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Election Forum 2002
| | The General Assembly candidates. |
On October 29th, the SNA hosted Election Forum 2002. A tradition
for more than a decade, the election forum brought together candidates
for Providence Mayor, State Senate District 1 and State Representative
District 4 for a debate. The candidates addressed questions submitted
before the start of the event by the SNA and the audience.
State Senate candidates Rhoda Perry, the incumbant, and her opponent
Leo Trevino joined State Representative incumbant Gordon Fox, his
Republican challenger Charles Smith and Libertarian candidate
Jonathon Wiening. Together the five answered questions about the PILOT
(Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program, support for
Channel 36, balancing
the state budget,
RIte Care
and the Bond Issues.
| | The candidates for Providence Mayor. |
The four candidates for Providence Mayor then took the stage.
Greg Gerritt, David Cicilline, David Talon and Christopher Young
fielded questions on the City's education system, Miriam Hospital and
the institutional zone, and city finances.
The second hour focused on the 5 ballot issues. Speaking in favor of
Ballot Issue 1, State Police Headquarters Facility and State Municipal
Fire Academy Bonds, $55,000,000, was Craig Bosoley, President of the
Fire Training Academy and Deputy State Fire Marshall Mike DeMasco.
Captain Garry Terrell and Inspector Brandon Doherty spoke in favor
of the Police Headquarters.
| | The ballot issues get a hearing. |
Al Klyberg, Director of Museum & Program, spoke on behalf of the
Heritage Harbor Museum,
which is seeking funding through Ballot Issue 2,
Preservation, Recreation and Heritage Bonds, $14,000,000. Speaking for
the Parks Department in support of the
Roger Williams Park Botanical
Garden component of the same Bond issue was Bob MacMahon, who is also
a Summit resident. Another Summit neighbor, Ted Sanderson of the
RI Historic Preservation and
Heritage Commission,
spoke in support of the preservation component of the Bond issue.
Bond Issue 3, Transportation Bonds, $63,500,000, was supported by Janice
Loiselle of the state Department of Transportation (and also a Summit
area resident). RIPTA was represented, too.
Barry Schiller, Transportation Committee Chair of the
Rhode Island Chapter
of the Sierra Club,
spoke in opposition to the Transportation
Bond question, providing the evening's first cautionary note about the
state's level of indebtedness.
| | Summit neighbors head home. |
John Riando and Michael Walker represented the
RI Economic Development Commission
and spoke in support of Bond Issue 4, Quonset Point/Davisville
Bonds, $11,000,000.
Ballot Issue 5, Question Proposed by the Governor, Co-Equal Branches
of Government, was defended by a representative from the Governor's Office.
Senator John Rooney spoke against the issue.
Efforts by the SNA to get a speaker from the
Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council
(RIPEC)
to address the State's fiscal policies
were unsuccessful. RIPEC has been critical of the amount of borrowing
Rhode Island does. SNA board member Grant Dulgarian spoke briefly at
the end of the evening about some of RIPEC's positions and mentioned a
study they recently released.
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