GoLocal Voter’s Guide - AG Candidates: Rob Rainville
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Robert Rainville
Independent Candidate for Attorney General
Born:
November 4, 1969 in Warwick, RI
Education:
University of Rhode Island (BS in Finance)
Quinnipiac Law School (JD)
Career Highlights:
• Is an attorney at law for his own private law firm
• Is a former registered lobbyist for groups such as the hospital company Care New England, a casino group, the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education and the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association
• Appointed as a Probate Judge in West Warwick from 2001-2009
• Is a member of the West Warwick Democratic Town Committee
Personal Information:
Rainville is fluent in French and Spanish. His father was a former state trooper and was Vice-President of the University of Rhode Island.
Views on Key Issues:
• Do you favor the expansion of casino gambling in RI to include table games in Lincoln and Newport?
I am not opposed to expansion of gambling at Lincoln since it is already a casino in most respects and it brings in the state significant revenue. I would make sure the AG’s office had direct oversight of the activities there and there is a representative from my office on any new gaming commission!!
• Do you think RI is culturally too accepting of public corruption?
No, I believe that I, like all Rhode Islanders, are fed up with the constant stain of public corruption and the perception that it is so prevalent in state government. We can never become culturally accepting of any form of corruption. I am running for Attorney General to show Rhode Island that they can trust the Independent Attorney General to do the right thing in the face of tough political pressure. We need leaders who are not politicians of old and someone who was born and raised in this state who is a real attorney and not a politician so that perception is done away with. I will lead by example.
• Do you support the Deepwater Wind Project as a way of helping RI become a hub of the new energy industry? Do you think it is a viable method of economic development here?
I support the concept of alternative and new green energy industries, but we need to make sure Rhode Island consumers and business owners are not hurt by increasing energy rates. I will support all forms of alternative energy but protect Rhode Island consumers at the negotiating table against any increase in the rates they will be paying. We need to keep a competitive business environment and help the ratepayers afford this new energy source as well.
• Do you think RI effectively spends its education dollars?
No. We can certainly do much more to make our education dollars go further and make sure our children are getting the best possible education from their teachers. We need to make sure schools have the best technology for teaching and learning tools and also make sure our teachers our trained properly and given all the resources to get our kids better prepared for high school, college and beyond into the working world. We need to look at different methods of funding education because the past methods have not worked!!!
• Do you favor a state law to allow gay marriage?
I am against all forms of discrimination and I am in favor of allowing gay couples to marry! Period. As Attorney General, all Rhode Islanders should know that I will be there to protect them no matter what. Any discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. will not be tolerated when Rainville is Attorney General!!
• Do you think RI should enact restrictive immigration legislation?
Not particularly. I think Immigration is a federal issue that we need comprehensive reform on. Especially border control issues. All states need to understand and work under the federal law on immigration. Some states that have border issues may have more state specific issues with immigration that they need to work directly with federal officials on, but we as Rhode Islanders need to work toward getting all immigrants that are here to contribute to our tax base, work legally, and have legal status so that we do not have an illegal immigration problem.
• Do you think municipal government has done enough to cut spending?
I think all government spending can be cut in particular areas. Some areas may need additional funding, but in general, we need to look at all areas where government waste can be cut and more efficient use of services and possible regionalization looked into.
• What specifically do you propose to change in the state pension system, and how much will your changes save in annual costs to the pension system?
Pension abuse by the politicians of the past is a major problem that needs to be addressed. But it needs to be done by those that are not currently in the broken system that was set up by them for their own benefit. I am in support of having a retirement account so that people can have a comfortable life after many years of work, but we need to look at more contributions so that our current system doesn’t go bankrupt.
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