The Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee has always had an independent streak, as seen by its support for Steve Laffey when he was mayor in Cranston. Here are the group's latest endorsements:

PROVIDENCE, R.I.-  On August 13, 2008, the Rhode Island Political Action Committee (RILPAC) members voted to endorse the following candidates for the 2008 election:

Cranston Mayoral Race:  R. Allan Fung

RI Senate District 2:  D. Juan Pichardo

RI Senate District 6:  D. Harold Metts

RI Senate District 16:  D. Daniel Issa

RI House District 2:  D. David Segal

RI House District 10:  D. Thomas Slater

RI House District 11:  D. Grace Diaz

RI House District 16:  D. John DeGenova

RI House District 51:  D. Chris Fierro

This year RILPAC focused on selected candidates' races that impact Rhode Island's Latino community.  Candidates were asked to submit responses regarding issues such as Education, Economic Development, Health Care, Civil Rights and Social Justice. RILPAC members voted to support those candidates who they felt addressed and represented the interests of Rhode Island's Latinos.

RILPAC is a nonpartisan political action committee. RILPAC's goals are twofold:

A. To endorse candidates who support issues benefiting Latinos and other individuals from urban communities while raising awareness on issues and/or candidates that could adversely impact the Latino community; and

B. To ensure that elected officials, political leaders and candidates have a broad understanding of the concerns and priorities among Rhode Island Latinos.

8/14/2008 3:53:00 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

 

Speaking generically, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian says that closing the door to renewed negotiations isn't a good practice and that it has negative consequences.

He made the remark in response to a question I asked this morning during a taping of WPRI/WNAC-TV's Newsmakers: Does he support Governor Carcieri's stance in his clash with Council 94? Avedisian responded by saying he supports the governor as the leader of the state, but that when it comes to negotiations, it's best to remain open to continued talks.

Avedisian, who has taken himself out of the 2010 gubernatorial race, says his friend Linc Chafee is getting closer to making a decision about whether to run.

Also joining guest host Mike Montecalvo, Arlene Violet, and mysefl were Cranston GOP mayoral candidate Allan Fung and political analyst Joe Fleming. (Fung's Democratic opponent, Cynthia Fogarty, couldn't make today's taping and is supposed to appear on a future show.)

Fung is among the relatively few bright spots for the RI GOP, so I asked how he expects the tradition divide between conservative and moderate elements to play out if Steve Laffey and Chafee are among the gubernatorial combatants in 2010. Fung, who was a Laffey ally when the latter was mayor of Cranston, says he hopes the  divisions could be minimized.

Fleming, for his part, believes that a Democrat will be the one most advantaged if the three-way gubernatorial scenario comes to fruition in 2010. While Laffey and Chafee could be credible contenders, Fleming says, a Democrat starts with about 40 percent of the vote.

Given the wild card of Rhode Island's budget and economic fortunes, however, the outlook could be more unpredictable. We'll have to wait and see.

8/8/2008 10:42:00 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The blogosphere and politics are merging in Cranston, with Kiersten signing on with Cynthia Fogarty's Democratic mayoral campaign.

The Fogarty for Mayor campaign is pleased to announce that it has hired Kiersten Marek as its campaign coordinator.  Kiersten is a Cranston resident and clinical social worker who owns and runs the blog Kmareka.com, which follows Cranston community issues, particularly issues related to education, finance, and zoning.
 
"In taking this position as coordinator for Cindy Fogarty's campaign, I hope to bring more Cranston residents into the process of electing the best possible Mayor for our city.  I firmly believe Cindy's record as a city councilmember, business woman, litigator and citizen advocate are the strongest indicators of how she will lead Cranston in the right direction."
 
Cindy Fogarty adds, "I have known Kiersten since my first days on the City Council.  She was a volunteer member of the Cranston Financial Review Board and has been active on many school and community issues. Kiersten's willingness to serve her city during a challenging financial period is indicative of her community commitment. She has continued to be involved on the major issues facing not only Cranstonians, but all Rhode Islanders."

7/23/2008 10:27:00 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Speaking of mayors past and present, Kiersten has an interview with Cranston mayoral candidate Cynthia Fogarty, and she plans more coverage:

Please watch the interview to learn how Cindy will handle our city's affairs and forward it to other Cranston residents who could benefit from seeing it. 
 
We are planning to do a debate between Cindy Fogarty and her opponent, Allan Fung, using Blogtalkradio.  I will let people know when this debate will take place in the near future.

7/17/2008 3:26:00 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The Cranston mayoral race bears watching, in part because of that city's tradition in incubating candidates for bigger future runs.

Matt has this update:

Last week, Cindy Fogarty kicked-off her campaign for Mayor of Cranston.  Kmareka has the audio of her announcement and the test of her speech here.

It was a mercifully short event yesterday, standing out in the blazing sun in front of city hall, especially for the Democratic candidates who were all dutifully suited up. Democratic City Chair Mike Sepe reminded us that some of the most powerful and successful women in Rhode Island government have come from Cranston. Cindy Fogarty spoke about growing up on the South Side of Providence, going to Classical High School, and her climb into the middle class here in Cranston. She gave some background on her accomplishments as Chair of the Finance Committee in Cranston and spoke to the fundamental purpose of local government to collect taxes and use them responsibly to provide services.

7/7/2008 1:52:00 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |