Another thought on Caprio and furloughs

During yesterday's broadcast of A Lively Experiment, Lou Pulner raised the possibility that Frank Caprio -- who unveiled a furlough plan for the treasurer's office earlier in the week --had been tipped off by the Carcieri administration that it was moving forward with its own furlough plan.

It's certainly possible. As I wrote back in 2006, some RI Democrats have been concerned by Caprio's friendly ties with the governor:

These factors [Caprio's early start for the treasurer's office, as well as his strong war chest], as well as the relatively thin Republican bench, could explain the current lack of any other contenders for the treasurer’s job, which will be vacated in January by the term-limited Paul Tavares. Still, it did nothing to dim questions on the part of some Democrats about a possible inside deal when Governor Carcieri gushed to Providence Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst last November about Caprio’s qualifications as a potential state treasurer. “He tried to choose his words carefully because, he noted, Caprio is running as a Democrat,” Bakst wrote. “Nevertheless, Carcieri said, ‘He’s got all the skills . . . He’s very bright, hardworking . . . was Senate Finance chair . . . He’s got all of the requisite background.’ "

Bringing things into the present, many Rhode Islanders presumably appreciate the willingness of various officeholders to find savings in their own offices. The more salient point, though, is how Caprio might enjoy certain advantages in a busy Democratic gubernatorial field in 2010.

Compared with Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, Caprio -- because of his more traditional profile, including his full-blooded Italian ancestry -- is said to be the favored son of much of Rhode Island's Italo-American political establishment, including two previous Providence mayors.

Of course, it's possible that Caprio could run for an office other than governor in 2010, including mayor of Providence, or perhaps even seek a second term as treasurer (and Cicilline is not without his own advantages), but the inside game as it relates to his future bears watching.