Tagged: Gina Raimondo

As the two sides in Rhode Island's pension lawsuit prepare for court-ordered mediation next month, Governor Lincoln Chafee says the authority to approve a settlement rests largely with him and the General Assembly.

State Treasurer Gina Raimondo doesn't want to completely close the door on the possibility of changing her party affiliation.

During an interview today, I asked the the treasurer whether there's a chance she might switch parties for a campaign in 2014. Here's her response:

State Treasurer Gina Raimondo, a leading advocate for litigating the pension case in court, is out with a statement responding to the mediation ordered this morning by Judge Sarah Taft-Carter:

“I have great respect for the judicial system and it is important to let this process unfold in an orderly and transparent way. We owe that to the people of Rhode Island and to our public employees.

Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter this morning told the two sides in the legal challenge to last year's landmark overhaul of the pension system to try to settle their differences through mediation.

Court spokesman Craig Berke says the talks will be facilitated by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a branch of the federal government. Taft-Carter is due to be updated on the status of the discussions in early February.

State Treasurer Gina Raimondo has hired Anne-Marie Fink as the state's chief investment officer, replacing Kenneth Goodreau, who, Raimondo says, is leaving after four years for a CIO job with TIG Advisors, effective January 1. 

Via news release:

Fink will be responsible for managing the state's $7.3 billion dollar pension system. 

After a week in which the Wall Street Journal reported on a six-figure contribution to EngageRI by a Houston billionaire, state Treasurer Gina Raimondo is now supporting disclosure about contributors to the pension overhaul advocacy group.

ProJo political columnist Ed Fitzpatrick had the details in his Sunday column yesterday: