State Report: Cicilline VS Doherty, Pension Fraud & Carcieri Finally Speaks
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Since this past week was primary week in Rhode Island, an interesting back and forth between Brendan Doherty and Rep. David Cicilline leads off this week’s State House Roundup. Also on the docket are a pair of federal grants: one of which is designed to help the state’s commercial fishermen and another to help RI Hospital’s joint health research project.
Lastly this week, we touch on the recent launch of the disability fraud hotline and the next chapter in the 38 Studios saga.
Doherty calls Cicilline ‘untrustworthy’
Just one day after Rep. David Cicilline secured his nomination for a second term, his Republican opponent Brendan Doherty took off the gloves in a series of strongly worded accusations. On Wednesday, the former head of the state police held a press conference touting what he billed as Cicilline’s “most serious deceptions.”
Doherty’s primary attacks concerned Cicilline’s time as Providence mayor. In particular, Doherty accused Cicilline of misleading voters when he claimed that Providence was in excellent financial standing. Despite Cicilline’s assertion, his successor Mayor Angel Taveras was greeted with a $110 million deficit when he took office in 2010. Cicilline has since apologized for his wording calling his statement “overly optimistic.”
Doherty also claimed on Wednesday that Cicilline “hijacked” Rhode Island’s redistricting process, endorsing changes that favored the congressman.
Lastly, Doherty accused Cicilline of misrepresenting his stance on Social Security. Although Cicilline has stated that Republicans want to privatize Social Security, Doherty said he would support no such plan.
Cicilline's campaign responded calling Doherty's accusations "tired" and "viscous." The campaign added: "Mr. Doherty is a Romney Republican who is on the wrong side of virtually every issue important to Rhode Islanders."
Cicilline and Doherty face off on Nov. 6.
Kilmartin, Raimondo launch disability fraud hotline
On Wednesday, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and General Treasurer Gina Raimondo launched a hotline where individuals can report disability pension fraud. Tips will be collected by the state’s retirement system and potential cases of fraud will be investigated.
Raimondo maintains that pension fraud has two primary consequences for the state. "Abuse that costs taxpayer money and compromises the integrity of the retirement system is unacceptable and must be reported and investigated,” says Raimondo.
Kilmartin echoed Raimondo’s sentiment stating: "Each and every tax dollar must be used wisely and efficiently, and we must be vigilant in rooting out fraudulent uses of government programs. Combining forces to identify and combat pension disability fraud in Rhode Island will further protect taxpayer dollars."
The hotline’s phone number is 401-462-TIPS (462-8477) and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can leave their information anonymously. Callers who wish to leave their information may be contacted for follow-up.
Federal government grants disaster relief to New England fishermen
The U.S. Department of Commerce has granted disaster relief to the New England groundfish fishery, thanks in large part to a written appeal from Gov. Lincoln Chafee. According to Chafee, the federal relief will offer much needed help to local fisheries, which are facing massive cuts in catch limits.
“The commercial fishing industry is one of Rhode Island's premier economic assets, and we must work to bolster it, said Chafee. This emergency relief, therefore, is important for both our local economy and the health of our waters. These badly needed funds will prevent Rhode Island commercial fishing businesses from suffering devastating losses, and I applaud the Obama Administration for recognizing this need and taking quick action."
Although the federal government has approved financial relief, the amount has not been specified. The announcement may lead to tens of millions of dollars in relief for fishermen, but it does not guarantee it.
A historically vital industry in Rhode Island, commercial fishing has been threatened as of late due to government regulations preventing fisherman for catching large abundances of species. Commercial fishermen are currently facing cuts in catch limits pertaining to cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder.
Fmr. Gov. Carcieri breaks silence on 38 Studios
As he promised two weeks ago, former Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri broke his silence on the failure of 38 Studios. In an interview with Tim White on WPRI-TV, Carcieri accepted responsibility for the controversial $75 million loan guarantee granted to the now defunct video game company, but insists it could have been salvaged.
Carcieri admitted that 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling must shoulder much of the blame for the company’s collapse, but questioned whether the state and Gov. Lincoln Chafee did enough to help.
“When I left office, it was just the beginning…I have no knowledge and no input after that, and it looks to me from the outside that there was a lot of thins that might have been able to be done along the way to save 300 jobs,” said Carcieri.
Carcieri also questioned how the news of 38 Studios’ impending demise could have come as a surprise to the state. According to Carcieri, the Economic Development Corp. received regular updates on 38 Studios when he was in office.
"Nobody should have been surprised in April this year that the company was out of money," he said. "And if they were, that's shocking."
Gov. Chafee took issue with Carcieri’s comments on Thursday stating that although he had concerns about the deal before it was even finalized, he still did everything within his power to help.
38 Studios filed for bankruptcy in June, two years after being lured from Massachusetts with a $75 million loan guarantee. Rhode Island is currently on the hook for roughly $100 million.
RI Hospital gets $10.8 million federal grant
Rhode Island Hospital has just received $10.8 million in federal funds to research joint health. The funding, which comes from the National Institutes of Health, is intended for the second phase of study into cartilage and joint diseases. The money will be given to the hospital’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Skeletal Health and Repair.
The current grant, which will be paid out over five years, is the second grant that the hospital has received for the project. The center was given an $11 million grant in 2007 from the NIH for the first part of the study.
The state’s congressional delegation and hospital officials attended Monday’s grant announcement. One such hospital official, Dr. Qian Chen commented on the importance of the study stating:
“In Rhode Island, our average rate is higher than the national rate, so we really hope that the research we do here will improve people’s lives. We’ll develop treatment for those patients.”
Cartilage and joint diseases affect more than 46 million people in the U.S. each year and are a primary cause of disability.
