WEDNESDAY is Primary Day

Your vote is important

By Will Collette

Primaries in Rhode Island during non-Presidential years are often seen as inconsequential, especially in Charlestown. It’s been 20 years since Charlestown’s last primary, 2006, when Donna Walsh defeated incumbent DINO Rep. Matt McHugh.

This year, House District 36 is once again going to be decided in the Democratic primary where progressive incumbent Rep. Tina Spears is being challenged by DINO self-proclaimed sex crimes defense lawyer Leah Boisclair.

Boisclair is a product of the insidious MAGA-inspired political action galaxy of 40 PACs under the umbrella of the League of Rhode Island Businesses (LORIB). LORIB is also backing the primary challenge of DINO Mark Mesrobian against Narragansett state Sen. Alana DiMario as well as several other LORIB challengers in several other primary races.

LORIB is also backing candidates in the general election, including challengers to Charlestown’s Sen. Victoria Gu, as well as Rep. Megan Cotter, Rep. Kathy Fogarty and Rep. Carol McEntee.

The differences between Tina Spears and her DINO challenger are so stark that there can be little doubt who will do better to serve Charlestown voters. Tina has deep roots in the community and a proven track record in the General Assembly. Boisclair does not. She has chosen to make her living by advertising to and representing accused pedos and baby rapers. I’m not making this up: check her own website.

Boisclair is also going to serve LORIB’s agenda of cutting taxes for the rich, rolling back sensible gun control measures and curbing environmental protection.

Please, for Charlestown’s sake, support the re-election of our outstanding state Representative Tina Spears.

Besides when will Boisclair have time to represent House District 36 when she's busy representing guys accused of these crimes:

I’ve already voted by mail (eat it, Donald Trump) in this and the rest of the Democratic ballot.

I voted for Helena Foulkes over our hapless incumbent Governor. This one was easy. Even though I have no illusions about Foulkes being a classic corporate Democrat of the Gina Raimondo-type, she’s bound to be better than McKee. McKee has shown himself to have no fixed principles, no talent for picking and managing qualified people and a tin ear for ethics and corruption.

I voted for Keith Hoffman for Attorney General. He is in a close race with former co-worker Kim Ahern, when both worked for term-limited incumbent Peter Neronha. Neronha picked Hoffman as his choice and I like and trust Neronha’s judgement. But I will shed no tears if Kim Ahern wins.

I would however, be pretty upset if LORIB-adjacent attorney general candidate Joe Solomon wins. If you look around Charlestown, nearly every Leah Boisclair sign has a Joe Solomon sign next to it. Solomon has adopted LORIB’s strategy of encouraging Republicans to change their party registration so they can vote for him in this Primary. No real Democrat does that.

The other hotly contested race is for Lieutenant Governor, currently held by ineffectual incumbent Sabrina Matos. She faces several challengers in the Democratic primary and may make it through with the vote split about the crowded field. I voted for “Jay” - Xay Khamsyvoravong – former mayor of Newport based on his effective leadership there.

There is either no challenger or only token opposition to the re-election of General Treasurer James Diossa, Secretary of State Greg Amore, Senator Jack Reed and Rep. Seth Magaziner.

House District 36 Committee unanimously endorses Rep. Tina Spear for re-election in September 9 Democratic Primary

Her hard work earns support against challenger

By Will Collette

Today, the House District 36 Democratic Committee voted unanimously to officially endorse incumbent Rep. Tina Spears in the upcoming September 9 Democratic Primary. 

The Committee is filing this endorsement in all towns included in the district. House District 36 covers all of Charlestown and Block Island, plus small sections of Westerly and South Kingstown.

The last time Charlestown voters faced a Democratic primary over who will represent House District 36 was twenty years ago. In 2006, longtime State Representative Donna Walsh defeated DINO incumbent Matt McHugh by 685 to 461 in that year's primary.

Donna never faced another primary opponent and served until 2016 when she was defeated by Blake “Flip” Filippi (Republican/Libertarian), an all-round strange guy who in recent years has railed against seals and vaccines but has mostly stuck to raising cattle and his family’s Block Island businesses.

Flip's surprise announcement in 2022 to drop out of Rhode Island politics opened the door for Tina’s election as our Representative where she has been a productive and effective legislator.

From Tina’s website:

Tina has spent the last decade advocating for people with disabilities, and is currently Executive Director of the Community Provider Network of Rhode Island. Her own experience as the parent of a child with significant health challenges led her to become an ardent advocate for families of children with disabilities. She has been a frequent presence at the State House over the last decade, working to defend Medicaid benefits, increase wages for caregivers and help win paid leave for people who must leave work to care for a new child or an ill family member.

​Opposing Tina in the September 9 Democratic Primary is Leah J. Boisclair who is a self-described “Sex Crimes Defense Attorney in Rhode Island.” On her law practice’s website, she graphically lists what types of crimes she will defend, including child rape, domestic violence, homicide, drug crime, white collar crime and so on.

Don’t take my word for it – go to her website.

I was especially surprised at the way she depicted how she would defend against sex crimes. Here’s a screenshot from her website:

Now, if you switch to Boisclair’s campaign website, you’ll see a very different tone as well as content. She mimics Tina’s priority issues of education, environment, affordable housing and health care. There is no record of Boisclair having actually done anything on these issues, but hey, if you want to run as a Democrat, you must at least pretend.

Boisclair glosses over the sordid details of her law practice saying only:

I went through our local schools, earned a political science degree at URI, and graduated cum laude from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2019. I’m licensed in multiple states and federal courts. Before opening my own firm, I worked on criminal and union cases — and then built The Law Office of Leah J. Boisclair, LLC from the ground up…. As an attorney, I stand up for people who need someone in their corner. [Emphasis added].

Make of that what you will. But remember that attorneys, especially those in private practice, CHOOSE who represent.

And those of us who are registered Democratic voters living in House District 36 also CHOOSE who we want to represent us. So, on September 9, please support Rep. Tina Spears in the Democratic Primary.

DISCLOSURE: For years, I have been a member of the House District 36 Democratic Committee and proudly voted today to support Tina Spears in her campaign for re-election.  – Will Collette

Has the CCA endorsed Tina Jackson for state representative?

Sure looks that way

Tina Jackson- the CCA's choice?

By Will Collette

The Charlestown Citizens Alliance has never really liked State Representative Donna Walsh (District 36). 

In the CCA’s first electoral campaign in 2008, the CCA endorsed former Democratic state representative Matt McHugh, the guy Donna beat to win her current House seat. Donna beat him largely because McHugh was a classic DINO[1].

In 2008, McHugh ran as a CCA-endorsed independent who vowed to continue his long crusade to win voting rights for nonresident property owners in local elections and supported the rest of the CCA’s regressive platform. Donna cleaned McHugh’s clock, even beating him in his home precinct.

In 2010, the CCA didn’t endorse either Donna or her Moderate Party opponent Tom Browning, even though CCA President Dan Slattery was serving as state treasurer for the Moderate Party. Donna cleaned Browning’s clock, too, winning every precinct in the 36^th District including Browning’s own.

In 2012, the CCA seems to be giving a wink-and-nod endorsement to Donna’s Republican opponent, Tina B. Jackson. The CCA has posted a laudatory piece that ran in the Block Island Times about Jackson but pointedly ignored the companion piece the Times ran on Donna. So much for being “nonpartisan.”

So will the CCA make it official? Do they have the guts?

Voting Rights for Property Owners

CCA and RISC leader Tom DePatie wasn't alone when he advocated for Charlestown to grant voting rights to millionaire vacationers.

Not only was he stating a long-held conviction of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition and that of Matt McHugh, the CCA's 2008 endorsed candidate for State Representative, District 36, but also that of the national Tea Party.

In fact, the Tea Party would take this proposition one step further and RESTRICT voting rights ONLY to those who own property. Sort of like the way King George and the British did it, and the way it was in America before the real tea party.

After the break, listen to it yourself:

CCA puts out welcome mat for non-residents

This morning, the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) sent out an e-mail to its vast and nameless masses pointedly inviting non-residents to attend tonight's "Citizens Forum" at Town Hall..

This Citizens Forum concept is a special favorite of Town Council Vice-President Dan Slattery who served as CCA President during the CCA's dalliance with the idea of voting rights for non-resident property owners.

Voting Rights, Part 2

On Sunday July 31, the Westerly Sun ran an editorial (behind its odious paywall) entitled “If you pay taxes, you have rights.”

The editorial cited a recent meeting DEM held with Misquamicut residents about the mandates of the state’s Cesspool Act. Cesspools and any failing septic system must be replaced with new DEM-approved denitrification systems. These properties could also comply if the Westerly sewer system is extended into the area – something Westerly voters would have to approve.

CSI Charlestown: DNA tests show CCA and RISC from the same gene pool

$59.99 from Amazon.com

There was a flurry of angry comments over a  Progressive Charlestown article I wrote that showed board interlocks between the RI Statewide Coalition (RISC) and the bogus research center the Ocean State Policy Research Institute (OSPRI).

A lot of those comments seemed to come from CCA supporters. That sparked my curiosity about why such a vehement reaction, especially since it had so little to do with the real topic of my articles – that OSPRI had put out a report that was 100% on the facts about what OSPRI considered to be wasteful government spending in Charlestown. I would have loved to hear them explain how cleaning up toxic contamination at the old Kenyon dump site is an example of wasteful spending.

Anyway, I decided to see if CCA had any genetic ties to either RISC or OSPRI and ran the appropriate DNA tests.

Here are the results:

Charlestown is a very liberal - even progressive - town

For the past several election cycles, Charlestown voters generally voted for the most liberal or progressive candidates.

In 2010, Charlestown Democrats supported Patrick Lynch over Frank Caprio for Governor and the late Joe Fernandez over Peter Kilmartin for Attorney General.

In the general election, when Republican John Robitaille swept most of South County, Charlestown went comfortably for Chafee. Charlestown has overwhelming voted for Donna Walsh for state rep over Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA)-backed Matt McHugh in 2008 and the Moderate Party candidate in 2010.

Charlestown’s 16 point margin for Democrat Larry Valencia helped him eke out a razor-thin victory in House District 39. Of course, in 2008, Charlestown went overwhelming for President Obama.

Class War in Charlestown, Part One

In her Jan. 16th letter published in the Westerly Sun, CCA President Kallie Jurgens scolded Deb Carney of the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee for stirring up “class warfare” in Charlestown, and for relegating rich, out-of-state property owners to “second class citizenship.”

What Jurgens neglects to note is that class warfare has been a fact of life in Charlestown for many years - and it wasn’t Charlestown Democrats who started it. If you asked the Narragansett Tribe, you might get 1675 as the start date for Charlestown’s class war, but let’s fast-forward 300+ years.

Around 2003, while still living in Connecticut, Kallie Jurgens and some like minded people – many of them wealthy out-of-state land-owners in Shelter Harbor – decided they didn’t want to pay ocean view taxes for homes they only used part-time. To that end, they formed the RI Shoreline Coalition to increase the power – and prosperity – of coastal absentee landowners. According to the Providence Journal (6/2/03) the Shoreline Coalition’s main goals were winning the vote for out-of-state land owners and fighting the Narragansetts over gaming. Jurgens still serves on the RISC board under its new name, the RI Statewide Coalition.

Kallie not only was an early class warrior, but she also made it a North versus South issue, as she told the Providence Journal (September 18, 2005):

"I pay twice the taxes of someone north of Route 1," said Kallie Jurgens, a Stonington, Conn., resident who, with her husband, owns an ocean-view house in Charlestown that's assessed at $679,600. One year ago, the assessment was $352,600. [Fact Check: Jurgens bought their Shady Harbor house for $128,000 in 2000.] Still, Jurgens' $4,621 tax bill is only $182 higher than last year's, thanks, in part, to larger increases for owners with property right on the water.

A senior marketing and sales consultant for IBM, Jurgens said she plans to move to Charlestown full-time when she retires. [Fact check: the Jurgens bought their Stuart FL condo in 2009 and use it as their permanent address].
"That's why it means so much to me, because I'll be on a fixed income," she said.