GoLocal Interview: Is Governor Chafee Gaining Momentum?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor Chafee entered office with more than a few opponents quick to remind him that 64 percent of voters did not support his candidacy and then proceeded to fuel his critics’ frustration with a shaky first year that mixed a proposal to raise taxes with a failure to improve one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.
By the end of the year, even the top labor unions—arguably his largest support base— were bailing on him thanks to his support for General Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s pension reform plan and his approval rating had dipped to just 27 percent.
But after an inauspicious start that he believes all too often became personal, Chafee’s second year has been dedicated to building strong relationships with municipal leaders—34 city or town councils have passed resolutions supporting his municipal relief proposal—and he appears to be winning back his base support by standing up for progressive issues, most notably an executive order signed this week that recognizes same-sex marriages from out-of-state.
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Although he is quick to admit that he still needs to forge a better alliance with legislative leaders, Chafee believes that increased support mainly comes from his commitment to making 2012 “the year of the cities and towns.”
“My concerns go back to the crash of 2008,” Chafee said during a wide-ranging interview Tuesday at the State House. “I knew then they could not take these kinds of hits. I knew that Providence with the children they have to educate and the mandates, the binding arbitration and the minimum manning, these communities couldn't take that hit.”
Chafee carries around a handout that breaks down four of the hardest hit communities (Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket and West Warwick) since the beginning of the recession. In total, state aid during that span was cut by more than $240 million. The result has been skyrocketing property taxes and growing deficits that have already forced one city to go bankrupt and others to take drastic measures to remain solvent.
“Massachusetts raised the sales tax and Deval Patrick took a beating over it, but it stabilized Massachusetts," Chafee said. "We did it differently. We hit the cities and towns. We just passed it down to the local levels. That’s what cost us.”
Communication with Legislature “Difficult”
In the past, Chafee has placed much of the blame on former Governor Don Carcieri, but he also acknowledges that the majority of legislative leaders have very little experience when it comes to municipal finances. He said that has made communication with the General Assembly “difficult.”
Chafee’s relief package is made up of seven pieces of legislation that includes allowing cities and towns to freeze cost-of-living adjustments, gives highly distressed communities mandate relief and binding arbitration reform and gives municipalities more control over school budgets.
Municipal leaders, like Mayor Angel Taveras in Providence, have offered praise for the package.
“Governor Chafee’s municipal legislative package is a way forward for cities and towns that need the necessary tools to make structural reform. I support and applaud the Governor’s efforts and believe that cities and towns must make tough, structural changes to strengthen our entire state,” Taveras said in March. “I will continue to work with Governor Chafee to get Providence on firm financial ground, and I appreciate his determined efforts to strengthen Rhode Island.”
But Chafee remains concerned that the key parts of the bill will not pass. He said he entered office understanding how much power the General Assembly has and noted that he did his best to make appointments that would serve as a signal that he wants to work in partnership with House and Senate leadership. He pointed to his decision to appoint former House finance chairman Steven Costantino as Secretary of Health and Human Services and former State Senator Charlie Fogarty as Director of DLT as examples of his willingness to work with the legislature.
Municipal Pension Reform Should Have Been Addressed Last Year
But if the animosity between the executive branch and the legislative branch reached a tipping point under Carcieri, Chafee’s success in bringing the two sides closer together has been marginal at best. Chafee’s relationship with Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed in particular has been fractured and likely took another hit this week after his executive order.
That combined with election year politics has Chafee concerned that legislators will opt for an easy way out when it comes to helping cities and towns. He said the “scuttlebutt” around his municipal package is that lawmakers may support some of the bills, but the key provisions such as freezing COLAs could be left on the chopping block.
Chafee said he still wishes municipalities were included last fall when the legislature passed Treasurer Raimondo’s reform plan.
“That’s the question I can’t answer,” he said. “Why a smart Treasurer couldn’t see the magnitude of the local issues. I don’t have a good answer for that.”
An Optimistic View
Still, Chafee said he will continue to fight for cities and towns moving forward. He remains proud that he was able to play peacemaker in a battle between Mayor Taveras and Brown University Ruth Simmons that resulted in the school agreeing to pay the city more than $31 million over the next 11 years. Taveras praised Chafee’s statesmanship after the Governor brought all sides to the table to broker an agreement.
“I told them, we can’t have a war between Brown and Providence,” Chafee said.
And the Governor, who continues to raise money but hasn’t officially acknowledged that he’ll run for reelection, said he isn’t concerned with any of his potential opponents in 2014.
“I’ve never had an easy race,” he said.
For now, however, his focus remains on helping the cities and towns. And while he’s concerned that the General Assembly may not go to bat for local communities, he said he still has plenty of hope.
“I’m an eternal optimist,” Chafee said.
Dan McGowan can be reached at [email protected]
