Tagged: Gov. Lincoln Chafee

In another sign that Providence Mayor Angel Taveras is serious about running for governor in 2014: sources close to the mayor say he has hired a leading Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm and top Rhode Island campaign strategist J.B. Poersch, a longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.

Taveras has retained SKDKnickerbocker as his campaign consultants. Poersch and veteran consultant Bill Knapp will lead the team advising Taveras as he plans his campaign.

So now the most ridiculous and irresponsible decision of former Gov. Donald Carcieri’s tenure has come home to roost. That, of course, would be the decision to gamble $100 million or so of the taxpayers’ money on Curt Schilling’s ill-fated 38 Studios video game company.

The company is now bankrupt. As ProJo State House veteran Katherine Gregg reports, the budget proposal from Governor Lincoln Chafee, the most vocal opponent of this fiasco during the 2010 governor’s race, has proposed making the initial $2.5 million payment to bondholders.

Another week passes with the usual palaver  from the Rhode Island political and business elite on economic development. RIPR political  analyst Scott MacKay says its time for some changes in the way Rhode Islanders view our state and ourselves.

The governor’s office sent out the following advisory at about 11:32 am today:

Governor Lincoln D. Chafee will host the 2012 State House tree lighting today, November 29, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. in the State House rotunda. The student orchestra from Cranston’s Park View Middle School will be performing holiday songs in the Bell Area of the rotunda beginning at noon.

According to the governor’s schedule, Chafee’s due for a ribbon-cutting for JetBlue at T.F. Green Airport at 1:25 pm.

It’s almost all over but the voting. Some questions to consider:

1. If David Cicilline loses, does he try to stage a comeback in 2014?

2. If Brendan Doherty loses, does he move to the head of the list of possible GOP gubernatorial candidates in 2014?

3. How come the RI Republican Party can’t find a GOP candidate for John Loughlin’s old seat in a conservative part of the state?

4. If Doherty loses, will it be because he waited too long to get his message rolling, or because Democrats had a far better ground game?