By Steve Klamkin WPRO News

As incumbent Governor Dan McKee and challenger Ashley Kalus debated on WPRO Monday afternoon, they agreed on a number of issues but spelled out sharp differences on others.

Republican Kalus defended her TV ads that portrayed Democrat McKee as being under investigation by the FBI for a contract awarded in the early days of his administration to a company hired to consult with school districts about reopening after the state-imposed COVID shutdown in 2020. McKee cited statements by state Attorney General Peter Neronha that said the ads were unfair.

“If the governor wants to explain more, he can release the subpoenas sent to his administration,” Kalus said. “We know they exist, he just won’t release them.”

“I’m very comfortable what we did on the education piece,” McKee said.

“The point of the matter is, the attorney general is supporting my campaign, as he is the other Democratic candidates. And he clearly said that ad … was unfair. Dishonest, shameful and wrong,” McKee said.

“The reality is, you said you weren’t talked to,” Kalus shot back. “The subject of an investigation is often the last person to know. So, it wouldn’t surprise me that you’re not talked to yet, and that’s why it’s so important that you release the subpoenas sent to your administration. Will you do that?” she asked.

“So, I’ve answered the question,” McKee said. “Anybody who wants more information, let them go talk to those who are doing the review. They’re the ones who have the information.”

McKee and Kalus agreed on the presence of police resource officers in local schools, that the public should have access to the shoreline, and that Rhode Island should explore regionalization to shrink government.

But the pair disagreed on whether the governor could order a rollback of an electricity rate hike – Kalus said the governor can and should, while McKee said that he cannot.

“When he wasn’t even aware, I gave it to him, and I’m happy to give him credit if he does it to provide relief,” Kalus said. “But he could right now roll back the electricity rate hike. He could.”

“This is just one of Ms. Kalus’ half-baked ideas, very ill-advised idea on that electric issue,” McKee said. “There’s no rate relief in Ms. Kalus’ plan, it’s all deferred. It’s going to open taxpayers up to millions of dollars of legal lawsuits.”

Kalus said McKee is not doing enough to address housing and the homeless crisis as winter begins to set in, while McKee said he is funding new housing and said homeless individuals will be accommodated indoors by Thanksgiving.

“Part of the issue is a lack of development of housing for a decade and you are part of that problem,” Kalus said.

“Measure me on the 20 months that I’ve been in office,” McKee said. “There has been more done on housing in the 20 months that I’ve been in office than probably the previous decade. So, we have put our money where our mouth is and we’re making it work in the state of Rhode Island.”

Kalus questioned McKee’s appeal of a federal court ruling that struck down tolls on trucks to pay for bridge and highway repairs, McKee denied that he would ever extend tolls to include passenger cars.

On abortion, McKee said he believes there will be votes in the next session of the General Assembly to pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which would provide abortion related coverage to state employees and Medicaid recipients, while Kalus said she would do nothing to affect the state’s law keeping the protections provided in the Roe v. Wade decision, which was overturned earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I believe that women have the right to choose, and choose to me means choice,” McKee said. “What it means to my opponent, Ms. Kalus means no choice.”

“This is what I’m talking about about being misrepresented,” Kalus said. “I can have a personal view, which is I am personally pro-life. I had difficult pregnancies, I went through IBF. I respect that the law is the law. And to insinuate that I, when being asked about my opinion as a woman, as describing my story, that I can’t separate that from what I believe is the settled law in Rhode Island is fundamentally untrue. Not only that, it’s insulting.”