filed under Douchebags
double-dipping in the ocean state
9:57AM ON
05/14/2008
BY
Beth Comery
The R.I. state seal consists of two key design elements: an anchor, that heavy thing you throw overboard in a last desperate attempt to stabilize a foundering ship; and the word ‘Hope’, as in “I hope there’s someone at the helm who knows what the hell he’s doing before we run this thing onto the rocks”. The cover story of yesterday’s ProJo reveals how carefully the Governor is spending taxpayer money in his administration while asking others to tighten their belts. Amanda Milkovits (complete disclosure, she’s a friend) does a masterful job of explaining just how Rhode Island’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray seems to be collecting paychecks from both the state and federal governments for a job he basically sucks at when he even bothers to show up. Remember this?
STATE RECORDS show that Bray has taken only one sick day through the end of 2007. It was Dec. 13, the day a snowstorm crippled Rhode Island and left 100 Providence schoolchildren stranded on buses for hours. The outcry over the poor response prompted Governor Carcieri, who was in Iraq at the time, to say Bray should have taken the lead in communications. Asked about his whereabouts during the storm, Bray said, “I was in an advisory role.” He did not say he had called in sick. That was revealed later by Robert J. Warren, the state EMA’s executive director, whom Carcieri and Bray fired on Dec. 18.
After the snowstorm, Carcieri said he wanted Bray to lead the state’s response to an emergency when the governor is away.
The response from the RI National Guard for various documents pursuant to the Journal’s request, filed under the Freedom of Information Act, “was slow and incomplete”. We are a nation of laws, Governor, or don’t Republicans subscribe to that quaint notion any more.
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One Comment on “ double-dipping in the ocean state ”
May 15th, 2008 at 12:58AM
Tyler Says:
Very minor critique: you’re a bit off about when an anchor is used.
[Reply]