Tagged: Gina Raimondo

Governor Lincoln Chafee used a November 13 letter to state Treasurer Gina Raimondo to broach the possibility of seeking a settlement to the pension lawsuit.

The ensuing correspondence offers some insight into the two officials’ viewpoints and their personal styles. 

In a letter on his official stationery, Chafee crossed out “Treasurer Raimondo” salutation, replacing it with a handwritten “[Dear] Gina”:

Governor Lincoln Chafee says the uncertainty and cost of litigating a union challenge to last year’s landmark pension overhaul justify efforts to seek a settlement.

In a telephone interview from Washington, DC, where he’s attending a National Governors Association meeting, Chafee dismissed concerns that a settlement would dilute the pension overhaul to such an extent that it would hurt Rhode Island’s fiscal condition.

In sharp contrast to Governor Lincoln Chafee, House Speaker Gordon Fox is siding with state Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s argument that the time for negotiating last year’s pension overhaul is over.

Fox’s stance is pivotal; without his support, changes to the pension overhaul are a non-starter in the General Assembly.

Fox offered this statement to RIPR:

With anticipation swirling about a possible Democratic primary clash between Gina Raimondo and Angel Taveras in the 2014 governor’s race, the only announced candidate — former auditor general Ernest Almonte – says he’s in the campaign for good.

Two of the expected Democratic candidates in the 2014 governor’s race share more than their allegiance to the Donkey Party: they each use a pollster affiliated with President Obama.