And then we can pull this sign down with a tank and smack it with our shoes. Heidi Rogers, republican primary winner in the contest for lieutenant governor, has withdrawn her name from the November ballot, and thrown her support behind Cool Moose candidate Bob Healey and his quest to abolish the position. (ProJo) Bad week for Kara Russo — she’s looking at four more years of celibacy and now this.
Healey has estimated that the state could save $1 million per year by abolishing this office. For more info about Healey’s candidacy and to download some of his cool posters go here, also FB.
For fiscal 2010, the budget for the lieutenant governor’s office was $973,262. Roberts’ $76,190-a-year deputy chief of staff, Dan Meuse, is currently managing her reelection campaign.
Maria Tocco, Roberts’ $80,577-a-year director of public and community relations, is the niece of a former state senator and cousin of a former Capitol Police chief.
Jennifer L. Wood, Roberts’ $161,350-a-year chief of staff recently received a pay raise from $156,102.
The office employs a staff of seven, including the $99,596-a-year job of lieutenant governor.
And, in fact, If Elizabeth Roberts is reelected, she is slated to receive a pay raise to $102,584, as will all of the Lt. Governors’ staff!
*please see;
http://www.budget.ri.gov/Documents/CurrentFY/PersonnelSupplement/GG/6_Office%20Of%20The%20Lieutenant%20Governor.pdf
Roberts touts health, economy and small business, but who in the private sector are being guaranteed pay raises! Our elderly and disabled on Social Security aren’t getting necessary cost of living pay raises, are they Liz? No, instead, they just might get $250 dollars to shut up and go away! What an insult!! The taxpayers who pay for your Office aren’t even getting jobs! AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU. I just wish I could give you a mere $250. to shut up and go away, so you could finally feel how the private sector is really treated. And that is why, In all good conscious, Robert Healey will have my VOTE.
Roberts has accomplished more that the guv or any other statewide elected to date. The only one on the hill WORTH her salary. Wake up Luddites. She saved you $15o mil in insurance rate hikes, she helped thousands of people access the COBRA subsidy while the guv stood by dazed and confused, and she reorganized the emerg mgmt advisory council after being boxed out of the snowsotrm byt he guv’s arrogant staff to save your many of your ungrateful sorry butts during the March flood. And most recently, she’s made sense of national healthcare reform while the guv is spinning his wheels trying to repeal it–and YOUR expanded access to coverage. Boy, Rhode Islanders really are some of the dullest tools in the shed. Do your homework before you go bandying. Bob Healey is the one who needs the real job.
Hey Andrew saving $1 million for a do nothing job is a start. you are not going to find $386 million sitting behind a door and only making several hundred small cuts is going to get the job done. Kudos to Bob for making a bold step. More than I can say for the lame General Assembly who did nothing but pass the burden onto the cities and towns.
hey Alex, the The Governor now has power when he is overseas. That is why Robberts did nothing during the December Debacle snowstorm
Come on…the Vice President has only two Constitutionally mandated duties, but he finds ways to keep himself busy. Biden oversees the stimulus, Cheney ran the country.
Advocating the removal of a Constitutional position to save .01% of the total state budget a year is perhaps a little extreme ($1 million sounds like a lot, but not when compared to $7.8 billion). The projected budget shortfall is $386 million for FY 2011…the Healy’s $1 million salary and expenses figure is only .25% of that.
We have to make tough decisions on what to cut in the coming years, but this one is barely a molecule in the bucket. Let’s get someone in there who will at least get us some return on our $1 million investment.
He was the last guy who met the state’s criteria for getting a third party on the ballot (5% of a gubernatorial vote), with no money and virtually no help. I’m also in favor of abolishing the office of Lt. Gov. — the Senate Majority Leader could be next in succession.
No disrespect intended toward Ms. Roberts, who I think has been an able and competent public servant, but if the only function of the LG is to be ignored by a sitting guv from the other party, we may be better off without it.
I voted for Elizabeth Roberts in the primary with enthusiasm because of her advocacy for affordable health care, job creation and emergency preparedness. She’s done well in spite of serving with a governor who had so little regard that he waltzed off to Iraq without informing her or handing her the keys. Then it snowed. I had three hours bumper to bumper to contemplate that.
She will do even better with a new governor who is less oppositional and more collaborative.
If I had supported Heidi Rogers I’d feel really disrespected. It seems like the Republicans are more interested in putting on a show than seriously running for office.
>>which is one of the reasons we NEED a Lt. Gov to fill in when he’s gone<>Also, I believe Healey’s estimates are largely inflated.<>Third, do some research on how much Elizabeth Roberts has accomplished in her position.<<
You’re inferring that you have, yet you offer nothing. So we’ll have to take it that “nothing” is exactly what Liz Roberts has done. Thus, she’s wasted $4M of taxpayer money over her term.
We could probably save just as much money if the Gov stopped taking trips all over the world (which is one of the reasons we NEED a Lt. Gov to fill in when he’s gone).
Also, I believe Healey’s estimates are largely inflated.
Third, do some research on how much Elizabeth Roberts has accomplished in her position.