Senate President Backs Stokes, Gist

Monday, January 10, 2011

Stephen Beale, GoLocalProv News Editor

 

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In an exclusive interview with GoLocalProv, Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed announced her full support for the state’s top economic development and education officials—Keith Stokes and Deborah Gist.

Both positions have had big questions marks looming over them since Governor Lincoln Chafee took office last week.

During the campaign, Chafee crossed Stokes, the head of the Economic Development Corporation, over a proposed state loan guarantee of $75 million to Curt Schilling’s video game companies. Chafee was one of the most outspoken and aggressive critics of the deal and he made it a top campaign issue. Even though Stokes and Chafee have most recently worked in concert on the state’s failed bid to host America’s Cup, last week WRNI reported that Jim Bennett was being considered for the post.

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Likewise, Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has been an advocate of the Race to the Top and charter schools while Chafee has been critical of both.

Paiva Weed Supports Stokes and Gist

Paiva Weed told GoLocalProv she has personally contacted Chafee and urged him to keep Stokes in his position.

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“I’m a very strong supporter of Keith Stokes in the position of the executive director of the Economic Development Corporation. He has proven leadership skills and a very good relationship with the business community,” Paiva Weed said. “Numerous businesses—both large and small—as well as industries have communicated with me or shared the fact that they’ve communicated with Governor Chafee that they believe it is important to the state to maintain continuity in the department of economic development.”

If Chafee wants to change the state’s approach to economic development, Paiva Weed said he should do so through appointments to the board—on which there will soon be two vacancies.

“I think that it is important that the new governor have the opportunity to shape economic policy. However, the way I would urge him to do that is through the members of the economic development board,” Paiva Weed said. “The executive director initiates policy, implements policy, but he—as in any other corporate or quasi corporate entity—answers to a board of directors, of which the new governor is the chair.”

Paiva Weed said her “answer would be the same” when it came to Gist.

Any replacement for Stokes would have to be confirmed through the state Senate. However, in the case of Gist, only appointments to the Board of regents would have to go through the advice and consent process.

Paiva Weed also spoke out on a number of other issues, including gay marriage, Chafee’s proposed one percent sales tax, and how she thinks the state can cut the deficit.

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Gay Marriage Paiva Weed says she supports civil unions and domestic partnerships, but not gay marriage. She said it’s not up to her whether a gay marriage bill will come up for a floor vote in the Senate. “The legislation goes through the committee process. The question is erroneous in its assumption that the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House can direct the members of a committee how to vote on an issue such as gay marriage … particularly on an issue like gay marriage.”

She expects that a number of bills on the issue will be introduced this session, including ones that legalize gay marriage, establish civil unions, a Defense of Marriage Act, and a referendum to put the matter up for a ballot vote. Last week, a gay marriage bill was introduced in the House and a similar bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Rhoda Perry, D-Providence. Paiva Weed added: “I don’t anticipate that the Senate will vote on this legislation prior to the House voting. I have no trouble saying that either.”

One Percent Sales Tax “I oppose the one percent sales tax. I’m very concerned that it has a negative impact on the low and middle class, particularly in the area of groceries and medication,” Paiva Weed said. That doesn’t mean that Chafee’s proposal won’t be considered in some fashion by the Senate, she added: “Any proposal that he has will certainly receive a fair hearing, debate, and discussion in the Senate Finance Committee.”

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How can the state make up the $300 million deficit? “In a difficult economy you need to look very closely at both the revenue as well as the spending side of the equation,” Paiva Weed said. “Where I believe the revenue side of the equation can examined is under our tax expenditures.” She said she was specifically referring to the state’s tax credit program, which she said she had asked the fiscal staff to examine. She declined to specific which of the tax credits she thinks should be rescinded or reconsidered. According to a recent state report, the state gave out $1.6 billion in tax credits in 2008.

What will be the biggest surprise of the session? Paiva Weed says it’s which state departments Chafee will propose consolidating or eliminating…. “I think that the surprises or the issues that are difficult to articulate with specificity at this time would involve the potential consolidation or elimination of various departments in state government. ...Certainly with this difficult economy I anticipate that the governor will be looking to achieve efficiencies wherever possible in state government. And I think that’s going to be where (Chafee) has a real opportunity to provide strong leadership in ensuring the efficient delivery of services.”
 

 

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