Letter: Chafee Should Help on Residents, not Cabinet Members

State Rep. Jan Malik says the governor should focus on his constituents' financial woes, not those of his well-paid staff.

In a letter I had sent to the governor earlier this year, I expressed my concern about Rhode Island’s sales tax, and the negative impact the tax is having on small businesses in Rhode Island, mainly those along the Massachusetts border. Since then, I have introduced legislation to eliminate Rhode Island’s sales tax, in the interest of opening a serious conversation on the subject. I had hoped to pursue these issues in talks this year with the governor’s office, but at this time, I am not sure there is any point. In light of the announcement this week that the governor wants to give salary increases to members of his already well-paid cabinet, it seems his priorities put his staff ahead of the people of our state. With businesses hurting, …

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Chafee Declares State of Emergency

Motorists are asked to get off the roads as the storm intensifies. Up to 30 inches are of snow is possible in Johnston and other areas.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee has declared a state of emergency, as forecasted snowfall totals continue to increase. Parts of Rhode Island — including Johnston — could see as much as 30 inches of snow by the time the storm abates tomorrow afternoon.  Johnston residents should be getting off the roads and hunkering down as the storm picks up steam. There is a very good chance Johnston will see 2 feet of snow, according to wpri.com, but areas from Providence and points north could potentially get 30 inches. "We have a very serious storm approaching," Chafee said. "I encourage all Rhode Islanders to take this seriously. This is a major storm. Be prepared." The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is urging motorists to get off the roads and stay …

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Chafee Launches Transparency Portal For Government Documents

Reports, audits, forms, contracts among documents to be posted for public.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee presented the state's new public access "transparency portal" Jan. 10, demonstrated during a technical briefing led by Chief Digital Officer Thom Guertin, a Woonsocket native. The portal is part of Chafee's Transparency and Accountability Initiative to provide the public with an increased level of information about the operation and management of government and ensuring the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. With the launch of the site, Rhode Islanders have access to a number of documents that have already been uploaded to the Rhode Island state government Transparency Portal. Over the next 18 months, the state will continue to add financial reports, audits, forms, and other financial information such as contracts…

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JohnstonPatch Asks... You Answer

Holiday Tree vs. Christmas Tree, Rd. 2

Gov. Lincoln Chafee is planning to hold a tree lighting at the State House, following his predecessor's practice of naming the state's evergreen a "holiday tree."

There will be a tree-lighting ceremony this year, after all. Gov. Lincoln Chafee's top press aide said Tuesday that she spoke in error when she previously announced that there would be no tree lighting ceremony.  "There will be an official tree lighting ceremony at the State House with the Governor in attendance," said Christine Hunsinger in an email statement, adding that no date has been set. Now, the question is, will protesters turn up again as they did last year, when Gov. Lincoln Chafee referred to the large evergreen in the middle of the State House rotonda as a "holiday tree" instead of a Christmas tree? This year's tree was erected Monday. Last December, Chafee was lambasted by GOP lawmakers, some talk show hosts, and the Roman …

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Video Promoting Chafee’s DNC Speech Removed From YouTube After Complaint

The video, produced by a Chafee staffer on his own time, included the url to the governor’s state website.

A video made to announce Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month has been removed from YouTube following a complaint by a blogger for Rhode Island Patch sites. The video – which featured audio from speeches by Pres. Obama and Gov. Chafee – had ended with a list of references, including “www.gov.ri.gov.” Blogger Rene Lafayette wrote: "This is a clear violation of partisan, political use of publicly funded resources," in a blog posted on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Christine Hunsinger, Chafee's spokeswoman, said Thursday the video was made by James Alvarez, who works in the governor's communications office.  He "volunteered to do it on his own time and used his own computer," …

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Governor's Son Charged — What Do You Think?

Caleb Chafee, son of Gov. Lincoln Chafee, has been charged with violating the state's social host law — and we're looking for your feedback.

  Caleb Chafee, 18, the son of Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, has been charged with one count of violating the state's social host law, the Attorney General's Office announced on Friday.  Chafee, a graduate of the Portsmouth Abbey School, allegedly hosted a graduation party in Exeter on May 28. State Police began investigating after a "highly intoxicated" 18-year-old woman was found walking along Route 102 after apparently leaving the party.  "After an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police and a review by the Office of Attorney General into the events that occurred on the Chafee property in Exeter on May 28, 2012, Caleb Chafee, 18, today was issued a summons to appear before Washington County District Court on Aug. 22, 2012, …

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Peter A. Filippi III

9:18 am on Saturday, August 18, 2012

Personally, I have zero respect for Governor “Holiday Tree” and his liberal tax and spend big government pro union anti traditional family values agenda. However, as a staunch conservative I believe what people do in their personal lives is nobody’s business unless their breaking the law which was the case her in which great harm could have resulted. However, this matter is a family event and I …   more ›

Central Ave. Sewer Project Kicked Off

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Mayor Joseph Polisena, and officials from Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and Narragansett Bay Commission gathered this morning for a ceremonial groundbreaking.

With a ceremonial toss of sand in the shadow of the I-295 overpass on Central Avenue, state and local officials this morning marked the beginning of Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation's $4 million sewer line project. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Mayors Joseph Polisena of Johnston and Charles Lombardi of North Providence, state Sen. Frank Lombardo III, and town council members Eileen Fuoco (D-Dist. 1) and David Santilli (D-Dist. 3) joined officials from RIRRC and Narragansett Bay Commission, which will now handle the wastewater from Resource Recovery and other businesses located near the Central Landfill. RIRRC Executive Director Michael OConnell called the new project a "win-win-win-win all the way around," helping all the entities …

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This Week in the General Assembly

Rhode Island's legislature may be out of session, but there was still plenty of news, with Gov. Lincoln Chafee signing several bills into law.

  For more information on any of these items visit http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/News/ Bill to 'protect' state's casino revenue signed into law: On June 20, Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the Revenue Protection Act that was approved by the General Assembly last week. The legislation was adopted to protect state revenue, maintain the competitiveness of the state’s two gaming facilities, and safeguard those employed by Rhode Island gaming facilities. A recent report examined the potential impact of casino gaming in Massachusetts to Rhode Island. It was determined that a significant portion of the State’s gaming revenue is generated from Massachusetts customers. Casino gaming in Massachusetts will have a significant negative impact on gaming …

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Peter A. Filippi III

9:56 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012

What about “Right to Work” legislation and eliminating “Binding Arbitration” and making union dues voluntary? What about legislation that would give municipalities’ total control regarding every aspect of their financial concerns in which privatization and school vouchers would remedy, if I run for mayor and win Legislature Beware? Peter A. Filippi III   more ›

News Brief — RIRRC Holds Ceremony to Open New Recycling Facility

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, and several local officials celebrated the formal opening of the renovated Materials Recycling Facility at the Central Landfill.

Flanked by officials from the state, several local communities, and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, Gov. Lincoln Chafee cut the ceremonial ribbon on a new Materials Recycling Facility at the Central Landfill in Johnston this morning. Chafee praised the new facility for allowing Johnston residents to place all of their recyclable materials in one bin, instead of separating them as had been the practice for several years. Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, and East Providence Mayor Bruce Rogers were among the municipal officials who attended the event. Watch JohnstonPatch later today for more from the formal launch of the new Recycle Together RI program.

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Chafee Headlines Business Forum

About 70 business owners attended the meeting, which featured state economic development officials discussing the programs available for local companies.

  On Wednesday morning at the Johnston Senior Center, Gov. Lincoln Chafee and a number of state officials provided about 70 business owners with information on the programs available to assist Rhode Island companies. Organized by the North Central Chamber of Commerce, the business forum featured former Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, currently director of the state Department of Labor and Training, and staffers from the state Economic Development Corporation. Chafee told the group that business growth is a key to reducing property taxes, which he called "the most difficult tax to pay." Noting his prior experience as mayor of Warwick, Chafee explained that he's working with other local officials — including Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena and …

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Peter A. Filippi III

9:15 am on Thursday, May 31, 2012

Not one mention of “right to work legislation” that would truly produce jobs like is happening in Wisconsin in which there has been 23,000 jobs created and 13,000 business start ups since Governor Walkers initiatives have been in place. The statement by Governor “Holiday Tree” regarding “our state is overdue to have more economic activity” the reality here is you’d have to build a wall around our…   more ›