To the Editor: I don't know Gerald Carbone, so I really can't figure out what he's thinking. But in his letter to the Editor, printed on October 18, he endorsed the Republican candidate for Warwick Mayor. For this Democrat to turn his back on his party
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To the Editor:
I don’t know Gerald Carbone, so I really can’t figure out what he’s thinking. But in his letter to the Editor, printed on October 18, he endorsed the Republican candidate for Warwick Mayor. For this Democrat to turn his back on his party and support the GOP candidate is disappointing, to say the least.
Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Carbone was asking Democratic voters to award him our party’s nomination. But those voters were clearly unimpressed, and gave Mayor Joseph Solomon more than four times as many votes. Now, he has chosen to betray his party.
Mr. Carbone and his so-called progressive friends have claimed that they are the “True Democrats.” Yet he touted his endorsement by the Progressive Party. And here he is supporting the Republican nominee? Odd…
This has the distinct aroma of “sour grapes.” The simple fact is that Mr. Carbone lost the Democratic primary for Mayor. Clearly, the voters didn’t consider his time as a journalist prepared him to be the chief executive of a city with a sizeable budget. He pointed to his experience in chairing the Warwick Library Board of Trustees. As I chaired the State Library Board for a decade, and served as President of the Providence Community Library for a number of years, I am certainly a supporter of libraries. But helping the library administration to obtain 3-D printers is hardly enough to qualify a person to be Mayor.
And it’s obvious that the voters didn’t agree that promoting some of these progressive, pie-in-the-sky ideas (i.e. a resolution opposing off-shore drilling) is a priority at the municipal level. While many of these are admirable national or global concerns, they’re out of place in a local race. A mayor has no jurisdiction over these types of issues. It might be nice to support workers in Nepal, but that’s not what the Mayor of Warwick is hired (by the voters) to do.
Mr. Carbone says he doesn’t like labels, and recommends that we not be fooled by local party labels. I agree. We should look behind the label, to see what the truth is.
The truth is that he ran as a Democrat. He chose to do so. If he wanted to be an independent, he could have run as an independent. He inserted himself into the Democratic primary.
The truth is that he proceeds to label me a conservative corporate lawyer. I’ll proudly admit to the lawyer part. And I represent Rhode Island companies as well as individuals, so perhaps he thinks that’s corporate law (Newsflash: it’s not!). But as for the conservative bit - either he’s confused about my positions, or he’s simply choosing to ignore them.
The truth is that he’s failed to check his facts. When he accuses the Warwick Democratic Party’s City Committee of recruiting me to run against the “incumbent Democratic woman in the Senate District 30 race,” he’s simply wrong. No one recruited me. The City Committee never asked me to run. That’s the truth.
The truth is that Mr. Carbone labels our city and state Democratic committees as further “right” than the few Republican candidates. But it appears he’s hardly in a position to complain, as he’s the one supporting a Republican – the party of Trump - for Mayor.
Perhaps he should look first at his own candidacy, and his own actions. For my part, I am supporting a True Democrat, Joe Solomon. Joe will continue to be a fine mayor.
Mark McKenney
Mr. McKenney won the Democratic nomination for Senate District 30 in September and will appear on the November election ballot.
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richardcorrente
Dear Mark,
Respectfully, you're wrong.
Mr. Carbone ran as a Democrat in the Democratic Primary but he ran against Joe Solomon because he opposes Joe Solomon. Carbone has every right to support and vote for Stenhouse if he wants to. Warwick voters have gotten far from party politics. There is little party strength in the Republicans or the Democrats. Today, in my opinion, the two new opponents are the political insiders and the taxpayers. Joe is a political insider. He hit the taxpayers with the largest tax increase allowed by law and gave that money to the political insiders and literally bought their votes with taxpayers money. Mr. Carbone and I split the "taxpayers" or "political outsiders" vote and still received thousands of votes. Subtract the "political-insider votes and the outcome would be different I'm sure. I wonder what would happen if ALL taxpayers voted on that rain soaked day? I wonder what would have happened if Joe didn't have the "insider-votes"? Or all the PAC's donations. Maybe we'll find out next time. Maybe.
As far as me, I have not endorsed Solomon or Stenhouse yet. I met with Sue Stenhouse on three separate occasions and discussed The Corrente Plan with her. She agreed with several parts of it. If she puts some of it in her platform, I will endorse her. Not because she is a Republican but if she agrees with my ideas.
Nothing wrong with that Mark.
For my thinking, it's the message, not the person or party. As far as Joe, I called him four times. I'm still waiting for a return call.
I wish you well on your election and think you will be an excellent State Senator, but I think Ged Carbone has the right to his personal opinion. I wouldn't call it a "betrayal". You also called it "Odd...". I think that is a more accurate word.
Happy Autumn Mark.
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, October 25, 2018 Report this
WarwickObserver
I spoke to Carbone at the polls on primary day while I was holding a sign for Mayor Solomon. Mr. Carbone told me that "we are all Democrats after today." I guess he writes fiction as well as histories.
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
Mr. McKenney, don't pay any attention to the Democratic primary loser. His authority on virtually any topic in Warwick is zero, and he proves it again by speaking for Mr. Carbone and repeating the conspiracy theories that led directly to his blowout loss to Mayor Solomon in September.
"Joe is a political insider."
A year ago, the two-time election reject was calling then-Council President Solomon and the council "the taxpayers' council."
"He hit the taxpayers with the largest tax increase allowed by law and gave that money to the political insiders and literally bought their votes with taxpayers money."
First, there is no evidence that Mayor Solomon "bought" any votes. The two-time election reject also ignores the fact that $4.5 million of the FY19 budget increase is paying for the increased costs of the new teachers' contract, which the two-time election reject repeatedly supported.
Second, the two-time election reject supported -- and even claimed credit for -- the FY18 budget that did not increase revenue enough to cover the $6.5 million increase in spending, which led directly to the maximum tax hike in the current budget.
And third, the two-time election reject accepted campaign contributions from the same people he is now calling "insiders" when he lost in 2016, which proves that if people are not giving him money, he will turn his back on them.
"I have not endorsed Solomon or Stenhouse yet."
The endorsement of the two-time election reject will make zero difference for either candidate. He is delusional to think that Sue Stenhouse will use any part of his set of empty slogans that he calls a plan, or that Mayor Solomon owes him a return call.
Please take my advice, and the follow the example of the thousands of honest, taxpaying voters who rejected his candidacy again in 2018, Mr. McKenney, and stay as far away as possible from the two-time election loser.
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear CrickeeRaven, AKA Mark Carruolo,
I've met Mark McKenny. I like Mark McKenny. He's an adult. He can speak for himself. You don't have to tell him how to feel. It amazes me however, how you hang on my every word. You must REALLY like me. Huh. Are you me BIGGEST fan Mark? Or is it Scal1024? You have every right to agree or disagree with anything I say. You are just as entitled to your own opinion as I am. Got that Mark? Just as entitled. Not more. And I am not afraid to give an opinion from my own honest name. You give one hiding in the shadows using a name that is a sick combination of a cricket and a raven. Sorry, my biggest fan, but there is no credibility there. Why don't you have the courage to call me at 401-338-9900 and come out of the shadows.
You anonymous coward of a critic.
Hey, happy Autumn anyway Mark.
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor.
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
Once again, the two-time election reject engages in hypocritical behavior:
- "You don't have to tell him how to feel," he writes, after telling Mr. McKenney: "you're wrong."
- "[Y]ou hang on my every word," he writes, in responding two hours after someone else's comment.
- "You have every right to agree or disagree with anything I say," he writes, before stating: "You anonymous coward of a critic."
He also continues his unhealthy obsession with Warwick's former chief of staff, who left city employment in 2014. This means he would have no reason to start commenting on this site in 2016 -- nor has the two-time election reject offered any information that supports his false claim.
As is typical for him, the two-time election reject does tell an accidental truth about himself, buried beneath his conspiracy theories and hypocritical statements:
"[T]here is no credibility there."
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
Thecaptain
https://www.wpri.com/fox-providence/dan-yorke-state-of-mind/1025-ken-block-and-rob-cote-talk-warwick-firefighters-sick-time-practice-on-state-of-mind/1551894941
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear CrickeeRaven,
Where would you be without me?
You'd be heartbroken.
My comments were my opinion. You stated your comments as if they were fact. They're not.
And, in my opinion, ANYONE who makes comments without having the integrity to do it with his/her own honest name is a "anonymous coward of a critic"! That would be you Mark, hiding in the shadows.
Happy Autumn CrickeeRaven, AKA Mark Carruolo.
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
The two-time election reject again humiliates himself with false statements:
"You stated your comments as if they were fact."
Fact: A year ago, the two-time election reject was calling then-Council President Solomon and the council "the taxpayers' council."
He wrote this on June 8, 2017: "[T]he City Council will now be known as the taxpayers City Council."
http://warwickonline.com/stories/no-tax-increase-budget-holds-mayor-wont-use-veto,125025?#comments
Fact: There is no evidence that Mayor Solomon "bought" any votes.
Fact: $4.5 million of the FY19 budget increase is paying for the increased costs of the new teachers' contract, which the two-time election reject repeatedly supported.
Fact: The two-time election reject supported -- and even claimed credit for -- the FY18 budget that did not increase revenue enough to cover the $6.5 million increase in spending, which led directly to the maximum tax hike in the current budget.
Fact: The two-time election reject accepted campaign contributions from the same people he is now calling "insiders" when he lost in 2016.
That is not "as if they were facts." Those are the facts -- and no matter how often he engages in name-calling a denial, they remain the facts.
As does this fact: The two-time election reject has no proof for his false accusation of who uses this screen name [also a fact: when someone makes such an accusation, the burden is on them to present proof].
And this fact: I and nearly 9,000 honest, taxpaying voters are having a very happy autumn [independent of his hollow wishes] knowing we rejected his candidacy and kept him far away from any elected office.
Friday, October 26, 2018 Report this
patientman
Solomon knew about the illegal and corrupt side deal with the fire department years ago but ignored it. He's unfit to be Warwick's Chief Executive.
Saturday, October 27, 2018 Report this
Cat2222
patientman, so instead we vote for a woman who wanted a photo op so bad she had her male bus driver dress as an elderly woman?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Report this