UPDATED: RISC Endorses Caprio for Governor
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The state’s largest taxpayer group announced this afternoon that it is endorsing Democrat Frank Caprio for governor.
“Caprio will not allow the exhausted Rhode Island business owner’s and taxpayer’s needs to languish behind the public sector union’s agenda,” said Harry Staley, chairman of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition.
(UPDATED: The Robitaille campaign responded to the endorsement today. See below.)
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTStaley added: “The long campaign season is about to close out but as the snub/shove, ads, debates, and frenzy fade away, where will our state stand then? The ups and downs of the campaign trail will be long gone, but the state’s deep fiscal problems, mountain of pension debt and legions of jobless residents will still be here.
The question now for the taxpayer is who can truly govern and actually turn the talk of reforms and taxpayer relief into reality? Caprio’s already strong performance in office as Treasurer, recognized for innovations and smart management skills, bodes well for how he would govern. A Governor must build support and consensus in the Legislature to deliver solutions, and RISC believes the candidate best positioned to do that is Frank Caprio.”
The endorsement comes after Caprio’s controversial remarks about President Obama and also comes after a new NBC 10-Quest Research poll showed the Democratic candidate had slipped to third place in the race.
Robitaille Criticizes Endorsement
The endorsement also is a blow to Republican John Robitaille, who is running on a fiscally conservative platform of cutting taxes and spending.
Robitaille's campaign criticized the endorsement. "If RISC wants to endorse an individual who has shown he is anti tax payer and pro labor union that is an endorsement that frankly I don’t want," Robitaille said.
Robitaille spokesman Mike Napolitano noted that the endorsement is inconsistent with other positions RISC has taken. "We are concerned that a taxpayer advocacy group would endorse a candidate with a record as liberal as Frank Caprio is on taxes. Frank Caprio has voted to raise taxes countless times including taxes on water, telephones, petroleum delivery, wireless telephones, tires, and even nursing home patient revenue. He also supported the unionization effort of day care workers. RISC has complained about the endorsement of unions in the state of Rhode Island and Mr. Caprio has been endorsed by several unions," Napolitano said.
