It was another chaotic week in the race for Governor of Rhode Island and ended in a bizarre twist with the Rhode Island General Assembly jamming through a special bill for a constituent and donor to Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello.
The bill is under fire from the specialty insurance industry who warn that the legislation will have an adverse impact on everyone from homeowners within 5 miles of the coastline to those who own three-deckers.
The bill has just one supporter -- Paul Damiano, who has funneled $4,500 to Mattiello and $7,200 to the sponsor Representative Scott Slater. The politics of the bill get even more complicated. Damiano is also a big supporter of Cranston Mayor Allan Fung. He has donated over the past decade $5,250 to Fung.
While Mattiello and Slater defend the bill as being pro-consumer, it allows for the payment of certain forms of insurance to be delayed in payment — up to 85 days.
The bill passed the House unanimously earlier in the session without a word of opposition from another gubernatorial aspirant — Patricia Morgan.
Slater said it should not matter Damiano lives or who he donates to. He said the legislation will help people and businesses.
Specialty Insurance Industry Says the Adoption of the Legislation Will Be Devastating
Tom DeCotis, CEO of Rhode Island firm DeCotis Specialty Insurance warns some Rhode Island agencies like his will be forced to close and that many insurance companies will simply stop writing insurance in Rhode Island.
“There are about a half-dozen firms like ours — and combined we employ about 100 to 150 people — this bill will crush our industry,” DeCotis told GoLocal.
DeCotis also warns that the industry writes more than $150 million in business and is subject to a 4 percent tax. DeCotis warns that Rhode Island could lose the $6 million in revenue.
Will Raimondo (has received five donations totaling $2,500 from Damiano) veto Mattiello’s legislation or give the bill and the Speaker a free pass?
Related Slideshow: 2018 Governor’s Race Playbook - June 25, 2018
Matt Brown had a Muhammad Ali kind of week - "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."
Brown hit Raimondo on a range of issues including PawSox funding, Democratic party nomination process, etc. And he turned not wanting or getting the Democratic state nomination into a minor win.
"Tonight’s convention demonstrated the deep divide in Rhode Island’s Democratic party. What was engineered as a coronation for Governor Raimondo descended into chaos and protest as a group of women turned their backs on the rigged proceedings, chanting “shame” at the fixed process," said Brown on Sunday.
"Tonight’s debacle was befitting of an administration that has a troubling history of corruption and falsehoods. Party leaders held an endorsement vote between me and Governor Raimondo at the convention tonight despite my publicly stating that I did not put myself forward for endorsement. It was an outrageous, sham process.
The jabs are starting to have an effect.
Losses:
N/A
X-Factor: How does he get his message out? Can he attract disgruntled union-base Democratic primary voters?
Independent candidate Joe Trillo hit Allan Fung on Rentgate, Gina Raimondo on immigration, and progressives on, well, being progressives.
“Here, in the state of Rhode Island, when a crime is committed and the police are called to the scene, adults are immediately detained or taken to the police station for questioning. Any children present at the scene are removed and detained by law enforcement or child protective services so that the police can get to the bottom of the situation. Doesn’t anyone see that it’s the same system? It is, but Progressive Democrats such as Governor Gina Raimondo and David Cicilline are sensationalizing what happens in most every state in our country, for their own purposes, during a mid-term election year,” Trillo said.
Losses:
He can fire out press releases with the best of them, but what else can he do?
X-Factor: Campaign is beginning to look like a one trick pony - issue lots of hard-hitting press releases, but not much else.
Tried to take a win on the passage of the budget -- a lackluster one. Most of her draconian cuts to social services, like her $18 million cut to the developmentally disabled, was restored by the General Assembly.
Losses:
No overt stumbles, but Democratic challenger Matt Brown is beginning to become a real problem. Opponents to Kristen's Law are putting the pressure on Raimondo on Monday.
X-Factor: What does she do to attract new voters or is the plan to pummel opponents?
Weighed in on the PawSox funding controversy. "...we have a complete failure of leadership and we are approaching the last days of the legislative session with a bill that raises more questions than it answers. All because we have a governor who is more focused on putting the arm on business to build her campaign fund than she is on doing her real job," said Dickinson.
Losses:
N/A
X-Factors: Teacher's pensions and PawSox funding - now starting to build a record.
Claims that Patricia Morgan's decision to withdraw from seeking the GOP nomination was a win for him. Only Feroce can claim that finishing second is a win for him.
"I have focused my plan all along to come in at least second at the convention and that was accomplished, so I am very pleased," said Feroce.
Losses:
Did not give comment on PawSox, budget or any other substantive issue for the week.
Despite filing a Board of Elections complaint, failed to take advantage of Cranston Mayor and GOP rival Allan Fung's repeated HQ miscues -- including Fung's move from one Carpionato property to another.
Losses:
A tough week for Morgan. She bowed out of the GOP nomination process issuing a statement that read, “Because the political establishment and party insiders have made it very clear who they have handpicked for a puppet candidate, I have decided to spend my time in a more productive manner. Instead of participating in a rigged convention or having cocktails with the political elite, I will be at my campaign HQ with the men and women who want to see real change, not the politics of the past. We will be reaching out to the hardworking people of Rhode Island who are desperately wanting a change in leadership to take our state in a new direction.”
It should have been a feeding frenzy kind of week for Fung. Lots of little stumbles by Raimondo, a Democratic-crafted state budget, PawSox funding scheme that even PawSox supporters question, and he was caught up (week two) on Rentgate.
Losses:
Two big blunders. One, allowing Rentgate to continue into a second week. Two, moving his headquarters from one Carpionato location to another. The Cranston developer is the central figure in the rent controversy.
Bumbled the federal family separation issue -- left standing on an island alone when he refused to comment on the issue.
