EDITORIAL: Should We Believe What McKee and Alviti Say About the Washington Bridge
Monday, April 01, 2024
L-R RIDOT Director Peter Alviti and Governor Dan McKee December 13 press conference -- two days after the Washington Bridge was closed PHOTO: GoLocal
Over the past 40 years, two egregious government fiascos stood out prior to the RIDOT Washington Bridge failure.
The two previous massive missteps of Rhode Island state government, which undermined the confidence of its citizens, were the failure to properly regulate Rhode Island’s credit unions and the funding of 38 Studios.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe 1991 credit union crisis ultimately cost Rhode Islanders an estimated $500 million.
More than 40 credit unions were closed and 300,000 Rhode Island depositors were financially impacted.
In the case of the Washington Bridge failure, many of the public statements made by Dan McKee and Peter Alviti have simply been false.
The statements have included:
The bridge would be repaired in 90 days (McKee and Alviti).
The damage to the bridge was caused by a heavy truck (Alviti).
Claims by Alviti that RIDOT projects are on time and on budget were not true, according to a WJAR report
More recently, the duo claimed that the failed bridge would be demolished and that a new bridge would be completed in two years. And that the cost will be $250 million to $300 million.
Both data points that appear to be highly questionable.
During the course of the crisis, the duo’s behavior has been often bizarre at best.
After learning of the infrastructure disaster, McKee went to play basketball at Hope High School.
McKee lashed out at reporters like WJAR’s Brian Crandall, who asked about Alviti’s fate in light of the bridge’s failure.
That same day, McKee lashed out at GoLocal News Editor, Kate Nagle, when she asked about an independent review.
The next day, after the Washington Bridge was in chaos, while tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders were trapped in gridlock for hours, McKee went to a political fundraiser for Alviti’s acting chief of staff John Igliozzi, who is a candidate for attorney general.
McKee has repeatedly insulted commuters, claiming their frustration is unwarranted and their delays are only a fraction of the time they claimed.
This week, McKee said that he would be releasing a new report. Of the previous reports, McKee has never made the consultants available to reporters to answer questions.
In 1979, novelist Mary McCarthy said of playwright Lillian Hellman to television host Dick Cavett that “every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’”
For McKee, many voted for him because they trusted him, that trust is finite and is running out.
An editorial is the opinion of a publication — specifically, the ownership.
While based on facts and news reporting, it is an opinion intended to discuss critical community issues. Often, the opinion is written with the intention of positive change.
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