Projo Politics Blog

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Mayor Allan W. Fung said he was following the advice of city lawyers this week when he vetoed two ordinances that would have created local rules for lenders to follow when foreclosing on residential properties.

The Republican mayor said that while he appreciated and respected the effort to help people who are faced with foreclosure, he could not support measures that "interfere with and alter existing mortgage agreements" and "contradict state law," potentially creating "problems with the titles of properties in our city."

Legally sound or not, Fung's vetoes prompted members of the all-Democratic City Council to say they will likely seek overrides when they meet again on Nov. 23.

His vetoes also drew protests from Democratic City Committee Chairman Michael J. Sepe, who issued a two-page statement Friday with the headline: "Fung turns back on Cranston's homeowners,"

Sepe wrote: "One has to ask, what motivated Mayor Fung to take the side of the mortgage bankers over the concerns of his own constituents? Has his extensive training and years of experience as a paid lobbyist on Smith Hill for a major national insurance company tainted his reasoning so that he is incapable of feeling empathy for those unfortunate Cranston residents who have lost their jobs and now find themselves -- through no fault of their own -- in a position of losing their homes to some out-of-state bank with an '800' telephone number."

He continued: "On behalf of all those Cranston homeowners who are affected by Mayor Fung's callous, cold-hearted veto, I implore him to get real, come to his senses and reconsider the fallacy of his reasoning."

Republican City Committee Chairman James Quinlan said Fung's vetoes show that he is looking out for taxpayers and trying to spare the city the cost of defending ordinances that won't hold up in court.

Of Sepe and the council, Quinlan said the Democrats are focused on trying to win votes when they should be concerned about budget deficits and cuts in state aid.

"You can see where the council's financial priorities are," he said.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Despite less-than-stellar fund-raising in the last quarter, former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee says that his exploratory campaign' for governor is alive and well after a major cost-cutting move, and that he has poll results that show him with a credible shot of winning a three-way race.

To help quell rumors he is not long for the race, Chafee went so far as to make public the results of a telephone survey of 403 likely voters conducted for his campaign by Alpha Research Associates. The poll showed where he would place in a three-way race with newly emerged Republican candidate Rory Smith and either one of the leading Democratic contenders, "if the election were held today.''

Among the findings of the Oct. 26-29 poll:

* In a general election race between Chafee, Smith and Gen. Treasurer Frank Caprio, Chafee would draw 36 percent, Caprio 34 percent and Smith 8 percent, with a majority of those who chose no side saying they did not yet know.

* In a race between Chafee, Smith and Atty. Gen. Patrick C. Lynch, Chafee led the attorney general 37 percent to 24 percent, with Smith drawing 15 percent, and the balance undecided.

"To be honest,'' Chafee said, he was surprised at his apparent edge over the high-visibility Lynch, and believes the numbers mean "it is going to be a competitive race, no doubt about it.''

He also made this observation: when the Democratic nominee is Caprio -- instead of Lynch -- the "social conservatives abandon Smith and go to Caprio.''

He said he was also struck by the number -- 84 percent -- who said they were willing to give "a serious look'' at all candidates, even independents. People interviewed had the option of saying they would vote for whoever emerged as the Republican or Democratic nominee.

Caprio spokeswoman Margie O'Brien responded in an e-mail: "The Chafee-sponsored poll showing a former senator in a statistical dead heat with Frank Caprio speaks for itself.''

Lynch campaign manager Mike Mikus, meanwhile, said: "We are one year away from Election Day and, as with most elections at this point, a large number of voters are undecided, and many will ultimately change their mind over the course in time. Once the voters focus on the race, they will see that Patrick Lynch is the candidate who has fought tirelessly on their behalf for the last seven years and is best equipped to fix the economy and bring real change to Rhode Island."

The poll, of course, did not look at where Chafee or any other likely candidates would stand in an even more crowded race, featuring an as-yet-unknown Moderate Party candidate and other possible candidates, including former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey, who was Chafee's '06 Republican nemesis in the U.S. Senate race. (Chafee won the primary, then lost the seat in the general election to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.)

But the Alpha poll found that no other issue comes close to "jobs/economy'' in the minds of voters, with an overwhelming number convinced the the state has veered seriously off track. It also test-marketed the campaign theme, "A new way forward.'' Chafee has been using it ever since.

From the poll and his campaign travels so far, Chafee said he has come to a conclusion: "They don't want to hear what I have done. ...They want to hear what I am going to do. I think that is going to be the campaign, and people know these decisions are not going to be easy. They do not want glossy pie in the sky.''

But he still trails Caprio and Lynch by wide margins in dollars in his campaign account, having added $120,210 in the three months that ended Sept. 30. That included a new $50,000 personal loan. Caprio netted $135,377 during the same period, and Lynch, $112,653. At the end of the quarter, Chafee had $200,122 left, Lynch, $562,167 and Caprio, $1.504 million.

To save money, Chafee said, his campaign coordinator -- former bank executive James DeRentis -- agreed at the end of October to shift over to unpaid fund-raising for him, leaving him with one paid campaign staffer, administrative aide Cara McAllister. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, the campaign paid DeRentis $23,000.

"Like any business, you've got to raise the money,'' Chafee said. "We've got to do better at fund-raising.''

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal staff writer

CENTRAL FALLS, RI -- George L. Ortiz Jr., who was named interim director of the advocacy organization Progreso Latino in late September, has resigned.

A statement released Friday announcing Ortiz's departure, is dated Nov. 5.

Ortiz wrote in a letter to the board of directors, "My admiration for the staff of Progreso Latino and the people they serve cannot be summed up in a few lines." He added, "Progreso Latino is not just another non-profit in Rhode Island. It serves as a beacon of hope for many that have no other place to turn."

Ortiz, who served as a consultant to Progreso Latino for the past three years, and was chief operating officer when he took over as interim director, said he plans to expand his consulting business.

He replaced Ramon Martinez, who resigned Sept. 25 to pursue a new career, possibly including "national endeavors." Martinez had served as executive director for three years.

The Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, chairman of Progreso Latino's board of directors, could not be reached.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will be among the panelists Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation when the group discusses the Fort Hood shootings and the elections this week.

Reed will be joined at 10:30 a.m. on WPRI-TV by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and Ed Rollins, Republican political consultant.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A $500 payment to local Democratic activist Matt Jerzyk was among the more curious campaign expenditures reported in the recent batch of candidate filings.

On July 7, Jerzyk sold the Elizabeth Roberts' campaign an "e-mail list for fundraising mailings." Congressman James R. Langevin reported a similar $740 expenditure last month.

A lawyer and former editor of the liberal Web site, RIFuture.org, Jerzyk told Political Scene that he's been collecting e-mail addresses of "people who I think are the most civically-minded Rhode Islanders" since graduating from Brown University in 1999.

That list has grown substantially over the last decade, he said.

"I ultimately decided that this list might be valuable to people who want to engage Rhode Islanders in political dialogue," Jerzyk explained. "The Obama campaign showed that e-mail has become one of the vital tools for reaching voters."

He declined to specify the number of names on the list, describing it only as being more than 1,000 and less than 10,000.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Four months after withdrawing her name from the list of 2010 gubernatorial hopefuls, it appears that Elizabeth Roberts is following through on plans to seek a second term as Rhode Island's lieutenant governor.

She has launched a revamped campaign Web site that uses new technology such as Twitter and Facebook that offers "180 ways to share information" about the candidate, according to a statement issued by the campaign.

"The site offers a bright, easy-to-navigate format, more photos, ways to share information with your friends and with me, and more opportunities to follow my campaign for reelection as lieutenant governor," she wrote on the Web site's blog.

We found it interesting, however, that the front page of the site doesn't mention in any prominent way the office for which Roberts is running. "Elizabeth Roberts for Rhode Island" reads the logo at the top, just above the catch phrase, "Restoring Hope To Rhode Island in Economy, Health Care and Good Government."

"It was just a design issue," said Seth Klaiman, former campaign director who has been downgraded to fundraising campaign consultant. "She is definitely only running for lieutenant governor."

At this point, Roberts' campaign team consists of two paid consultants: Klaiman and communications consultant Jill Harrington. Roberts' latest campaign filing with the state Board of Elections shows that Klaiman's firm, SMK Enterprises earned $8,500 each month between July 1 and Sept. 30. Harrington was paid $3,250 monthly.

Consulting costs will fall in the next report, Klaiman said, as will campaign spending in general as the focus shifts from a competitive gubernatorial race to a lieutenant gubernatorial campaign in which there's no high-profile opposition at this time.

Roberts latest filing reveals that she spent $47,112.97 between July 1 and Sept. 30, while raising $30,754.86, giving her an ending cash balance of $336,539.30.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is hoping Rhode Islanders will contribute to her quest for a seat in the United States Senate.

The Moakley senatorial campaign has scheduled a fundraiser for Friday, Nov. 13, at the University Club on Benefit Street. An invitation for the 5 p.m. event notes ticket prices of $500, $1,000, or $2,400 (the personal donation limit for the primary election cycle).

Moakley may be considered the frontrunner in the fight to replace long-time Senator Edward M. Kennedy, but she faces Democratic opposition in the Dec. 8 primary.

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy's office reports that Kennedy won't attend the event.

We asked whether he favors Coakley over the other Democrats in the race to fill his father's seat.

"The Congressman is not taking a position on the race in Massachusetts," said spokeswoman Kerrie Bennett.

The hosts, as listed on the invitation are Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, former Patrick Kennedy staffer and head of the Mayforth Group lobbying firm Rick McAuliffe, and Chris Vitale and Gerry Harrington, both lobbyists for the lobbying firm Capitol City Group.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Eight months after he first emerged as a possible 2010 political contender, Republican defense lawyer Erik B. Wallin, of South Kingstown, put the state Board of Elections on official notice Wednesday that he is raising money to run for attorney general.

A former prosecutor in the criminal division of the attorney general's office, Wallin created a campaign fundraising committee in February. At the time, however, he left blank the box for candidates to declare the "office being sought.'' In his new filing, he left no further doubt about the office he seeks: attorney general.

He loaned his campaign $25,050 in start-up money, and he had $20,236 left to pursue his campaign after raising an additional $8,450 during the three-month stretch that ended September 30.

Now in private practice in Wakefield, Wallin, 39, worked in the attorney general's office.
In recent weeks, he said, he has started sending out press releases and proposed editorials to the state's smaller local newspapers, and accepting invitations to speak on talk radio shows.

On his campaign web page, Wallin describes himself as a native Rhode Islander raised in North Kingstown, who graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School, Rhode Island College and the Roger Williams University School of Law, Class of 1997, before enlisting in the Air Force, where he served as a military prosecutor and "successfully litigated numerous court martial cases involving drugs, sexual assault, child Internet pornography, and financial crimes.''

Before returning to Rhode Island, he also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

In recent weeks he has circulated for publication a sample of his views and writings that begins: "The cancer that is corruption continues to devour our state. Most recently, the governor's audit shed light on $75 million of willfully mismanaged taxpayer dollars for insider deals, extravagant bonuses, over-paying and a variety of other corrupt actions....What Rhode Islanders can see from these actions at the landfill is inaction from the state's highest elected official responsible for enforcing our laws, the Attorney General.''

"Is it possible this corruption occurred under the nose of the attorney general and he had no idea?'' he asked. Rhode Islanders are entitled to answers rather than a statement that no prosecution of anyone involved in this fleecing of taxpayer dollars will occur.''

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rhode Island First Lady Sue Carcieri thinks the legislature went astray when it voted to hold a public referendum next year on changing the state's official name.

A woman of many opinions, she shared a few of them during a rare -- but not unprecedented -- radio talk-show interview, hosted on Tuesday morning by WPRO's John DePetro.

Of the proposed Constitutional amendment to strip the word "plantations'' from the official name of the state, she said: "They should keep the name as it is.''

A measure placing the proposal on the 2010 ballot was approved by state lawmakers last week during a hectic two-day special session.

After researching the history of how the state came to be named "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," Mrs. Carcieri said: "We believe this has absolutely no connotation that people want to attribute to it,'' and the referendum drive is likely to cause "a lot of trouble'' and "cost money to fight that fight ... in a year when "there are many more important things.''

"And it's a distraction,'' she said, but "maybe that's the purpose of it. I don't know. I find myself wondering about these extraneous ideas ... Is this about distracting us from what's really important ...The economy is really important, for instance.''

Moving along, Mrs. Carcieri said she is "disappointed'' that none of the candidates in the mix to succeed her husband as governor when his run ends next year share the Carcieris' strong anti-abortion views. That includes the newly emerged Republican candidate: Riordan B. Smith.

Aside from that, however, she said, Smith strikes her as "a very, very great candidate with many good ideas, and I am pleased that we have someone who would continue the policies of my husband.

"I think that's the main point I am looking for in a candidate, and good character,'' she said. "And, he's a good Republican. His background is in business, and I think we continue to need that in this state.''

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Despite some criticism from within their own ranks, House Democrats are slated to hold a closed-door caucus at the State House Thursday on "potential plans of action for the current fiscal situation.''

Not everybody agrees the Democrats - who control all but six of the 75 House seats - need to meet in private to discuss what is arguably the most urgent problem the state faces.

"I think the fact that we are having a caucus could be a step in the right direction,'' notes Rep. Gregory Schadone, one of the House Democrats vying to replace House Speaker William J. Murphy when he makes good on his vow to make next year his last at the rostrum.

Schadone does not quarrel with the occasional need for the party to caucus behind closed doors. But he questions the need for secrecy in this instance, and contends "the Republicans should be included in this discussion.''

His argument: "The public's confidence in the General Assembly right now is obviously at a low, and the fact that we are meeting behind closed doors to discuss the biggest issue facing the state is certainly not going to bolster public confidence or help them understand what we are trying to do.''

But Murphy, D-West Warwick, is standing firm.

>> Continue reading: R.I. House Democrats to meet privately on "fiscal situation''

By STEVE PEOPLES
Journal State House Bureau

Former U.S. Attorney Robert C. Corrente will not run for governor in 2010.

The newly-formed Moderate Party hosted at least two private meetings with Corrente in recent weeks in a courtship that was ultimately unsuccessful.

"I'm not going to do it," Corrente, 52, of East Greenwich, said in a Journal interview Monday afternoon. "It's certainly an interesting landscape for next year and the whole race looks intriguing, but it's not a good time for me given where I am in my career."

Coming off five years working in government, Corrente, a partner at Burns & Levinson, says he's eager to re-establish his private practice.

"I've got one more daughter to put through college," he said.

Corrente spent roughly a month considering a gubernatorial run with the Moderates. He notified party leaders of his decision during a private meeting Monday morning at the party's Warwick headquarters.

"I think it's critically important that we have a credible opposition party," Corrente said, adding that he's "thinking about" changing his party affiliation from Republican to Moderate.

Moderate Party officials have asked Corrente to serve as chairman of the organization's Ethics Policy Committee.

"That's something I'm seriously considering," he said.

Despite the news, Moderate Party executive director Christine Hunsinger is optimistic about her organization's effort to attract a strong candidate to head the ticket in 2010.

"We're still talking to lots of people," Hunsinger said. She declined to be more specific.

Corrente did not leave any room for interpretation as to his intention in 2010. When asked, he said he would not consider running for any elected office with any party.

"It's something I would look at down the road, but nothing for this cycle," he said.

By Steve Peoples
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The newly-formed Moderate Party of Rhode Island has released a made-for-Web video that may contain some familiar footage.

Posted on its Web site, the production, which lasts 5 minutes and 29 seconds, features testimonials from party supporters, moving classical crescendos, and spectacular views of the Ocean State's natural wonders.

Some of the cinematography, however, is remarkably similar to campaign ads of a certain former Providence mayor.

The video -- which may be cut up later to run on television, according to party executive director Christine Hunsinger -- didn't cost the Moderates anything. Executive board member Robert LaChance, a partner in Tin Can Alley productions, donated his time and expertise to produce the film, which amounted to an in-kind contribution worth around $5,000, according to Hunsinger.

LaChance has had no qualms about charging politicians for his work in the past.
His previous clients include Edward S. Inman III, unsuccessful attorney general candidate J. William W. Harsch and Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci."

In case the irony isn't obvious, LaChance's work may end up helping Robert C. Corrente, a favorite of the Moderates for governor. Corrente, as former U.S. Attorney, helped send Cianci to prison.