nellie Gorbea
The Secretary of State deserves credit for reminding the new Pawtucket Red Sox ownership that they're not above the law. WPRI reported this week that Gorbea sent the Pawtucket Red Sox a letter saying the team needs to make sure they comply with lobbying laws.
HOT
Shawn Parker
Kudos to the President of the CCRI faculty who has spoken out against legislation that would unfairly crack down on CCRI by implementing "performance-based funding" and give unprecedented power to the Commissioner of Post-Secondary Education. The legislation puts way too much of the onus on teachers and legislative leaders need to be asked why they're not proposing a similar mechanism to fund elementary and secondary education--goose, gander, and all that.
NOT
Seth Magaziner
The RI General Treasurer looks much more like a go along to get along guy than the reformer he promised Rhode Islanders he was on the campaign trail. GoLocalProv's Stephen Beale reported yesterday that Magaziner has refused to make public the opaque hedge fund contracts agreed to by his predecessor, Governor Gina Raimondo, despite promising to increase transparency on the campaign trail.
NOT
James Skeffington
GoLocalProv reported this week that the RI Convention Center has been costing taxpayers roughly $25 million per year, and about $450 million since its inception, despite the fact that voters never approved this expenditure. Who was the mastermind behind the plan that brought the Convention Center into existence? That would be James Skeffington, who is now the face of the new Pawtuket Red Sox ownership. Will RI get fooled again?
NOT
Nicholas Mattiello
The House Speaker is understandably opposed to the enactment of a "line item veto" in Rhode Island (it would weaken his power), which would allow a Governor to veto a certain portion of a bill instead of the whole thing. The line item veto is not only a common sense mechanism that the vast majority of other states have that would prevent the legislature from "bundling" bad laws into bills that are, for the most part, good. NOT hot.
NOT
Lisa Baldelli Hunt
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission has fined the Woonsocket Mayor for hiring her son and some of his friends to work for the city last summer for a seasonal program for the Department of Public Works. It wasn't the crime of the century, but such blatant nepotism can't go unpunished.
NOT
Darrell Revis
The Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots lost their star defensive back after he decided to bolt the team in favor of the much hated rival New York Jets, in order to make an extra $4 million guaranteed. It will be interesting to see how the team makes up for the loss of such a blue chip player.
