RI Campaign Update – Gemma Continues Criticism of Cicilline
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Gemma slams Cicilline on public schools. Raptakis claims Mollis took ‘dirty money’…. and more from the campaign trail.
Gemma Criticizes Cicilline Over Schools
Democratic Congressional candidate Anthony Gemma is continuing his push to expose what he says is primary opponent David Cicilline’s record of “disastrous” management of public schools as Providence mayor. Gemma said he had sent a letter to Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, asking her to account for how federal funds had been used in the Providence School District.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“When David Cicilline who repeatedly says he is ‘proud of’ Providence schools and insists upon characterizing them as ‘first-class’– despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary with which he clearly is familiar – he encourages dangerous levels of complacency and confusion that, left in place, will preserve the status quo and have disastrous impacts upon the socio-economic systems of Rhode Island for decades to come,” Gemma said.
If elected, Gemma said he would rally federal, state, and municipal agencies to help public schools in Providence and elsewhere in the state.
Cicilline Releases New Ad
Cicilline, meanwhile, released a new campaign ad yesterday. Click here to check it out.
Raptakis Claims Mollis Takes ‘Dirty Money’
The issue of campaign contributions has again flared up in the Democratic primary for Secretary of State. Challenger Lou Raptakis is now criticizing incumbent Ralph Mollis for accepting a donation from Robert Barbato in 2006, whom he described as a “mob associate.” Indeed, state campaign finance records show that Barbato donated a total of $1,125 to Mollis between 2004 and 2006.
“Ralph Mollis has an unfortunate track record of taking dirty money to fund his political campaigns,” Raptakis said. “It’s one thing to have friends who are mob associates or who get arrested for public corruption and have to resign in disgrace. It’s another thing to proudly take their money and ignore the fact that it raises serious questions about your own character and ethics.”
Raptakis has also called Mollis out over receiving money from the three former North Providence councilmen indicted on bribery charges.
Segal Calls for Special Session to Reform Taxes
Congressional candidate David Segal yesterday called on leaders of the General Assembly to convene a special session to reform taxes, after news reports that some of the wealthiest Rhode Islanders would be paying less under the new tax law.
“I am furious that the tax policy writers gave members false data when the legislation came before us,” Segal said. “We rely on their data as we make key policy decisions, and they represented that relative to the fully phased in flat tax, the change in the tax code would be revenue-neutral, yielding a modest decrease in taxes on working families, and a modest increase on the wealthy.”
Had he been presented with accurate data at the time, Segal said he would have voted against the new tax law. “It is time hold a special session, correct our mistake, and do right by ordinary Rhode Islanders, by changing the new law so the wealthy will pay their fair share” he said.
