Rhode Island Republicans wonder what will make their party "great"

Maybe stop running rightwing nuts like Elaine Morgan and Justin Price? 

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Days after Donald Trump’s conviction in the New York hush-money trial, Steve Frias finally broke his silence.

The Rhode Island Republican National Committeeman told party leaders he would not seek reelection to the post he’d held for 12 years, denouncing Trump and his supporters for alleging the trial and verdict were politically motivated. 

“I kept procrastinating, hoping something would change, thinking ‘maybe I am wrong here,’” said Frias, an attorney who lives in Cranston.

But he knew it was the right thing to do based on the relief he felt the minute he stepped away. He longer had to feign allegiance to the presumptive nominee at the state party convention in late June, or the Republican National Convention in July.

Yet many Rhode Island Republicans tiptoe around the topic of Trump. They may be fearful of stepping out of line with the national party. More importantly, they may want to avoid alienating the 47% of Rhode Island voters who are unaffiliated.

Insurrectionist Justin Price wants to beat
 Megan Cotter to win back his seat

No Republican has won a federal or general office seat in the state in over a decade. And now, their marginal presence in the 113-seat Rhode Island Legislature could diminish even further, with three of the 14 Republican incumbents not seeking reelection in November and fewer than 30 Republican challengers for Democratic-held, or open seats.

While national politics isn’t entirely to blame, the shifting ideology of the national Republican party certainly hasn’t helped Rhode Island Republicans, said Wendy Schiller, a political science professor and interim director for the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.

“The national Republican party is really out of step with what Rhode Islanders want and what they believe,” Schiller said in a recent interview. “It presents a real challenge for local candidates when your national party is saying it wants to cut Medicaid, doesn’t believe in climate change, doesn’t support infrastructure spending — all things Rhode Island desperately needs.”

Not to mention, the lack of cash and resources the Rhode Island GOP has to offer to candidates already facing an uphill battle simply because of voter demographics. 

Celebrate ‘Day of Reason” today

RI Atheists celebrate Day of Reason Thursday May 4 with State House evening projections on May 4th.

By Rhode Island Atheists

On May 4th, as Americans celebrate the “National Day of Prayer,” the members of Rhode Island Atheists invite you – and our elected leaders – to join us in recognizing a “Day of Reason” by celebrating the importance of rational thought for the liberty, advancement, and betterment of all citizens.

First recognized in 2003 by then Governor Lincoln Chafee, the “Day of Reason” highlights the importance of an inclusive secular society which welcomes all regardless of religious or secular beliefs. 

Declaring a day of reason shows that we are committed to supporting evidence-based solutions for today’s problems. Critical thinking and logical reasoning are vital tools to counter the malignant, divisive rhetoric pervading social media and dividing our country.

To fully recognize the freedoms of speech, thought and conscience for all people, we seek to encourage our lawmakers to critically examine and reject any legislation that attempts to deny rights to people, such as the right to a secular education, the right to an abortion, the respect for LGBTQ+ people and many other pressing issues. 

The road that leads a diverse society into happiness must have the widest path of freedom.

We can, and must, do better.

Rhode Island Atheists calls on Governor Daniel McKee and members of the general assembly to mark May 4 as a “Day of Reason” and elevate the use of scientific and rational thought as the most valuable methods for understanding problems, debating issues and making decisions. 

The Rhode Island Atheists will celebrate by projecting on the State House starting around 8pm.

Earth-shaking news or Nothingburger?

An end to Blake Filippi’s career-ending lawsuit

By Will Collette

Last Friday, the news media carried an announcement that due to Speaker of the RI House Joe Shekarchi’s decision to reactive the Joint Committee on Legislative Services (JCLS), Charlestown’s former state Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi would drop his lawsuit against General Assembly leaders.

Shekarchi actually told the Democratic caucus he would reactivate the JCLS in 2020 but, on the advice of House lawyers, he held off due to pending litigation, which we’ll discuss below.

This Joint Committee was supposed to be a mechanism for Senate and House leaders of both parties to get together and make big decisions about the operations of the General Assembly.  

On paper, this is an important committee. In reality, it’s just another committee. Three years ago, Filippi was in a feud with then House Speaker Nick Mattiello. Mattiello didn’t think much of the JCLS and simply didn’t convene it, making decisions himself that otherwise would be sent to the JCLS.

Flip needed an issue to frame his feud with Mattiello as one of good versus evil, liberator versus tyrant. He decided the JCLS was the ticket so, in addition to a relentless effort to stir up public outrage, he filed a lawsuit.

Well, the JCLS thing never really got a lot of traction. As Filippi’s own lawsuit noted, the JCLS had not met in over a decade – and apparently no one except Flip noticed. Or cared.

Make no mistake – Mattiello was a tyrant and was broadly despised by critics left and right. But as some pundits put it, the JCLS is such an “inside baseball” issue that it’s really not an issue at all. Quick: without referring back to paragraph one, what’s the JCLS’ full name?

Is there anyone who follows politics in the state of Rhode Island who was shocked to hear that Mattiello made all the decisions? 

In the run-up to the 2022 election, Blake “Flip” Filippi made the surprise announcement that he was not going to run for re-election. Flip had a relatively safe seat, thanks to a lot of campaigning for him by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA), plus he was the leader of the House Republicans.

But he gave it all up, saying that he needed to focus all of his attention on his JCLS lawsuit.

WTF? Over the past 8 years, if there’s one thing Charlestown has learned about Blake “Flip” Filippi is that he needs to be in the public spotlight all the time. Sure, Flip got a lot of coverage after making this announcement until Tina Spears’ landslide election to replace him. But after that, not so much.

I cannot believe that Flip gave up a job that gave him what he craves most – power and attention – to work on a piddling lawsuit about an agency no one’s heard about, or cares.

Filippi tweeted:

I’m thrilled Leader Chippendale and Speaker Shekarchi have agreed to regular meetings of the JCLS – which was the goal of the lawsuit I filed in 2000. With their agreement in place, I’m more happy [sic] to dismiss my lawsuit, and look forward to the first JCLS meeting in over 10-years.

Except that Flip got his dates wrong. He filed his lawsuit in 2020, not 20 years earlier, and had to refile it in 2021 because his first suit was dismissed.

I still can’t believe Filippi didn’t run for re-election for this stupid lawsuit. If you have any theories or better, proof of why Filippi didn’t run for re-election, please e-mail Progressive Charlestown. 

In a lot of ways, Filippi reminds me of former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey who was a thing for a few years in the early 2000s when he seemed like a dangerous rising star in conservative Republican politics. After being mayor for four years, he made challenged Lincoln Chafee in the 2006 Republican Senate primary.

Laffey lost, as did Chafee in the General election to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

Like Filippi, Laffey went into cattle ranching after moving to Colorado. He kept his hand in, though, running for the US House in 2014. Laffey came in last among four candidates vying for the Republican nomination.

Like Filippi, Laffey is a raging narcissist with a casual relationship with the truth, wacky conservative politics but a certain amount of charm that appeals to some segments of the electorate. Despite his cattle ranch, you could say Steve Laffey is all hat, no cow.

But you can’t keep a good narcissist down. Laffey has just declared that he is now running for the Republican nomination for President in 2024. Despite reports in the news media that Nikki Haley is the first declared challenger to Donald Trump, Laffey actually beat her by a couple weeks. But then, no one outside Rhode Island ever heard of him or takes him seriously.

Maybe Filippi will also throw his cowboy hat into the Presidential ring too.

Coit leaving DEM to join Raimondo in Washington

Report: Coit to Follow Raimondo to Commerce Department

By ecoRI News staff

After more than a decade as the director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Janet Coit is being brought onboard at the U.S. Commerce Department by her former boss, Gina Raimondo, according to The Boston Globe’s Dan McGowan.

It’s unclear, according to McGowan, what job title Coit, who has led DEM under three governors, will hold at the Commerce Department.

A former top aide to U.S. Sen. John Chafee, Coit was originally appointed to lead DEM by Chafee’s son, Lincoln, who was elected Rhode Island’s 74th governor in 2010.

Before being selected to run DEM, Coit, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Stanford Law School, was the Rhode Island state director for The Nature Conservancy for 10 years.

Coit was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2011 and 2015, and only one senator, Sam Bell, voted against her nomination in 2019.

A bad bargain then, a bad bargain now

Let’s talk about education. McKee proposes $911 million for local public school aid, a 3% bump, but also proposes charter schools get a 9% bump

By Tom Sgouros

Tom Sgouros

It is budget season in Rhode Island, and the discussions at the state house are perhaps a little less panicked since the Biden administration has come through with some badly-needed aid. 

You can tell there is breathing room because we now hear how we don’t really need to revisit our tax policy. For the record, the state plans to spend $100 million on a tax cut this year, but only to people whose cars are worth over $4,000. 

And both the new Governor McKee and new Speaker Shekarchi seem interested in ignoring the issue of taxes, letting the car tax cut stand and resisting the call to restore income taxes on high incomes. 

Let’s talk about education. The Governor is proposing to spend $911 million on local public school aid. This is about a 3% bump up from last year, which is certainly not awful. Charter schools get a 9% bump, though. 

Time for some history. What $911 million actually means is that we may finally reach the education funding levels of… the Almond administration. The 2003 budget of Lincoln Almond, not exactly a profligate spender, gave $904 million (in 2020 dollars) to fund local public schools. After him, Governor Carcieri pretty much level-funded education until he slashed it mercilessly when the financial crisis hit in 2008. 

The story was not all bleak. Over his term, Carcieri managed to triple the state budget for charter schools. And between 2008 and 2011, when our traditional public schools were seeing a 20% cut in state aid (again, correcting for inflation), charter schools saw a 33% increase. 

Governors Chafee and Raimondo managed to restore some funding, but not nearly what was lost. (Though they did manage to triple charter school funding again.)  

Over the past two decades, we have cut a truly devastating amount from traditional public schools. Had we only kept pace with inflation since 2003, we would have spent more than $1.8 billion more on supporting our schools over that time. 

But we didn’t do that. We gave away money instead. Aside from the hugely expensive car tax cut. There was a capital gains tax cut in 2001, then the “flat” tax slashed tax rates (only for the rich) every year from 2007 until 2012. 

Short Takes #9 on Rhode Island’s war with COVID-19

As the toll mounts, Rhode Island ramps up testing

By Will Collette

Rhode Island’s death toll continues to rise – at 27 as of today – as more frail elderly in nursing homes succumb. 

We’re close to 1,100 confirmed cases for the state – Charlestown’s number remains at less than 5.

But those numbers will rise dramatically as the state gets more drive-thru test sites up and running.

That’s a good thing because we need an honest and clear picture of how the pandemic has spread through Rhode Island so we can make more informed decisions.

The latest mass testing will take place in the Twin Rivers parking lot where CVS Minute Clinic staff will administer a new, faster test that can produce results in 5 minutes if you test positive and 15 minutes if you test clear. Remember: you need an APPOINTMENT to get tested, but the criteria has been loosened to open testing to any feeling ill.

CLICK HERE to pre-register on-line for the CVS site.

Call your doctor or the closest urgent care center to get set up for testing.

The state has also set up three field hospitals to prepare for the anticipated surge of patients needing hospitalization. They have the capacity for 1000+ sick people. 

Sites are: the Rhode Island Convention Center and two vacant buildings: a former Citizens Bank building on Sockanosset Cross Road in Cranston and a former Lowe’s at Quonset.

Money, money, money

There’s good news and bad news on the money front. The good news is that the RI Department of Labor and Training will start taking applications tomorrow (Tuesday) from workers who normally don’t qualify for benefits, such as the self-employed and gig workers.

CLICK HERE for DLT’s home page that leads with links to programs for workers seeking help due to COVID-19 job loss.

Chances are that signing up will not be quick and effortless, but this program – fought for by Congressional Democrats against strong Republican push-back – will provide needed relief to many workers often left out.

The bad news is obstructionist tactics by banks to the new “Paycheck Protection Program,” a part of the CARES Act that was supposed to give forgivable loans to businesses with fewer than 500 workers to prevent worker lay-offs. The program had its official launch last Friday.

Banks have been turning away business applicants for a variety of reasons, such as restricting loans to only those businesses with existing account or forcing applicants to buy other bank services in order to be considered.

State Treasurer Seth Magaziner wrote to all banks and credit unions in Rhode Island to tell them to knock it off.

“This is unacceptable,” Magaziner wrote.

“I am concerned that, during the roll out of the PPP program (Friday), many Rhode Island SBA lenders indicated that they would only process PPP applications for their pre-existing customers.
“At least one SBA lender indicated that it would only process PPP applications for pre-existing customers with other active credit products, effectively denying small businesses that have no debt access to this vital program and using the program as leverage to cross-sell other products.”

The Providence Business News reports:

“Locally, institutions such as Citizens Bank held off participating, at least initially, while banks such as The Washington Trust Co. and Centreville Bank were processing applications.”

More closures of Rhode Island nature sites

For lack of other outdoor activities, people have flocked to the state’s many outdoor recreation sites. But the influx of visitors opened up new potential vectors for coronavirus infections.

The state and some towns (e.g. Narragansett) led the way by closing down parks and beaches. Others like Charlestown followed behind.

The RI Nature Conservancy has closed down all of its preserves, including several in Charlestown.

Now the US Fish and Wildlife service has closed one of its National Wildlife Refuges -  the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown.

The ProJo reports that the “Audubon Society of Rhode Island has kept its lands open and the Rhode Island Land Trust Council also has not adopted an across-the-board closure.”

Ninigret NWR here in Charlestown and Trustom Pond in South Kingstown remain open but the USFWS is monitoring the number of visitors and their behavior.

The Charlestown land Trust seems to be ignoring COVID-19. Their website touts the planned opening of their farmers’ market on June 26, a 10K run on June 13 and a “summer party” at the Nordic Lounge on July 23. Good luck with all that. Sure would be nice if this was all over by June, but I’m not betting on it.

Filippi grabs his share of the spotlight

This is a pearlfish, a bottom feeder. And this is what it does all day.

This is a great time to be Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi, Charlestown’s peripatetic rep who just loves  to get himself mentioned in news reports. 

As the only state Republican used by the media for any counter-point to Gov. Raimondo or the General Assembly leaders, he gets quoted on all manner of subjects.

For instance, because of the pandemic and its economic impact on Rhode Island and the state’s budget, he says “I don’t think anything is going to escape the hatchet.” He also says that he might even support raising taxes, though given his past history, I’ll believe that when I see it.

One major concern for Flip is the upcoming elections, starting with the process of getting on the ballot and then campaigning. In addition to his talent at drawing media attention, Flip is also known for his door-knocking skill where he can turn on his charm.

This starts in June when candidates have to officially declare and then to a short time frame in July to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Sez Flip: “I’m concerned about people being able to get on the ballot when you can’t really interact, you can’t go knock on doors and get signatures.”

“The bread and butter of politics is knocking on people’s door in this state, as it should be, and I just don’t know that we’re going to be able to be doing that,” Filippi says, so candidates will need to be “really smart and crafty with online messaging, mail messaging, to get their word out.”

Most of Westerly is not covered by Gov. Raimondo’s checkpoint for out of state visitors.

David Collins of the New London Day reported that nearly all of Westerly is outside of the area where cars with out of state licenses are stopped and logged as part of RI’s coronavirus prevention measures.

Collins points out that the Route One checkpoint is north of Westerly Airport so most visitors staying in Westerly don’t need to pass it. The Route 95 checkpoint is at Exit 3 so visitors heading for Watch Hill or the beaches can just get off at Exits 1 and 2.

I’ve driven past the Route One checkpoint several times going to and from CVS. I saw very little activity except a couple of times where a trooper chased and stopped out of state drivers who blew past the checkpoint.

Collins said a soldier at one of the checkpoints told him most cars were just passing through Rhode Island and the early-arriving summer residents had already gotten here before the checkpoints went up
.

Electric Boat head tests positive

The Day, published out of New London and one of our best local newspapers, reports Kevin Graney, CEO of Electric Boat, has tested positive for COVID-19. Graney told the Day his symptoms have been mild but he is listening to medical advice and staying home.

He also told the Day EB’s Groton shipyard has six confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Local businesses pitch in to help

By Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

Grey Sail Brewing recently opened a new distillery in Westerly. The March Grand Opening didn’t happen. However, Grey Sail decided that rather than produce vodka and bourbon, they would switch to making hand sanitizer.

Most of their production is being donated to institutions and groups that have to have a lot of direct contact with the public.

They are making a small part of their production available to the public for a suggested donation of $3 a bottle (hey, imagine how much they could get on EBay). Visit their website or call them at 401.212.7592 BEFORE visiting them at 63 Canal Street, Westerly.

My nephew says that his employer, a high-tech company in South Kingstown, is using its bank of 3-D printers to crank out PPEs.

I’m sure there are many other unheralded efforts by individuals and businesses to help each other make it through this crisis. It takes empathy, ingenuity and a degree of patriotism. If more of us do it, maybe it will rub off on the White House, though probably not.

A piece of news you may have missed

Former Rhode Island Governor and US Senator Lincoln Chafee has announced an end to his nearly invisible campaign for President as a Libertarian (sorry, Flip – but here’s your chance to replace him).

Chafee’s statement repeatedly mentions COVID-19 but doesn’t exactly name that (or any other reason) for deciding to drop out of the race. He does say he made the decision “after a tremendous amount of thought.”

His mother died a couple of weeks ago at age 93. 

Chafee left Rhode Island a year ago and moved to Wyoming where he apparently has an anvil, some bolt-cutters, a hammer, a jack and a grinding wheel.

Pandemic coverage in Progressive Charlestown

To date, we’ve run close to 150 pieces tagged “pandemic” in Progressive Charlestown. They run the gamut from cartoons and videos to political commentary to solid, science-based articles on key aspects of the COVID-19 onslaught.

Here is a listing of serious, science-based articles we have published that address the health and scientific questions many of us want answered on COVID-19. Includes self-help posts. I’ve left off political commentary pieces and exposes on Trump’s scandalous mishandling of the crisis:

Should you keep taking your blood pressure meds or ibuprofen? http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/covid-19-and-your-medications.html

How health experts decide who gets treated: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/who-lives-and-who-dies.html

Discusses the differences between types of masks: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/should-we-wear-masks-or-not.html

When they talk about “exponential growth,” what that means: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/coronavirus-cases-are-growing.html

URI School of Pharmacy produces sanitizer: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/clean-local-joins-eat-local-as-bywords.html

List of new benefits and help coming under the CARES Act: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/covid-19-update-from-rep-jim-langevin.html

Local environmental and recycling programs suspended due to pandemic: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/unintended-consequences.html

Beware of counterfeit COVID-19 goods: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/buyer-beware.html

What makes COVID-19 so deadly: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/video-what-coronavirus-does-to-your.html

What scientists actually know (so far) about Trump’s miracle drug: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/04/some-real-science-on-chloroquine.html AND http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/will-trumps-magic-bullet-work.html

Where pandemics come from: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/where-pandemics-come-from.html

Looking back at the 1918 flu for insight: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/the-truth-about-greatest-pandemic-in.html

How to cope with COVID-19 anxiety: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/video-how-to-keep-covid-19-from-driving.html

COVID-19 was NOT manufactured: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/no-covid-19-was-not-manufactured-in.html

Your cat or dog cannot give you COVID-19: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/can-you-get-covid-19-from-your-cat-or.html

Federal and state sick leave: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/new-federal-sick-leave-law-is.html

How long does COVID-19 stay active on surfaces: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/how-long-does-covid-19-stay-active-on.html

How COVID-19 affects older people: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/why-covid-19-acts-as-boomer-remover.html

Social distancing: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/social-distancing.html

Getting hand sanitizer that actually works: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/pick-right-hand-cleaner.html

Hand washing: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/03/video-why-hand-washing-really-is-as.html

This is the first Progressive Charlestown posting on COVID-19, January 27, covering the chances of you getting it: http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2020/01/are-you-in-danger-of-catching.html

To see ALL postings on COVID-19, click on “Pandemic.”

“Flight of the Earls” debunked again

No, the rich aren’t fleeing Rhode Island

By Andy Boardman for UpRiseRI

EDITOR’S NOTE: the so-called “Flight of the Earls” caused by RI taxes has been covered here several times (HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE for example) before. In each instance, new data shows that people leave for many reasons, and taxes are among the least among them. –Will Collette

Lincoln Chafee is in the news again – this time for a prospective 2020 presidential bid on the Libertarian Party ticket. Last time Chafee made headlines, the eccentric former Rhode Island governor and senator had announced he was leaving the Ocean State for Wyoming.

Why would Chafee – scion of a Rhode Island political dynasty – move to Wyoming? 

His explanation was straightforward. “Stephanie [Chafee, a philanthropist and Lincoln’s wife] just loves all the wildlife and western beauty and made her decision to reside and vote in Wyoming based on the time spent here … Of course, I enjoy returning to an area in which I made a good living after college,” Chafee told the Providence Journal.

Some unconvinced politicos and commentators offered their own theory: Rhode Island’s taxes had pushed the Chafees, and other wealthy families, to low-tax states. 

Museum pieces

Remembering the "Republican environmentalists" of days past

Peter Dykstra for Environmental Health News

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rhode Island once was home to two members of this now extinct species of Republican environmentalist: Claudia Schneider, former US Representative who now lives in Colorado, and former Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee who just moved to Wyoming.  – Will Collette

The popular young history professor cut a profile that spanned generations. Add a jaunty fedora and a sleeve or two of ink to the horn-rimmed glasses, wavy mane and boxcar-sized sideburns and he could well be a 2000's slacker instead of a 1970's tree hugger.

Newton Leroy Gingrich, Ph.D. (left), taught the first environmental studies courses at his school. He advised the campus Sierra Club chapter and successfully raised hell against a proposed dam on the Flint River. And he aspired beyond the modest campus of West Georgia College.

By 1978, Gingrich was elected to Congress on his second try. Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in 1980 helped inspire the young Congressman's sharp turn away from green politics.

In 1995, he became Speaker of the House and shortly after, invented the modern government shutdown, and led a rightist rebellion that held green politics to be in extremely bad taste. Gingrich continued sporadic advocacy for unobjectionable causes, like saving Africa's gorillas.

His Congressional career imploded after the failed bid to oust President Bill Clinton. In 2007, he appeared in an ad beside new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call for action on climate change. He later disowned the ad.

Newt Gingrich and his renunciation of environmental values is not a political exception. In the last 40 years, anti-environmental rhetoric and policies have swept the Republican Party:

Chafee moves to Wyoming so let’s cut taxes for the rich. Again

Tax cuts for the rich, even if they’re dead, is a somehow a non-partisan issue

By Steve Ahlquist UpriseRI

Both Democrats and Republicans were quick to champion the idea of eliminating the estate tax after the Providence Journal reported that former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee was moving to Wyoming. 

Representative Stephen Ucci (Democrat, District 42, Johnston) pounced on the story to tweet:

“Name a state with plenty of horses and no estate tax?” This is why we need to eliminate the estate tax completely. We’re losing wealthy philanthropic Rhode Islanders. #killthedeathtax

Chafee, in the Providence Journal piece, never mentions the estate tax as a reason for moving. Instead he talks about the wildlife and about returning to a state where he had worked as a blacksmith in his early years.

Ucci wasn’t alone in assuming, without evidence, that Rhode Island’s estate tax was the reason for Chafee’s move. Rhode Island Republican Party Chair Brandon Bell issued a press release that read, in part, “We need to keep Chafee and other wealthy, charitable individuals in Rhode Island. But we can only do this by lowering our taxes. This begins by eliminating Rhode Island’s estate tax.”

I emailed Chafee and asked him about this. Chafee responded by saying, “…there were many factors in making this decision. Have you had a chance to visit this area? Really spectacular.”

RI must pick up the pace

New Report Claims R.I. Climate Council Falling Behind Targets

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management doesn’t dispute report’s findings

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

As the five-year anniversary of the state climate task force nears, a new report claims the board isn’t fulfilling its objectives and that Rhode Island is falling short of meeting its climate-reduction targets.

The Resilient Rhode Island Act was signed into law by then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee in 2014. 

The historic legislation had big aspirations, such as reducing the state’s climate emissions by 45 percent by 2035. 

For once, Raimondo was telling the truth

The governor’s gaffe about the local media landscape

By Samuel G. Howard in Rhode Island’s Future

Over the course of nearly an hour-long talk given by Governor Gina Raimondo at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, you might’ve assumed that the headlines coming out it would be the moment where she questioned whether President Donald Trump was fit to serve as President of the United States, considering Trump’s effect on Rhode Island’s Republican Party was the question of the day this Sunday in The Providence Journal.

You might have assumed that the right wing media would seize on her comments about women in politics and business, when she put it that women were a rarity in the corridors of power and that that needed to be fixed.

Perhaps, it would’ve been obvious that the Governor was influenced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, when she echoed the comments on the dangers artificial intelligence that he gave to the National Governors Association this July. 

Or when she expressed worry that foreign governments felt the need to negotiate directly with individual states and sidestep the federal government, as illustrated in the so-called “Doughnut Strategy” of Canada.

But instead, it was a particular two minutes of the talk (starting 32:30) that earned the ire of Rhode Island’s media, when the Watson Institute’s Director Ed Steinfield asked about media:

Why?

South Kingstown’s Spencer Dickinson is running for governor

By Bob Plain in Rhode Island’s Future

Former state legislator Spencer Dickinson is running for governor, he told RI Future. 

The Wakefield Democrat who filed papers last week said he plans a grassroots campaign against incumbent Governor Gina Raimondo, of Providence.

“I’m running for governor because I think the governor we have has the wrong focus and has gone the wrong way,” Dickinson said in a phone interview Monday. “Probably the worst example is her need to be on both sides of the Burrillville power plant issue.”

Dickinson was a South Kingstown state representative from 2010 to 2014 and 30 years before that, he was a Jamestown state representative from 1973 to 1980. A home developer, Dickinson is said to have designed and built the first fully solar-powered home in America in Jamestown in the late 1970s.

Opposing Invenergy from Charlestown to Burrillville

Hiking RI’s North-South Trail

By Steve Ahlquist in Rhode Island’s Future

Mike Lamoureux, Sean Trinque, and Paul Ernest

Three hikers set off from Blue Shutters Town Beach in Charlestown Sunday morning, beginning an intense three day, 78 mile hike along Rhode Island’s North-South Trail.

Their hike is intended to raise awareness about Invenergy‘s unneeded $1 billion fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant planned for Burrillville.

Hikers Sean Trinque, Mike Lamoureux, and Paul Ernest were seen off at a beach side ceremony at which former Governor Lincoln Chafee, State Representative Cale Keable (Democrat, District 47, Burrillville), Brown Professor Timmons Roberts and Burrillville Town Councilor Ray Trinque spoke.

AMAZING: Lincoln Chafee takes the lead among Dem Presidential contenders!

Chafee Leads in At Least One Category
by BETH COMERY, Providence Daily Dose

And it’s a good one because it reflects well on all of us. According to The Wichita Eagle,

The most-followed Democratic presidential candidate has the least grammatically correct Facebook supporters, according to a new online study from Grammarly.

Hillary Clinton’s supporters made the most grammatical mistakes, while supporters of Lincoln Chafee, the former governor of Rhode Island, led the Democratic field in proper grammar usage on Facebook.