The doldrums of (mostly) slow news days are upon us, even with just slightly more than three weeks until Rhode Island’s September 13 primary. So thanks for stopping by. As usual, you can share your tips and comments, and follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go.
1. Costly fallout from a highly publicized police scandal isn’t typically good for a political incumbent. So it’s no surprise that Cranston Mayor Allan Fung wants to leave last year’s troubles in the rearview mirror as he faces a re-election challenge from Democrat Michael Sepe. (Even a GOP ally of Fung’s puts the taxpayer cost of the police scandal at about $2 million, while rival Democrats and the city’s internal auditor say the bill is $5 million to $8 million.) Asked why voters should return him to City Hall in view of these costs, Fung went on the offensive during this week’s RI Public Radio Political Roundtable: “One of the things we can’t have is my opponent, an old-style Democratic party boss, back in office, because we’ve done a lot of good things during the three terms I’ve been in office.” Fung points to how Cranston has avoided tax hikes for four of the past five years, its rainy day fund is the largest in the state, and the city’s bond rating is at its highest point in decades. “That’s old news,” Fung said of the problems documented in a scathing State Police report last year. He said the $215,000 settlement recently struck with Sgt. Matthew Josefson (who also regained his former rank) is the last one remaining from the controversy. “I’ll have you know that was significantly, significantly, less than what the Democrats on the City Council, who are just nothing but mouthpieces for my opponent, … had put out there, in the millions,” Fung added. For his part, Sepe, the longtime Democratic chairman in Cranston, is criticizing Fung’s oversight and pressing the GOP mayor to rule out a 2018 run for governor. At this point, Fung appears to remain the favorite in the race, with complacency among his past supporters looming as something of a wild card.
2. Speaking of 2018, departing state Rep. Joseph Trillo (R-Warwick) isn’t entirely closing the door on a possible run for governor. While running statewide is “nothing other than a fleeting thought,” Trillo said Friday, “I plan on looking at it more seriously.” Although is outlook in a general election remains uncertain, Trillo could be a factor in a Republican primary, potentially outpacing more moderate candidates …. Here’s what Mayor Fung said when asked on RIPR’s Bonus Q&A if he will rule out running for governor in that cycle: “As this issue has come up I’ve told everyone I’m committed to being mayor, to serve for the term of mayor, and that’s the only race I’m looking at.” Would he serve out a four-year term, if re-elected? “That’s what I’m committed to and that’s what I’ve said to the residents of Cranston.” …. Meanwhile, Ken Block, Fung’s GOP gubernatorial primary opponent from 2014, tells TGIF he’s “keeping every option open so far out from 2018,” although Block’s lack of campaign fundraising in 2015 raises questions about whether he’s about to make another run for governor.
3. My post this week about state Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed‘s departure from the Newport Democratic City Committee attracted a lot of interest. Paiva Weed maintained she asked off the committee since she was missing meetings and wanted to give someone else a chance to participate. Still, TPW has been Senate president since 2009, and speculation continues about her potential exit strategy (possibly with a William Murphy-like hand-off in the 2017-19 session), due to the length of her time in the leadership post. Paiva Weed faces a re-election challenge from Republican Sav Rebecchi, ahead of another vote for Senate president next January.
4. Senator Jack Reed is set to keynote the opening of the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance’s Defense Innovation Days, taking place from August 29-31, at the Hyatt Regency in Newport. The event (keynoted by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in 2014) will feature sessions on undersea technology, cyber-security, and war fighter perspectives. The defense industry remains a bright spot for Rhode Island’s economy, and with growing chatter about Democrats possibly retaking the Senate, Reed could be poised to chair the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
5. Could Shawna Lawton outpace Steven Frias in the small pool of voters who will decide which Republican will square off against House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in November? The answer will come after the September 13 primary. For now, Lawton is unwilling to debate Frias because, she said in a RIPR interview earlier this week she doesn’t consider it necessary. But she responded to Frias’ criticism that her run amounts to “an amorphous campaign on saying, ‘we need change.’ ” “I think it’s interesting,” Lawton told me. “I think one of the things that I’ve always said to people, especially out on the campaign trail is to do your research, look at both candidates, and see where they’re coming from, what they’re focusing on, what their concerns are. I don’t agree with him. The thought behind that is he has never heard of me before, has not seen the work I’ve done in the community, has not seen the work that I’ve did this past year up at the Statehouse. There are serious issues up at the Statehouse right now. There have been for several years. There needs to be some change. And I’m not going to complain about the issues. I’ve voted in every single election, so I’ve contributed to the way the state is run. My thought is, we need to get people elected that have not been in the system, have a different outlook on the issues, who will look at things in a more creative innovative way. And I’m aware of the issues that are surrounding the people in my district and the people of Rhode Island. I have some serious concerns about tolls and 38 Studios and legislative grants and term limits, there are a lot of things. But if you don’t take the time to talk to me and ask me the questions, then you don’t know and you can make a statement like that.”
6. Back in 2001, so many Providence Journal reporters left the newspaper during an intensifying labor-management conflict that insiders called it “the exodus.” Now, though, with the paper’s current owner, GateHouse Media, looking to make cuts across its 125 daily newspapers, that time from 15 years ago may more closely resemble the (unsustainable) good old days. On FB, Former ProJo M. Charles Bakst lamented how more reductions will impact the ProJo. At the same time, there’s important reporting still to be done, and as some said in comments on Charlie’s post, Rhode Islanders should subscribe to the Journal if they want to sustain it. While cuts fit with GateHouse’s reputation, the ProJo has made some noteworthy moves during the company’s tenure, expanding its coverage of news from outside Providence, juicing up the front page, and highlighting strong reporting (Tom Mooney and Patrick Anderson‘s deep dive on Ray Gallison, to name one example). For better or worse, it’s not easy being a media company in 2016.
7. The ProJo is losing another long-term employee, this time on the human resources side. Thomas J. McDonough, the newspaper’s vice president of human resources and labor relations, is leaving Fountain Street after more than 20 years to become assistant vice president for human resources at Roger Williams University in Bristol. “Tom is extremely collaborative, professional and has significant experience with recruiting, HRIS, employee relations, compensation, benefits administration, employee development, training and labor relations,” Jerry Williams, RWU’s executive vice president for finance and administration, wrote in an internal announcement. “His insight and experience will be valuable as he joins the University to continue the objective of providing a high level of customer service to all employees.”
8. Bill Deware, Democratic primary challenger to state Rep. William O’Brien (D-North Providence) this week became the latest Rhode Island candidate to go public this year with word of a serious health challenge. “In late June I developed an infection that would escalate into a case of meningitis that left me hospitalized for two weeks,” Deware wrote in a news release. “During most of that time I was unconscious in a medically induced coma. A recovery is expected but I believe in complete transparency with voters. I’m fortunate to have a wife who loves me and has been there every step of the way. I’ve even more fortunate to have a family that kept me fighting when it was hardest.” On August 1, state Rep. Tom Palangio (D-Providence) said he was seeking re-election “while taking on another challenge—working to beat cancer. Last spring, Palangio was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a form of cancer that strikes the inner lining of blood vessels and attacked his leg. Since May, he has been receiving treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For weeks, I tried to work through the pain in my leg, but it finally reached a point where it was just too painful to ignore and that’s when I received the diagnosis,” said Palangio. “Thankfully, I’ve received tremendous support from my family, friends, and neighbors who are helping me in this fight and encouraging me to continue to live my life and do the things that matter to me.” Meanwhile, back in July, Cranston City Council candidate Lammis J. Vargas offered this announcement: “Only days after announcing my candidacy for City Council and being endorsed by the Cranston City Democratic Committee, I became ill, had to be hospitalized and was diagnosed with APL Leukemia. I have always fought for what I believe in and will not let this turn of events determine my life. After speaking with my family and my physicians, I am confident that this type of cancer is beatable and will not impact my ability to campaign, meet the residents and serve our city. I look forward to earning the support of the people of Cranston and representing them on the City Council.” And Sen. William Walaska (D-Warwick) spoke with RIPR in June about his battle with a form of leukemia — and challenges in getting medication to fight it.
9. As RIPR’s Ambar Espinoza reports, the Pascoag Utility District, one of the early supporters of the controversial proposed power plant in Burrillville, has decided against supplying water to Invenergy’s proposed facility. Invenergy is seeking an alternate source for a plant that may need up to one million gallons of water a day.
10. Rest in peace, Providence native John McLaughlin, who died this week at age 89. He ran a losing race against Senator John O. Pastore in 1970 and is credited by some with inventing modern punditry. As Chris Cillizza writes, “Watch cable television — any of the networks — for five minutes some time today and you will see McLaughlin’s fingerprints everywhere. Panels of journalist/pundits lined up in rows to offer their immediate take on who won and who lost every minute of every day of the campaign. Whether the changes McLaughlin helped usher into politics and political journalism were (or are) a good thing for our democracy is a fair question. It’s also one I am not equipped to objectively answer as someone who makes my living at the intersection of journalism, punditry and television. What is beyond dispute is that McLaughlin had a profound effect on not only the way politics is covered but also on how journalists think of themselves and how they are, in turn, perceived by readers and viewers. McLaughlin is gone, but his vision of what political news — and television — could and should be very much lives on.”
11. Paul Manafort, whose work for former Governor Edward DiPrete we recalled back in July (#2), is gone from the Donald Trump campaign. But Rhode Island stays in the picture! None other than former Don Carcieri campaign manager and chief of staff Ken McKay went on cable to explain the campaign shakeup.
12. In Massachusetts, charter school advocates have launched an $18 million effort. Connecticut’s biggest business lobby is pouring $400,000 into 15 legislative races. So where’s RI business community when it comes to the political fray? For now, it looks to many observers like business backing for the 2011 pension overhaul was one and done.
13. How squeegee men — a kind of panhandler — became relics in New York City.
14. Scott MacKay ponders what the future holds for McCoy Stadium.
15. Mayor Fung, who scored a victory when Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter approved Cranston’s imposed cap on pension cost of living adjustments, said cities and towns still need enabling legislation to get a better handle on legacy pension and healthcare costs. “I was part of the second commission that looked at municipal problems with pensions and OPEB [other post-employment benefits, mostly healthcare], and that report is sitting on a shelf, and the fact that it’s sitting on a shelf is definitely disturbing to me,” Fung said on this week’s RIPR Bonus Q&A. “It’s a looming crisis.”
16. Young Democrat of RI PAC endorsements: HD3 Moira Walsh; HD4, Aaron Regunberg; HD11, Grace Diaz; HD26, Anthony Paolino; HD29, Lisa Tomasso; HD69, Susan Donovan; HD72, Linda Finn; HD75, Lauren Carson. Rhode Island State Senate: SD9, Adam Satchell; SD19, Ryan Pearson; SD21, Margaux Morriseau; SD27, Hanna Gallo; SD28: Josh Miller; SD34, Cathy Cool-Rumsey.
17. RI Sierra Club endorsements: Representative in General Assembly: Moira Walsh (District 3-Providence); Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (District 5-Providence); Grace Diaz (District 11-Providence); Lisa Scorpio (District 13-Johnston/Providence); Nicholas Delmonico (District 27-Coventry/Warwick/West Warwick); Teresa Tanzi (District 34-Narragansett/South Kingstown); Kathleen Fogarty (District 35-South Kingstown); William Deware (District 54-North Providence); David Norton (District 60-Pawtucket); Jason Knight (District 67-Barrington/Warren; Susan Donovan (District 69 – Bristol/Portsmouth); Linda Finn (District 72-Middletown/Newport/Portsmouth); Senator in General Assembly: Doris De Los Santos (District 7-Providence/North Providence); Matt Fecteau (District 8-Pawtucket); Daniel Issa (District 16-Central Falls/Pawtucket); Dennis Lavallee (District 17-Lincoln/North Providence/North Smithfield); Jeanine Calkin (District 30-Warwick).
18. Why NPR’s web site is getting rid of comments. We still have them here at RIPR, at least for now.
19. Check it: beer is an example of how high-income households benefit more from product innovations. As NPR’s Shankar Vedantam explains, “The size of the craft beer market, which caters to wealthier people, is exploding at about 20 percent a year. On the other hand, the market for big-name beers, like Miller, for example, is growing maybe 1 to 2 percent a year. Now, lots of manufacturers want a piece of the craft beer market. [scholar Xavier] Jaravel told me that as a result of all the competition in the craft beer market, craft beer prices are rising more slowly than big-name beers, which are largely consumed by poorer people. So effectively, the rich are not just seeing their incomes rise more quickly than the poor. They’re seeing the prices of the things they buy rise more slowly than do the poor – both of which, of course, collectively exacerbate income inequality.” Meanwhile, drink up because we might be headed to another bursting of the craft beer bubble.
