As a resident of Warwick that pays attention to the city expenditures, I have been quite vocal on a number of occasions when I have called out what I consider wasteful spending. Whether my concerns were on budgets, union contracts, or monthly expenditures, prior to making comment I perform my due diligence and refer to historical data of expenditures.
Recently, my Warwick councilman Steve McAllister announced to the Boston Globe that he: “is seriously mulling over running for mayor.” I was deeply disturbed by this comment as during Mr. McAllister’s time on the city council, in my opinion, he has proven himself on many occasions to be completely unqualified to represent the people in […]
Uncover the chronic waste and abuse in Warwick city through a whistleblower’s exposé. From city officials indulging in unauthorized activities to ineffective reprimands, the article highlights the dire need for GPS tracking in municipal vehicles. Now a ludicrous proposal by the Parks and Recreation department seeking extravagant marine electronics for boats with limited utility, shedding light on the city council’s baffling priorities. Delve into the absurdity as the article unravels the city’s misplaced focus, exposing a pattern of wasteful decisions and questionable judgment.
In the aftermath of a Montana transgender custody dispute, North Kingstown grapples with parental rights concerns. Controversial school committee statements and unaccountable political influences spark community questions.
Join the Chariho Forgotten Taxpayers’ Speaker Series Fundraiser featuring Ramona Bessinger, an experienced ELA educator. Discover the concerns surrounding changes in school curricula including racial hostility and Antisemitic sentiments. Bessinger’s insights, featured on major news outlets, highlight the urgent need for parental awareness.
The RI House Education Committee will hear H5498 on Wednesday, March 22. In 2019, the Rhode Island General Assembly granted authority to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to develop curricula for various subjects and mandate it to every school district in the state … removing authority from local school districts to determine what […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can watch Louise Dinsmore’s recent appearances as a guest on The Current’s In The Dugout with Mike Stenhouse video podcasts here and here. **** As a parent whose child attended Richmond Elementary School from K-3, I witnessed the love, dedication and professionalism of Chariho teachers and teaching support staff. There is […]
WATCH LIVE the contentious school committee meeting in Chariho tonight at around 6:00pm. Will CLAY JOHNSON be seated?
A Rhode Island judge has temporarily blocked the state from relocating homeless people living in tents outside the State House, following a move by Gov. Dan McKee to evict them.
While upgrading EV charging infrastructure may sound good on the surface to some: giving electric car owners more places to charge their glorified go-karts, it does nothing more than help the state’s wealthy. Looking at RI’s median household income of $67,167, a large majority of RI residents cannot afford an electric vehicle, making the spending virtually useless.
On May 4, residents of South Kingstown will be voting on an $85,000,000 school bond referendum.
That’s a pretty high amount for town residents to go on the hook for, mainly because the town’s student enrollment has been steadily declining but also because the cornerstone component of the proposed works, the high school, would not be newbuild but conversion of an existing school building. Two miles AWAY, by the way, from its current in-town location.
As there would be state funds involved, the project itself, its costs and its proposed funding sources have to be approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education. (Link here to the town’s facility application submitted to RIDE).
So the Ocean State Current reached out to RIDE with the questions below and received the indicated answers.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for April 12, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, April 19, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
The most direct evidence that something is very, very wrong in RI government is that a mayor can be so out of touch that he’d think working a standard workday justifies double pay.
The old saying goes, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but advocates of the left-wing’s modern monetary theory (MMT) want you to think there is. Read about the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity’s suggestions for use of federal COVID-19 aid.
The Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) is just another big-government attempt to manipulate the people.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for March 15, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, March 22, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
The brand of “civics education” being pushed at the state and federal levels would undermine representative government across Rhode Island and the country.
A new term highlights the reality that what is good for the community might not be good for the people who wish to govern that community.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for March 8, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, March 15, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for February 22, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, March 1, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for February 1, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, February 8, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for January 25, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, February 1, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
At a press conference of the city government to announce new policies, what could it mean for a speaker to pledge to “fight” and “take back our city”?
This morning on the WPRO Morning News with Gene Valicenti – link to audio – General Treasurer Seth Magaziner elaborated on his call for Rhode Island Representative Justin Price to resign from the House of Representatives for spreading misinformation, saying
When elected officials use their platforms to spread (mis)information, to spread lies, they have to be called out for it.”
And
…as elected officials, we should be held to a higher standard …
Interesting. Alright, check out this analysis from August, 2018 by Mike Riley.
In assessing the effort to keep the PawSox in Rhode Island, it is important to review the role of General Treasurer Seth Magaziner. The state treasurer was asked to analyze the costs and opine on affordability, as would be expected with a large borrowing like this. Mr. Magaziner opined in October 2017 and in June 2018 as numbers changed along with the terms of the deal and then opined again recently, finally giving a nod to the deal.
But what everyone needs to know is that $350 million dollars in debt for Pawtucket’s other post-employment benefits (OPEB) for former employees was not used in his analysis. This is more than twice the city’s pension debt! In fact, it was purposely left out by Magaziner. Including OPEB debt would obviously have made the City of Pawtucket’s borrowing look dangerous and ill-conceived. … This $350 million is so significant and overwhelming, it would be irresponsible for any treasurer to think Pawtucket absorbing new debt was a good idea.
Well, that’s an eye-opener. Nice work by Mike Riley catching that serious piece of misinformation by General Treasurer Magaziner. Ultimately, the PawSox left Rhode Island and these ill-conceived, unaffordable bonds were never issued. But that was very much despite this substantive misinformation that Treasurer Magaziner issued about Pawtucket’s financial condition.
Now, it is absurd to call on an elected official to step down due to a statement of misinformation; in part, because it falls into a broader category of free speech and, in part, because about three quarters of all elected officials in the country would instantly have to step down. (I heard that; stop cheering!).
But that is the position of General Treasurer Seth Magaziner.
I do agree with him when he says, as he did this morning, that “As Americans, we all have a duty to speak up when we see people in positions of authority spreading misinformation” and that elected officials “should use our platforms responsibly”. Via this post, accordingly, I am fulfilling that duty. Specifically, I am calling out Mr. Magaziner for a piece of misinformation that is especially egregious because he communicated it in his capacity as the state’s General Treasurer in an analysis about a major financial decision facing a municipality and the state.
Clearly, Mr. Magaziner did not use his platform as General Treasurer responsibly by including misinformation in this important analysis. Now, I myself am not calling on him to resign as the state’s General Treasurer for this. But by his own standard, he must do so immediately. Referring once again to Mr. Magaziner’s own words on WPRO this morning, elected officials have a duty to tell people the truth, to be honest. He failed notably to do so.
Time is of the essence, on this one. Tomorrow in Tiverton, the Police Department will be in the parking lot of Tom’s Market on Main Rd. collecting toys and other gifts for 40-50 local families in need. If you’re in the area, stop by for beverages, cookies, Clauses, and music.
In the meantime, here’s a Tiverton on Track interview I did with Chief Patrick Jones and Sergeant John LeDuc, who suggested and spearheads the event. We also talk about the need for police to have positive interactions with the public and the experience of policing under the shadow of COVID-19, which is changing the frequency and nature of the calls to the department.
Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, let’s examine the goal of the lockdown, the critical matter of its effectiveness and the collateral damage it has caused.
Over on Tiverton Fact Check, for our Tiverton on Track show, I had a great conversation with John Loughlin, mainly about statewide politics. Click the link above if you’d prefer the audio-only podcast. Here’s the video version:
We are living through one of the most peaceful times in human history. Given the tumult of 2020, it is easy to lose perspective. The number of people living in poverty is plummeting – globally. And even with a pandemic raging, we are seeing extraordinary advances in our ability to fight disease. Whether together or apart, we will soon see the arrival of Thanksgiving – a pause to give thanks, and maybe gain some perspective.
Before we arrive at this pause, we have an election to endure. The Gaspee Project board is committed to advocating for free market principles and supporting conservative candidates. These principles lead to more freedom. Freedom leads to prosperity (jobs). History has shown this to be true.
Conservatives believe in the individual rights and a free society. This is why private property and a limited government are so important.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for October 26, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, November 2, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for October 19, included talk about:
I’ll be on again Monday, October 26, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.