By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
At separate events on Wednesday, about a dozen mayors and municipal leaders endorsed Democratic Gov. Dan McKee; while Republican challenger Ashley Kalus continued to tag McKee for his actions on soaring energy costs.
At Providence Picture Frame in North Providence, McKee was praised by municipal leaders, championing his nearly year and a half in office, pointing to his responsiveness to the mayors’ needs.
“I think each and every municipal leader here has my phone number. And, they use it. And they know that I’m going to return that call.”
At an unrelated event, Kalus dismissed the municipal leaders standing behind McKee.
“I will be the governor for all people, not just insiders and lobbyists and career politicians,” Kalus said in response to a reporters’ question.
“My focus is the people of Rhode Island, the way that I run my campaign is that way as well. I’m not beholden to anyone. He’s beholden to everyone. And, he can’t make a decision without calling a special interest. He folds like a chair to special interests. We deserve better than that,” she said.
Mayors leapt to McKee’s defense.
“These statements that are being made about Dan McKee are easy to make today, when you’ve lived out of state yesterday,” said North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi. “You see, I know this man. He has courage to make the unpopular political decisions.”
Kalus earlier enlisted former Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice and 2018 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Robert Flanders to endorse her call that McKee utilize emergency powers to declare an energy emergency and take steps to ease utility bills that are expected to soar as rate hikes take effect in the coming weeks.
“The governor, were he of a mind to do so, could invoke these powers to moderate these very steep increases that the rest of us here in Rhode Island are facing,” said Flanders, at a news conference called by Kalus on the South patio of the State House.
Kalus called on McKee to negate electric rate increases of up to 47% sought by Rhode Island Energy and approved by the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission, and to suspend a 4% tax on electricity bills.
“I think their position is a sound one from a legal standpoint, and if Ms. Kalus was governor I’m confident that she would implement those actions that the law allows,” Flanders said.
McKee has said that the Energy Crisis Management Act was passed to address supply shortages, not to roll back prices, that he has already committed more than $5 million to defray utility bills for low income Rhode Islanders, and will ask the General Assembly in January to suspend the electricity tax. He said that halting the rate increase would open the state to costly litigation.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Kalus released her tax returns, after repeated calls by McKee to do so. She has no legal obligation to do so, McKee said he has released his tax returns since becoming Lieutenant Governor.
Kalus, who filed under her married name, Ashley Weinzweig filed separately from her plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Jeffrey Weinzweig. She paid $192,012 in tax on income of $647,184, and paid $40,128 in Rhode Island income tax.
Kalus, who initially made release of her taxes conditional on Gov. McKee’s release of standardized test scores for Rhode Island studnets.
“McKee has no excuse not to release the RICAS scores and subpoenas his Administration received from the FBI,” said Kalus campaign spokesman Matt Hanrahan in a statement.
“He could very easily put them out any time today. The fact is, he wants to hide from voters’ legitimate questions about his policy failures and ethical misconduct. The people of Rhode Island know very little about the extent of the FBI investigation, as McKee has repeatedly dodged questions on this very serious issue,” Hanrahan said.
