ARLENE VIOLET – Rhode Island politics doesn t change much valleybreeze.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from valleybreeze.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2/16/2021
ARLENE VIOLET – Rhode Island politics doesn’t change much
In the space of one week, changes in the Rhode Island political landscape have been breathtaking. Regrettably, far too often what made the public gasp was the sheer audacity of the actions taken by a politician.
Here are some examples:
Brett Smiley – Gov. Gina Raimondo’s chief of staff finally announced his resignation following a spate of campaign contributions from state vendors to his upcoming mayoral race in Providence. The mining of money from companies with whom the state does business for his campaign was unconscionable. It might be viewed as inadvertent but for the fact that Mr. Smiley has been ethically challenged in other past matters. While dealing with the city of Providence in his official state role, Mr. Smiley’s campaign consulting business simultaneously vacuumed in cash as a “consultant” to Mayor Jorge Elorza. Mr. Smiley and his husband owned a home in Providence assessed at $843,0
PROVIDENCE Rhode Island state government is set to finish a COVID-ravaged year better funded than ever after the General Assembly passed a $12.7-billion mid-year state budget Friday.
Meeting in a rare lame-duck session at Rhode Island College for social distancing, senators passed the budget 31 to 5 along party lines, with all Senate Republicans opposed. The tax-and-spending plan passed the House on Wednesday, and Gov. GIna Raimondo is expected to sign it into law.
The budget takes advantage of unprecedented federal funding to maintain current services and avoid layoffs through the end of June.
Rhode Island spending in the budget would exceed what Raimondo proposed in January by $2.5 billion and last year s budget by $900 million.