GOP files complaint on Corrente; candidate argues no wrong doing

By John Howell
Posted 3/20/18

By JOHN HOWELL Two Correntes, no relation to one another, are facing off in the first skirmish of the 2018 race for mayor. Anthony Corrente, chair of the Warwick Republican City Committee, has charged Democratic candidate for Mayor Richard Corrente with"

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GOP files complaint on Corrente; candidate argues no wrong doing

Posted

Two Correntes, no relation to one another, are facing off in the first skirmish of the 2018 race for mayor.

Anthony Corrente, chair of the Warwick Republican City Committee, has charged Democratic candidate for Mayor Richard Corrente “with willful and knowing violation of the state’s campaign finance reporting laws.” The Republicans filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections that candidate Corrente failed to report an expenditure he made for a full-page advertisement appearing in the Dec. 16 Pennysaver, a shopper publication published by Beacon Communications.

In an interview Monday, Corrente provided records showing he paid $396.90 for the ad from his campaign account on Jan. 31. He said since the payment was made in January he didn’t record it in December, even though that is when the expense was incurred.

“I always pay my bills on time,” Corrente said.

Further, Corrente accused Republicans of conducting a “slur campaign” that they initiated through the city with a demand to remove his campaign signs under an ordinance that was challenged and found unconstitutional by the United States District Court in 2001. The law restricted campaign signs to 60 days before an election.

On Dec. 14, 2017 the city zoning inspector, Adam Fielder, sent Corrente a notice of violation of the ordinance demanding he remove signs at 2194 Warwick Ave. within five days or he would face a $500 per-day penalty and lien on his property.

Corrente contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, and on Dec. 28 its executive director, Steven Brown, wrote Fielder asking him to immediately rescind the notice of violation, saying that a time restriction on the posting of political signs is a violation of the First Amendment.

On Jan. 3 Corrente received an email from Alfred DeCorte, director of code enforcement/building official, that the complaint had been withdrawn.

In his press release, Anthony Corrente focuses on the lack of a report on the expenditure for the advertisement. He notes that the candidate loaned his campaign $100 to pay for bank fees with no other record of expenses.

“Was this [the cost of the ad] an illegal corporate contribution from his business, or an unreported donation from himself?” he writes.

Corrente the candidate explained he operates his headquarters from his mortgage company office.

“I have not charged my campaign any money,” he said.

As for payment of the ad, he said he initially wrote a check from his mortgage company, but when he realized he made a mistake, at his request, the Beacon refunded the money and he wrote a check from his campaign account.

Corrente said he made a $500 loan to his campaign account on Jan. 31. He said that as of Monday his campaign account had a balance of $64.10.

Richard Thornton, Director of Campaign Finance for the state Board of Elections, said as a practice the board does not acknowledge whether a complaint has been filed or not. He said, “All investigations are confidential.”

GOP Chairman Corrente provided a copy of the committee’s complaint. In part, it reads in his most recent state filing in 2017, “Mr. Corrente does not report any expenses related to operating a campaign headquarters.”

Asked what he thought of the Republican attack, Corrente the candidate countered, “I’d rather die than have anyone successfully attack my character.”

Comments

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  • CrickeeRaven

    - “I always pay my bills on time,” Corrente said.

    The article states : "He said since the payment was made in January he didn’t record it in December, even though that is when the expense was incurred."

    If the expense was incurred in December and he paid for the ad in January, the fake "mayor" did NOT pay the bill "on time."

    - From the article: "As for payment of the ad, he said he initially wrote a check from his mortgage company, but when he realized he made a mistake, at his request, the Beacon refunded the money and he wrote a check from his campaign account."

    This shows that the fake "mayor" did not pay for the ad on time as he claims, and also proves that he is not conscientious enough to know which checkbook he is using to pay for his campaign.

    - It remains unreported by the Beacon that the fake "mayor" used campaign funds in 2016 to pay the owner of GW Realty for office rent. That same individual paid delinquent tax bills on the fake "mayor's" residence in 2014 and 2015, as shown here: https://warwickpost.com/gop-chair-files-election-board-complaint-against-corrente-for-failing-to-report-ad-hq-spending/

    - “I’d rather die than have anyone successfully attack my character.”

    Given his ethically questionable campaign activities, which also include using this site for free political advertising, the fake "mayor" needs no help in proving himself a failure as a candidate.

    Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    "I always pay my bills on time" says Mayor Dumbness Corrente.

    Except for the following bills:

    2009 car taxes

    Due 7/15/09, paid 7/23/09

    Due 10/15/09, paid 11/10/09

    Due 1/15/10, paid 2/17/10

    Due 4/15/10, paid 8/11/10

    Looks like he was 0 for 4 on that one. Lets keep going

    2010 car taxes

    Due 7/15/10 - not paid

    Due 10/15/10 - not paid

    Due 1/5/11 - not paid

    Due 4/15/11 - not paid

    Finally paid in full on 1/25/2012 when the car could not be registered

    Looks like he was 0 for 4 on that one. Lets keep going

    2011 car taxes

    Due 7/15/11 - not paid

    Due 10/15/11 - not paid

    Due 1/5/12 - not paid

    Due 4/15/12 - not paid

    Finally paid in full on 1/25/2012 when the car could not be registered

    Looks like he was 0 for 4 on that one. Lets keep going

    2012 car taxes

    Due 7/15/12 - not paid

    Due 10/15/12 - not paid

    Due 1/5/13 - not paid

    Due 4/15/13 - paid 3/13/13

    Finally paid in full on 3/13/13

    Looks like he was 0 for 4 on that one. Lets keep going

    Then there is the missing car tax payments for 2013, 14 and 15 but we'll save that for another lie, I mean another day.

    2016 car taxes

    Due 7/15/16 - not paid

    Due 10/15/16 - not paid

    Due 1/5/16 - not paid

    Due 4/15/16 - paid 3/24/17

    So he made 1 for 4 on this one

    Although I hate to get into property taxes, you know what they say in the court room. "He opened the door".

    177 Grand View Dr.

    2013 - not paid - tax sale, paid by Joshua Lavoie and American Gateway Banking

    2014 - not paid - tax sale, paid by Clayton Shackelton

    2015 - not paid- tax sale, paid by Clayton Shackelton

    2016 - not paid - taxes paid by Atty Beth Arruda representing Redstick Acquasitions

    Total unpaid property taxes in excess of $27,000

    Total unpaid utility bills during the time of squatting at 177 Grand View - $500.08 paid by Christine Adams

    LITIGATION BILLS (small example)

    Small claims judgement in favor of Plaintiff Nicole Gagnon in the amount of 1578.75

    Defendant ordered to pay, argues that he can only make monthly payments. Makes 4 $25.00 payments, defaults, is taken back to court and ordered to pay restitution.

    BUT HE ALWAYS PAYS HIS BILLS

    Side bar - Not withstanding his argument in family court that he could only afford to pay $10 / month child support.

    WHAT A GUY

    Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    It looks like Corrente is a nut. Is his running really some kind of joke? Or twisted hobby?

    Full disclosure - I never even heard of the guy until he started running. At that point I would like any voter have listened to what he proposes.

    BUT, he proposes NOTHING. And apparently is a total deadbeat too. Again, is this all a joke?

    Avedisian is not perfect, but this Richard Corrente guy makes him look extremely good by comparison.

    Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Hello again WwkVoter:

    After having watched the fake "mayor's" antics for more than two years now, there are a few possible explanations for his behavior -- but none of them hold up under scrutiny.

    Some candidates want to show that they could have a positive impact on the community, or correct some kind of issue; the fake "mayor" has proven that he has no substantive ideas on how to accomplish anything, and has repeatedly bashed the school committee for no apparent reason, since he's running for mayor.

    Some candidates try to prove that the current office-holder is not doing a good job and show that they could do better; the fake "mayor" has a record of tax delinquencies and questionable campaign finance activities, proving that he can't manage his own money properly.

    Some candidates make an effort to show that they have a better grasp on government operations than their opponent; the fake "mayor" can't even truthfully explain how the city budget gets passed, or factually explain the condition of the city's business sector.

    And some candidates want voters to see them in terms of personal qualities, that they're more conscientious than the other candidate; the fake "mayor" can't even write a check for a political ad without getting it wrong.

    In spite of all this, the fake "mayor" thinks he'll get the benefit of the doubt because somehow, voters will see Mayor Avedisian as the poorer choice -- but as you rightly point out, an honest assessment of the comparison shows nothing of the kind.

    Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Report this

  • patientman

    Why would the GOP Chairman do anything to stop Richard Corrente. Instead tie him to the rest of the Democratic Party. He is after all the face of the Party in Warwick.;-)

    Thursday, March 22, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    The statements of "Thecaptain" AKA rob Cote are not true. He lied. If my taxes were not paid in 2010,2011,and 2012 as he says, how could I ever register my car then or now? The answer is they were paid and paid on time. They HAD to be or the registry of motor vehicles wouldn't allow me to register my car. Cote is a liar. He also has bragged in this newspaper that he stole "over 20 " of my signs. Cote is a thief.

    Happy Spring everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, March 22, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    The fake "mayor" again twists other commenters' words and then calls them "liars."

    In this case, Thecaptain never said the fake "mayor" failed to pay car taxes -- just that he failed to pay them on time, and Thecaptain provided proof: 2009 taxes paid four months overdue in 2010, 2010 and 2011 taxes paid in 2012.

    Clearly, the fake "mayor" only paid car taxes when his registration had expired and could not be renewed for nonpayment of taxes, or else he would have made those payments on time, meaning when they were originally due.

    But he did not, which makes yet another claim of his false.

    Honest, taxpaying voters see through the fake "mayor's" attempts to lie to them, and will respond by overwhelmingly defeating his candidacy again this November.

    Thursday, March 22, 2018 Report this