I will give credit to Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian for coming up with a plan to save $2 million in pension costs via the extension of retirement ages and reformulating pension payouts for new hires after July 2012. Avedisian’s proposal...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 9, 2011 2:00 PM
It took them a year and a half, but it looks like the City Council has realized that municipal employees are going to have to pay 20% of their health care (and not a flat dollar amount) every pay period...
Dear Members of the Republican State Central Committee: I am writing to you today to discuss the recent debate arising from a request last week by the Executive Committee of our organization to schedule a special state Central Committee meeting....
Posted by Engaged Citizen on January 11, 2010 5:00 AM
All this week, WPRO's Dan Yorke has heavily questioned the party loyalty of Mayor Scott Avedisian (R-Warwick) for attending A Certain Gubernatorial Announcement, going so far as to call for the RIGOP to throw him out of the party. This...
Posted by Monique Chartier on January 8, 2010 12:21 PM
The RIGOP Executive Committee voted to have a meeting to vote on closing their primary (roll call and more info provided by Will Ricci in the extended entry). Chairmain Gio Cicione has stated that he won't call the meeting until...
Posted by Marc Comtois on January 7, 2010 11:00 AM
You will rarely, if ever, find me in 100% agreement with a press statement on behalf of the Rhode Island Democratic Party regarding anything, so savor the moment. That a freshman Democratic legislator has endorsed a possible candidate for political...
To no one's surprise, the Warwick City Council passed contract extensions with the City's fire, police and municipal workers on Friday. The extended contracts, which will run through June 30, 2012, were approved on votes of 7 to 2, with...
For perspective (which ever way that you, dear reader, wish to take it), here is a quick comparison of the re-negotiated Warwick contracts. Warwick Mayor Avedesian and his administration re-negotiated the fire, police and municipal contracts (pending City Council approval...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 25, 2009 6:00 AM
Here's a snapshot analysis of the tentative agreement between the City of Warwick and the fire, police and municipal unions, based on info from various sources. The Good: Pay cuts: Pay cuts of 5% for police, 3.5% for firefighters, 3%...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 24, 2009 8:30 AM
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian was on WPRO with Jim Hummel (filling in for Dan Yorke) to explain the recent tentative agreement between the City of Warwick and the municipal, fire and police unions. (What follows is a raw, running liveblog)...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 23, 2009 3:00 PM
Following up on Justin's post "Avedesian Locks in...Savings?", only a government official would consider "savings" to be a reduction in the "normal" INCREASE that the public sector has come to expect as essentially a birthright. Despite what Mayor Avedesian says,...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 23, 2009 10:45 AM
As John Howell reports in the Warwick Beacon, cities and towns are going to be clamoring for a reduction in unfunded mandates (ie; rules or laws imposed by the state on municipalities without the concomitant funds). “There’s slim hope that...
Posted by Marc Comtois on December 18, 2008 3:00 PM
....Well, a few words, actually. Justin is correct and, save taking the "Dan Yorke Nuclear Option", the state GOP better start navel-gazing ASAP. Much of what follows I wrote about four years ago and it still seems to apply. Rhode...
Posted by Marc Comtois on November 5, 2008 11:30 AM
Will Ricci of the Ocean State Republican has a roundup of the major results from last night's state GOP nominating convention…After three highly contested rounds of balloting, the delegates to the Rhode Island Republican Party State Convention elected Rep. Carol...
Posted by Carroll Andrew Morse on June 13, 2008 9:07 AM
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian negotiated a contract with the Warwick Crossing Guard union, but it was rejected by the City Council for still being too expensive. Avedesian then solicited bids for a privatization option, but only received one. Now, he's...
Posted by Marc Comtois on December 29, 2007 4:30 PM
Both Jennifer D. Jordan's funding formula advocacy in the news pages of the Projo…An audience of 500 educators, politicians, child advocates and business leaders met at the Rhode Island Convention Center yesterday to discuss one of the most pressing education...
Posted by Carroll Andrew Morse on November 19, 2007 10:00 AM
From the Warwick Beacon:In a unanimous vote last week, the city council approved an ordinance to outlaw healthcare buyback provisions as of January 1, 2008. The measure needs a second passage before becoming law. The ordinance was the first of...
Posted by Marc Comtois on October 16, 2007 4:00 PM
Despite this year's budget deficit, the State Legislature commendably held the line on tax policy and forsake any marked increases. However, rather than look for deeper cuts in spending, they have decided to push off--or trickle down, if you will--the...
The left-side of the local blogosphere is atwitter with calls to fire WPRO's Dan Yorke for an assertion/information he let slip during his show. (I won't repeat the comment, you can find it on your own.) However, what I did...
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian has told the city's crossing guards that their contract may not be renewed. Instead, the city may (finally!) put the contract out to bid. But...The nonrenewal notice does not mean the municipal crossing guards will be...
File under "Moderates on the March": Providence Phoenix editor Ian Donnis spoke to Lincoln Chafee and got a couple interesting tidbits out of him:During one of Lincoln Chafee's last news conferences as a US senator, he faced the inevitable questions...
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian has made the seemingly counter-intuitive proposal of cutting beach fees to increase city revenue. To be more succinct, the proposal is meant to save about $12,000. Now, why would cutting fees save money? The mayor said...
This past Friday, John Howell of the Warwick Beacon reported:While Republican candidates across the state and the country were washed away, Warwick’s Mayor Scott Avedisian not only withstood the pull of the outgoing tide, but defied the odds by notching...
Posted by Marc Comtois on November 27, 2006 10:45 AM
Before the RI GOP can hope to make political headway, its members must identify what they really stand for, which is something that I wrote about in my last piece. Next, they must turn to the hard work of party...
Posted by Marc Comtois on November 15, 2006 3:00 PM
The debate over the fiscal and philosophical aspects of education policy often intertwine, but the current goings-on in Warwick have much more to do with money than education philosophy. The Warwick School Committee and Mayor Scott Avedesian are on opposite...
So, Providence Mayor Cicilline thinks he's made quite a deal with the Providence Crossing Guard union because he negotiated down the hourly wage of new guards from $16.95 to $11.20. The truth of the matter is that guards are guaranteed...
Posted by Marc Comtois on February 11, 2005 8:30 AM
Turning to local politics, it seems that one of the first things to be done is to concisely show the size of the task we conservatives/Republicans face. With the latest election in the rear view mirror, the following numbers should...
Posted by Marc Comtois on November 8, 2004 11:45 AM
Search Results from Anchor Rising
Avedesian's Pragmatic Pension Reform
I will give credit to Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian for coming up with a plan to save $2 million in pension costs via the extension of retirement ages and reformulating pension payouts for new hires after July 2012. Avedisian’s proposal...20% Health Care Share in Warwick
It took them a year and a half, but it looks like the City Council has realized that municipal employees are going to have to pay 20% of their health care (and not a flat dollar amount) every pay period...Gio Cicione: Closing the Primary - Not in Haste, Not During an Election Year
Dear Members of the Republican State Central Committee: I am writing to you today to discuss the recent debate arising from a request last week by the Executive Committee of our organization to schedule a special state Central Committee meeting....Friendship and Politics: Avedisian @ Chafee
All this week, WPRO's Dan Yorke has heavily questioned the party loyalty of Mayor Scott Avedisian (R-Warwick) for attending A Certain Gubernatorial Announcement, going so far as to call for the RIGOP to throw him out of the party. This...Open Forum on Closing the RIGOP Primary
The RIGOP Executive Committee voted to have a meeting to vote on closing their primary (roll call and more info provided by Will Ricci in the extended entry). Chairmain Gio Cicione has stated that he won't call the meeting until...Will Ricci: Reaction to Endorsements of Linc Chafee for RI Governor
You will rarely, if ever, find me in 100% agreement with a press statement on behalf of the Rhode Island Democratic Party regarding anything, so savor the moment. That a freshman Democratic legislator has endorsed a possible candidate for political...Warwick City Council Approves Contract
To no one's surprise, the Warwick City Council passed contract extensions with the City's fire, police and municipal workers on Friday. The extended contracts, which will run through June 30, 2012, were approved on votes of 7 to 2, with...Comparing Warwick Contracts
For perspective (which ever way that you, dear reader, wish to take it), here is a quick comparison of the re-negotiated Warwick contracts. Warwick Mayor Avedesian and his administration re-negotiated the fire, police and municipal contracts (pending City Council approval...Quick Synopsis and Analysis of Warwick Agreement
Here's a snapshot analysis of the tentative agreement between the City of Warwick and the fire, police and municipal unions, based on info from various sources. The Good: Pay cuts: Pay cuts of 5% for police, 3.5% for firefighters, 3%...Mayor Avedesian w/WPRO's Jim Hummel
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian was on WPRO with Jim Hummel (filling in for Dan Yorke) to explain the recent tentative agreement between the City of Warwick and the municipal, fire and police unions. (What follows is a raw, running liveblog)...Warwick Taxpayers on Alert
Following up on Justin's post "Avedesian Locks in...Savings?", only a government official would consider "savings" to be a reduction in the "normal" INCREASE that the public sector has come to expect as essentially a birthright. Despite what Mayor Avedesian says,...Removing Unfunded Mandates
As John Howell reports in the Warwick Beacon, cities and towns are going to be clamoring for a reduction in unfunded mandates (ie; rules or laws imposed by the state on municipalities without the concomitant funds). “There’s slim hope that...RE: A Word on Our State GOP
....Well, a few words, actually. Justin is correct and, save taking the "Dan Yorke Nuclear Option", the state GOP better start navel-gazing ASAP. Much of what follows I wrote about four years ago and it still seems to apply. Rhode...RIGOP Nominating Convention Results
Will Ricci of the Ocean State Republican has a roundup of the major results from last night's state GOP nominating convention…After three highly contested rounds of balloting, the delegates to the Rhode Island Republican Party State Convention elected Rep. Carol...Warwick Crossing Guards To Be Laid Off
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian negotiated a contract with the Warwick Crossing Guard union, but it was rejected by the City Council for still being too expensive. Avedesian then solicited bids for a privatization option, but only received one. Now, he's...The Real Purpose of the Funding Formula: Setting up the Excuse of "But What Can We Do?"
Both Jennifer D. Jordan's funding formula advocacy in the news pages of the Projo…An audience of 500 educators, politicians, child advocates and business leaders met at the Rhode Island Convention Center yesterday to discuss one of the most pressing education...Warwick Eliminates Health-Care Buybacks, Waiting on Crossing Guards
From the Warwick Beacon:In a unanimous vote last week, the city council approved an ordinance to outlaw healthcare buyback provisions as of January 1, 2008. The measure needs a second passage before becoming law. The ordinance was the first of...State Didn't Raise Taxes, Cities and Towns Will
Despite this year's budget deficit, the State Legislature commendably held the line on tax policy and forsake any marked increases. However, rather than look for deeper cuts in spending, they have decided to push off--or trickle down, if you will--the...Righteous Indignation and a Blogger's Responsibility
The left-side of the local blogosphere is atwitter with calls to fire WPRO's Dan Yorke for an assertion/information he let slip during his show. (I won't repeat the comment, you can find it on your own.) However, what I did...Avedesian Put's Union Crossing Guards on Notice
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian has told the city's crossing guards that their contract may not be renewed. Instead, the city may (finally!) put the contract out to bid. But...The nonrenewal notice does not mean the municipal crossing guards will be...Chafee Talks Future: His and Avedesian's
File under "Moderates on the March": Providence Phoenix editor Ian Donnis spoke to Lincoln Chafee and got a couple interesting tidbits out of him:During one of Lincoln Chafee's last news conferences as a US senator, he faced the inevitable questions...Cut Fees, Save Money
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian has made the seemingly counter-intuitive proposal of cutting beach fees to increase city revenue. To be more succinct, the proposal is meant to save about $12,000. Now, why would cutting fees save money? The mayor said...Mayor Avedesian, the RI GOP and the "Drift to the Right" Bogeyman
This past Friday, John Howell of the Warwick Beacon reported:While Republican candidates across the state and the country were washed away, Warwick’s Mayor Scott Avedisian not only withstood the pull of the outgoing tide, but defied the odds by notching...Rebuilding the RI GOP Part II: Top Down/Bottom Up
Before the RI GOP can hope to make political headway, its members must identify what they really stand for, which is something that I wrote about in my last piece. Next, they must turn to the hard work of party...Warwick School Budget Fight
The debate over the fiscal and philosophical aspects of education policy often intertwine, but the current goings-on in Warwick have much more to do with money than education philosophy. The Warwick School Committee and Mayor Scott Avedesian are on opposite...Crossing Up Cicilline
So, Providence Mayor Cicilline thinks he's made quite a deal with the Providence Crossing Guard union because he negotiated down the hourly wage of new guards from $16.95 to $11.20. The truth of the matter is that guards are guaranteed...Quantifying the Anchor's Weight
Turning to local politics, it seems that one of the first things to be done is to concisely show the size of the task we conservatives/Republicans face. With the latest election in the rear view mirror, the following numbers should...