Schaper: Fung, Block, Gina, Pell, Angel of Debt
Friday, January 31, 2014
The 2014 race for Rhode Island Governor is already off to a rough-and-tumble start.
One the Republican side, we have the first Chinese-American governor-maybe, and on the other side, a former Obama supporter who set up his own party before jumping into the Republican fold once again.
Fung Faces Critics
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFirst, about Allan Fung. The Cranston mayor has admitted to being responsible for accidental death during his college days, from which he was cleared. No malice aforethought, no jail time. He stood before the cameras and told all earlier this month, but let’s be clear: he had told all before when he ran for city council a decade ago, but ProJo didn’t care, then.
The real problems reared their ugly heads late last year. With policemen behaving badly, a couple of disgruntled cops targeted two ward reps in Cranston for voting down a lucrative public sector contract. The ticketing scandal involving Cranston police in key wards has set off critics against Fung, because he launched an internal investigation quietly before soliciting the assistance of the state police force.
Could have done more, should have moved sooner. Such is the price for serving the public, however well or poorly. Talk about a blue wall of silence, coupled with a rising wall of debt.
Fung critics further charge that the mayor is playing up the unions, and even signed onto a contract so lavish for the police force, one wonders why some of the police went on a ticket frenzy in the first place. With incremental steps in place along with more sick days, is Fung giving away the city with the water?
Block: A Moderate Fighter
Then there’s former Moderate Party candidate Ken Block, who ran under his own banner in 2010, and now wants to be a Republican.
A couple of problems: he voted for Obama, twice. Hope and change has not worked for the country. A Moderate who voted for a Democrat, running for Rhode Island as a Republican. Governor Chafee part two? RI GOP Communications Director Michael Napolitano, and a strong support of Chairman Mark Smiley is supporting Block anyway, even though his skepticism was high, high, high:
“I had some questions when I spoke to Ken,” Napolitano shared. “And he gave an easy answer: ‘I made a mistake.’”
Fair enough, but I probed further. Why Moderate-to-Republican Ken Block instead of the Cranston mayor:
“He’s a fighter. He was the first to form a group to end binding arbitration for Rhode Island public employees.” Acknowledging the obvious, Napolitano shared the need for a strong candidate who can stand up to the public sector unions in the Ocean state. “Block has led the fight to remove the Master Lever, which contributes in part to the high Democratic turnout in every election.” The Communications Director then reminded me that Block pushed for hearings in the General Assembly to end the out-dated ballot practice.
One hundred people, left and right, Democrat and Republicans, wanted to pull the Master Lever for the last time.
Napolitano has made his choice. Who will primary voters get behind this year?
Democrats at it Too
Now to the Democrats.
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, a Democrat with a conscience (or at least a flair for making sure that the numbers add up) has announced her run for governor. While public sector unions hate her for pension reform, other voices despise her progressive outreach. John DePetro has nice things to say about her, but is anyone listening? At least he didn’t call her a fat you-know-what! And there are no lawsuits pending from Gina to Johnny. It amazes me time and again how leaders will make the right decisions when pressed to the wall, but when running for higher office, they will throw common sense and caution to the wind just to get a vote. Will she stand by her own pension reforms as Governor? Will they survive current legal challenges?
Then there’s Pell Junior--er, Clay Pell--grandson of Rhode Island US Senator Claiborne Pell and husband of Olympic skater and Dancing with the Stars #1 Michelle Kwan. Aside from Grandpa Pell’s political legacy (and higher education grants), I like the wife more than the husband: she was born in my home town, Torrance CA, and she’s a great dancer on and off the ice. Maybe she can teach her husband how to tap-dance through the tough questions and the campaign trials.
Finally, Providence mayor Angel Taveras has thrown his hat into the ring (of fire, frenzy, or whatever). He shuts down city pools, and he placates unions. Taveras may take in less money than the police and fire departments on any given day, but they are doubling down on wages and benefits while taking the city for all its worth. Who will protect us from the protectors, one must ask? Taveras has kicked the can of pension liabilities and city governance into tin can crump with nothing to show for it. And “Angel of Debt” Taveras wants to sit in the Governor’s mansion, too?
Rhode Islanders have an interesting slate for 2014: imperfect, improvident, and unproven. Whoever wins, will he (or she) finally tame the tax-and-spend GA?
Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A life-long Southern California resident, Arthur currently lives in Torrance.
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