LETTERS

Looking for answers on Democratic endorsement

Posted 7/12/18

To the Editor: I read the article, “Incumbent Calkin fails to get Dem endorsement,” with interest. Senator Calkin is my senator, and I’m very curious about the endorsement process …

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LETTERS

Looking for answers on Democratic endorsement

Posted

To the Editor:
I read the article, “Incumbent Calkin fails to get Dem endorsement,” with interest. Senator Calkin is my senator, and I’m very curious about the endorsement process and the reasons she was not endorsed by the Senate District Committee chaired by Rob Baxter. In the spirit of open and transparent government, I hope Rob will respond to this query, because I have been speaking to a lot of Warwick residents who are equally curious about how the system works.
I did a bit of research on Calkin’s record, to see if I could determine any specific reason that an incumbent Senator would not be endorsed by her own party after being in office for two years. I discovered that Calkin sponsored or co-sponsored over 100 bills in the past two years and had an almost perfect attendance record when the General Assembly was in session, missing two days due to illness in 2018 and missing no days in 2017. I glanced at her Facebook page and noticed that she seems to communicate regularly with constituents, posting links to bills, stating her position, asking for public input. Since politicians work for us, I’m always happy when they take seriously their mandate to keep us informed.  
I hope we can find out why our local Senate District Committee chose to endorse a male challenger to Calkin. I sincerely hope the endorsement wasn’t made because Calkin is a woman. I have been hearing that the Democratic Party in Rhode Island has chosen not to endorse several other women as well. Hopefully, here in Warwick, there is a much more reasonable answer. We are waiting to hear it.

Mary Preziosi
Warwick

Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    Dear Mary Preziosi,

    The head of the Democratic Party in Warwick is a gentleman named Rob Farrell. I believe he is the person you were referring to in the above article. When I decided to run for Mayor of Warwick in December 2014, I called him. I had never met him and admittedly I knew as much about him as he knew about me. Pretty much, nothing. But from that first phone conversation I got a sense of leadership about him. Instead of brushing me off saying "Call me after you are a declared candidate." He said, "Well then I think we should meet right away." And we did. From that day on we have spoken many times and have established a warm friendship. I campaigned every day (700 days in a row ) and when the time to endorse came around I got the unanimous vote of approval and became the endorsed Democratic Candidate for Mayor in the 2016 election. But now we have a different election and Rob is also a friend of fellow Democrat Joe Solomon who is the endorsed candidate because he's been around a LOT longer than me. Joe also has many political ties to what I have referred to as "the political insiders". He has also voted for almost every single tax increase since the early 2,000's.

    The big difference between Joe and me is I campaigned for 700 days in a row and spent over $40,000 of my own money, rallied the 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab and got 29 taxes CUT from the 2017 budget. Joe, on the other hand, just gave Warwick the biggest tax INCREASE allowed by law! This Democratic Primary Election September 12th, will definitely be the "Joe and the political insiders" against "me and The 80,000 Taxpayers That Are Paying The Tab". If you support "More Taxes - More Spending". Joe is your candidate. If you support "Cut Taxes - Cut Spending" then I am your candidate. The Corrente Plan shows the blueprint to "Cut Taxes - Cut Spending" on my website "www.correnteformayor.com".

    Mary, can you think of one piece of legislation in Warwick that's worth the money the taxpayers spend? Neither can I. If you want to speak to me my phone number is 401-338-9900.

    Happy Summer Mary.

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Corrente did NOT "get 29 taxes cut", is not respected generally, and tends to just make things like that up off the cuff. I could add more but, others will do it better. Guy is bad news.

    oh, he DID get his own taxes cut, when he repeatedly did not pay them. He'll deny it, and then others will post the data from the official record.

    Friday, July 13, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    And I should add that to a nice letter, asking a good question, corrente makes it all about himself. And uses fiction to do it. Please corrente, just stop spamming here.

    Friday, July 13, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Mary, as WwkVoter correctly notes, the make-believe mayor can not help embarrassing himself through his comments on this website. He had no answer for the state party's decision to endorse Sen. Calkin's opponent (a decision they later rescinded), and instead replied with a long list of disproven statements.

    When the make-believe mayor talks about the "worth" of things, he only proves the worthlessness of his continued use of this site for free political advertising, his failed 2016 campaign, and his lies about the city budget and many other topics.

    He is a proven tax delinquent who paid campaign funds to rent an office from the same person who previously paid the taxes on the make-believe mayor's residence. He is also calling people "political insiders" who contributed to his losing 2016 campaign.

    As a result, I suggest that you stay far away from the make-believe mayor, and hope you will join the thousands of honest, taxpaying voters who will reject his candidacy on Sept. 12.

    Saturday, July 14, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Its sad that deadbeat Corrente is now taking his lies and distortion to individual voters, in the hopes somebody of reviving his dying campaign. The Warwick Democrats haven't endorsed Rick Corrente because Rick Corrente has been exposed as a dishonest, tax delinquent who would bankrupt Warwick in 1 term as Mayor.

    Look no further than Rick Correntes car taxes. In 2009, 2010, 2011 Rick Corrente was either late, or unpaid with his car taxes. It wasn't until 1/25/12 where he wouldn't have been allowed to register his car that Corrente found the decency to pay his fair share. 1 year after being told he'd have to pay back taxes or not be able to register his car something funny happened. Rick Correntes car disappeared off the tax rolls from 2013-2015. Conveniently, it wasn't until Corrente was running for mayor in 2016 that his car found itself back on the Warwick tax rolls. Coincidence? Not a chance.

    This doesn't even go into his delinquent property taxes from 2014 and 2015 totaling almost $13,000 that were paid by a "friend". This "friend" who paid Correntes back taxes, just so happens to be the landlord for Ricks current campaign office that he shows ZERO PROOF of paying rent for (Corrente says his mortgage business doesn't charge his campaign rent, but never discusses what amount his business pays for rent). This is not the behavior of a Mayor.

    Imagine the audacity to run a campaign for 4 years based on the tax burden, when this deadbeat has been a tax delinquent for the better part of 4+ years. Warwick voters deserve better and they will show this dishonest buffoon they can do much better this election season.

    Saturday, July 14, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear WwkVoter,

    I campaigned for 700 days in a row and spent over $40,000 of my own money to rally the 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab. it worked! They told their council people LOUDLY to "Cut Taxes - Cut Spending". Then, Mayor Avedisian attempted to add 29 tax increases to the 2017 budget and he was shot down for the first time in 18 YEARS!!!!!!!! He was shot down 29 TIMES IN A ROW!!!!!!!! MY campaign and MY taxpayers rally did that WwkVoter. Joe Solomon voted for every tax increase in his entire 18 (or so) years on the Council,and he just gave Warwick taxpayers THE LARGEST TAX INCREASE THE LAW ALLOWS!!!!!!!!!!! So it could NOT have been him that got the tax cuts. Who would YOU give credit to, for those 29 tax cuts? CrickeeRaven? Scal1024? You? Nothing like that has ever happened in 18 years. Warwick taxpayers had a tax increase EVERY YEAR FOR 18 YEARS IN A ROW. Then I came along. 700 days in a row. $40,000 of my own money. But maybe you're right. Maybe it was just a really big coincidence. And maybe you can sell that false story to the 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab, and do it without identifying yourself. Maybe.

    But I doubt it. So do the 80,000.

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Krazy Korrente is at it again. Scott Avedisian never "attempted to add 29 taxes" and this has been proven again and again to the ONLY person in Warwick who thinks such a thing.

    The same person who says he paid his taxes when the city tax records themselves show he didnt.

    This is truly bizarre.

    Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WwkVoter and Scal:

    Thanks for again exposing the make-believe mayor's lies -- or, more accurately, proving his inability to restrain himself from willingly repeating his lies to readers of this website.

    But for the benefit of any new readers, let's review how blatantly he is lying to them.

    - Taxes were not cut in FY18.

    The tax rate stayed level from FY17 to FY18. A level tax rate is not a cut. The council tried to cover for this by anticipating an unreasonable 99-percent collection rate.

    "Who would YOU give credit to, for those 29 tax cuts?"

    Since there were not "29 tax cuts," there is no one to credit for them.

    - Spending was not cut in FY18.

    Spending went up in FY19 by $6.5 million. The 29 budget amendments were proposed and passed by the city council to reduce the budget by $750,000, from the original $7.25 million proposed increase.

    The real, factual result of FY18 budget -- which the make-believe mayor repeatedly supported, although he continues to lie about the specifics -- left a $4.2 million deficit that the FY19 budget had to cover, and required the maximum tax increase allowed by state law.

    If the make-believe mayor wants to claim credit for the FY18 budget, then, he should also be blamed for the FY19 budget, since -- though it remains only a figment of his imagination -- he claims his failed, money-wasting campaign in 2016 led directly to the decisions in FY18 that resulted in the tax increase in FY19.

    "Bizarre" is a good word for the make-believe mayor's candidacy, WwkVoter. It's the only way to describe a campaign based on such blatant and repeated lies, delusional beliefs, and juvenile name-calling.

    His efforts to willingly and publicly humiliate himself on this website will be rewarded, though, with another overwhelming rejection by honest, taxpaying voters on Sept. 12.

    Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Report this