Side of the Rhode
Friday, May 21, 2010
This is the 1st in a series of pieces that will appear every Friday looking at the important elections for Rhode Islanders in 2010.
Who's Hot?
* Victor Moffitt - What's better political entertainment in Rhode Island than a Republican Primary? Pacquiao v. Mayweather? I don't think so. There's nothing better than the intra-party fueds of the dozen or so Republicans in Rhode Island! And Moffitt, with a slogan of "Elect Moffitt, Rhode Island will Profit"(!), re-asserted this past week that he will not back down in taking on Carcieri staffer John Robitaille in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Thank you, Victor!
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST* Gina Raimondo - With the news that all of her potential Democratic foes in a Primary - Tom Sgouros, Bill Walaska, Steve Costantino, Michael Solomon - have decided against running and with no current announced opponents from the Moderate or Republican Party, this first-time candidate for office - who has raised a boatload of cash - has cause for celebration!
* David Segal - The former City Councilman and State Representative who has built impressive progressive coaltions in government jumped into the Congressional race and immediately began staffing up with known progressives Rachel Miller, Dan Bass and Dan Cohen. And, with the help of the national online organizers, PCCC, Segal has become the 4th hottest campaign on ActBlue: bringing in an impressive $50,000 in just a week.
* Sen. Jack Reed - After more than 9 months of debate, the United States Senate finally passed financial regulatory reform this week under the leadership of none other than Rhody's own senior Senator Jack Reed. The bill beat a filibuster by just one vote (Scott Brown's no less!). While the bill was not as strong as it certainly should have been (including not even allowing a vote on the Merkley-Levin Volker rule amendment), this bill is a major step forward in providing oversight, consumer protection and transparency of the financial wheelers and dealers which caused much of the global economic crisis.
* Chris Blazejewski - This founder of the Drinking Liberally Providence chapter immediately announced his campaign for the House of Representatives after Segal announced for Congress and has built an impressive team of supporters in his Fox Point and East Side district.
* Angel Taveras - This Providence mayoral candidate stunned the political world by winning the endorsements of most of his potential rivals - including John Kelly, Kevin Jackson, Juan Pichardo and Myrth York - and then raised the most money in the 1st quarter. And, this past week, Taveras continued his momentum by having a huge education summit on how to improve public education in the capitol city. Former Brown University pollster called Taveras the man to beat in the Providence mayor's race. I agree.
* Deepwater Wind - This company, larged existing only on a spreadsheet, is on the verge of winning important legislative approval to circumvent the State's consumer protection body on utility matters - the PUC. An off shore wind farm is a great idea for Rhode Island and manufacturing parts at Quonset for turbines from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod could yield hundreds, if not thousands of jobs. But, we shouldn't be setting the precedent that companies can circumvent the PUC. Still, this will be a big win for Deepwater.
* Westin Workers - The hardworking members at the Westin Hotel received a huge boost for their Boycott of the Westin Hotel when the nation's largest convention of bloggers - Netroots Nation - announced that they would not bring their $2 million worth of economic activity to Providence's economy for their 2011 convention unless the workers received a fair contract.
Who's Not?
* North Providence - Three city councilmen have resigned. The Mayor is alleging a judgeship-for-state funds quid pro quo from a State Senator. All of this after former State Senator John Celona was convicted of corruption charges.
* Establishment Politicians - From Arlen Spector in PA to Blanche Lincoln in AR to Trey Greyson in KY, the elections on Tuesday night delivered big victories for activists on the left and on the right. I would not want to be running as an incumbent or a party insider this fall. Voters are anxious and angry as ever!
* Patrick Lynch - After getting wacked from side to side from the corruption allegations facing his friend, Chuck Moreau, in Central Falls and receiving news that a Station Fire victim plans on using a good chunk of his $500,000 settlement payout to attack him in the media, Patrick Lynch's lackluster gubernatorial campaign took another major hit in recent weeks as a leading building trades union - IBEW - endorsed his opponent Frank Caprio: largely over Lynch's staunch opposition to the off-shore Deepwater Wind project. Other unions find fault with Lynch, even more fault with Caprio and are looking at endorsing Lincoln Chafee.
* Erik Wallin - The Republican candidate for Attorney General has not only proved uninspiring with his fundraising abilities, he now has to compete for anti-Democratic votes with the entrance of Moderate Party AG candidate Chris Little. Little sports an impressive resume, good fundraising skills and his entrance into this race - along with Rob Rainville flipping from Democratic to Independent - means that the anti-Democratic establishment vote will be split 3 ways and will likely ensure that the winner of the September 14th Democratic Primary (Kilmartin, Fernandez or Archambault) will be inaugurated as Attorney General come January 2011.
* Peter Palumbo - This Rhode Island Democratic(?) State Representative introduced a bill similar to the one passed in Arizona which would give police the authority to detain someone based on the color of their skin (i.e. what does an immigrant 'look like' to a cop?) and to ask for immigration papers. The bill is so right-wing that even Republican Governor Don Carcieri refused to support it. Don't forget that Palumbo got the nickname of “the Octopus” because, in 2005, he was caught voting for two other legislators who weren’t in the House chamber at the time.
* Rhode Island Economic Development - With each passing day that Rhode Island fails to take full advantage of our ports, extend our runway, build a destination casino and invest in renewable energy, we are giving away the store to our neighbors. Now, a casino is set to go up in MA. A bigger windfarm is set to go up in MA. Southwest is coming to MA. We need to end the NIMBYism now and invest in Rhode Island's strengths if we are serious about building the economy.
* Providence Schools Superintendent Tom Brady - When 200+ Hope High School Students showed some civic spirit and marched out of their school and to the Providence School Department to protest the dismantling of a model that has improved Hope High, what was the response of the Superintendent? He ignored them, refused to meet them, then proposed a meeting under strict terms and punished all the students who participated. Come again? We need to applaud these students and harness their powerful energy to continue improving their school. In a city where 1 out of 4 students don't make it to graduation, punishing student engagement is the wrong way to go.
* Don Carcieri - Is he back from Florida yet?
