The man who wasn’t there gets attacked anyway at Grow Smart gubernatorial forum

Even in absentia, Gov. Dan McKee dominated discussion among his opponents during a gubernatorial forum hosted by Grow Smart Rhode Island Friday afternoon.

McKee’s campaign told event organizers the governor could not attend the question-and-answer session during the public policy group’s annual Power of Place summit at the Rhode Island School of Design auditorium in downtown Providence because of a scheduling conflict. So there was no chance for the embattled 75-year-old incumbent, already behind in public polling and without his party’s endorsement, to rebut the criticisms from his challengers.

Most of the jabs taken by Democrat Helena Buonanno Foulkes, Republican Aaron Guckian, and independent Ken Block were indirect, worked into responses to audience questions about housing, public transit and environmental concerns. 

“What’s been lacking is action and motion to achieve results,” Foulkes said, pledging to bring a more focused approach to the beleaguered Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. “We are done cutting RIPTA one year, and funding it the next, right before an election.”

Her comments earned a burst of applause from the dozens of policy analysts and advocates in the audience, for whom RIPTA’s perennial lack of funding was a top concern. 

Seizing on the interest in a more robust public transit system, Block suggested making the bus service free for one year as an experiment to increase ridership, replacing the bus fare revenue that helps fund the quasi-public transit agency with other sources.

“In a $15.2 billion budget, I can assure you we can find that $9 million,” said Block, earning even heartier applause from the audience.

Like Foulkes, Block also took aim at McKee’s administration for a litany of management mistakes, from inefficient and wasteful spending to lack of infrastructure maintenance.

“We destroyed the Washington Bridge through neglect,” Block said. “Don’t let anybody tell you anything different.” 

Grow Smart sent out invites to candidates to participate in the forum on March 4, Scott Wolf, executive director said. McKee’s campaign manager notified organizers of the conflict on May 22, according to emails shared with Rhode Island Current.

“Unfortunately the Governor will be unable to attend the forum, but if there is another opportunity to meet with the membership independently, we’d be interested in trying to schedule that,” Drew Shannon, McKee’s campaign manager, wrote in the RSVP email shared with Rhode Island Current. “Thank you for your continued follow up and I’m sorry this opportunity won’t work out on our end.”

McKee’s campaign did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment on Monday.

Crossing the topic of the Washington Bridge anyway

Moderator Jim Hummel warned candidates at the outset that the Washington Bridge was off-limits. The forum was meant to focus on Grow Smart’s priorities like transit-oriented development and tax credits for historic preservation. But all three participants managed to work the westbound bridge into their remarks.

“Right now we are in a whole firestorm of emergencies because of mismanagement,” Guckian said, referring to the westbound highway’s collapse and extended rebuild as one example.

The ideological differences between the three gubernatorial challengers appeared minimal during the forum. Each pledged to restore more transparent and thoughtful leadership focused on the needs of everyday Rhode Islanders.

Guckian repeatedly referenced lessons learned from his union plumber dad sitting in the front row for the event. 

“As Local 51 would say, ‘done once, done right,’” Guckian said, echoing the motto of the plumbers, pipefitters and HVAC workers union to which his dad belonged.

Guckian, 49, of East Greenwich, has focused his platform around “compassionate conservatism,” eschewing more polarizing Republican talking points to concentrate on affordability concerns and government spending. Yet his answers to certain questions rang more Republican. Asked by an audience member about his willingness to raise taxes, the GOP endorsed candidate instead returned to outsized state spending.

“We’re so bloated right now, I think we could quickly find the money,” he said. 

But, he conceded, “If a tax is going to an appropriate place, and it’s an emergency, then yes, I can see it.” 

Foulkes, who lost to McKee by 3 percentage points in the 2022 gubernatorial Democratic primary, also could not be pinned down when pressed for definitive answers. 

Hummel asked her whether she supports restarting the state’s truck toll program, which will cost more than $20 million to relaunch thanks to equipment upgrades, and risks alienating businesses that rely on commercial truckers. Foulkes replied, “We’ll have to see. I don’t know yet.”

Foulkes, 61, of Providence, was also unsure when queried about revising Rhode Island’s affordable housing law, which since 2004 has set income parameters for affordable units at up to 120% of area median income.

Annette Bourne, research and policy director for HousingWorks RI, said the income limits were too high — $107,640 for one person or $170,160 for a family of four — which means housing defined as affordable remains out of reach for the lowest income and most vulnerable residents. Rewriting the law to cap income for affordable housing at 80% or 100% of area median income could help, Bourne suggested.

Foulke said she was “open” to the idea, but did not commit.

In search of solutions 

Yet Foulkes was not without ideas for solving the housing crisis, which include a state revolving fund for housing development funded by a millionaire’s tax. The fiscal 2027 budget also includes an extra 3% tax on income over $1 million starting Jan. 1, but does not earmark the revenue for a specific purpose. 

Reciting statistics from a recent analysis by the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council highlighting the low return-on-investment from state housing investments, Foulkes called for an overhaul of housing strategy.

“What we’re doing isn’t working,” she said, naming designated funds for rent relief and eviction protection, along with a push for modular housing manufactured in Rhode Island as potential solutions. 

Block, a two-time gubernatorial candidate who has run as a Republican and a moderate, also came to the table with a vision. In addition to a pilot free-fare program for RIPTA, the 60-year-old Barrington resident backed consolidation of the state Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority as a means to improve government efficiency and function. 

“I am an expert in finding waste and fraud,” said Block, a software engineer who was hired by the Trump campaign to investigate fraud in the 2020 election — which Block ultimately disproved. 

But, Block said, expertise was not needed to conclude that the state was not spending its money well, naming the recent state payroll debacle resulting from a $100 million software upgrade as one example.

Asked by Hummel about the state’s long-term proposal to improve transit through a light rail system connecting the state’s urban core, Block was unsure whether it was a worthwhile investment. He said he needed more information about cost and potential ridership. He was similarly hazy on increasing RIPTA routes.

“Too many times, we do things, and they don’t work, and we’re left with a mess,” Block said. 

Candidates also touched on education, healthcare, environmental issues and food insecurity during their remarks. 

The primary is Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a Nov. 3 general election. Early voting begins Aug. 20.