“Slow down , you move too fast” should become the anthem of the Raimondo administration. The push to roll out initiatives has not left many Rhode Islanders feeling groovy. There seems to be a rush to initiate projects without the necessary groundwork. Here are some examples:

Marketing slogan
Rhode Island: "Cooler and Warmer" left many people hot under the collar. Not only was the slogan panned on social media, but also the video turned the State into Rhode Iceland as one of the scenes was of a landmark in that country. The website featured restaurants in Massachusetts. The rushed-out campaign was aptly summed up by one Twitter user: "Rhode Island: making fun of ourselves since 1636."

Highway tolls
No sooner had the state dismantled the toll gantry on the Sakonnet River Bridge in 2014 then the Raimondo administration decided that it would soon be recycled for use as one of at least 14 new tolling stations in the state. The only more precipitous decision than the disassembling of its electronic equipment including cameras, laser vehicle identification systems, telecommunications equipment, wiring and other components was the rush to pass legislation to paper the state with more gantries. Folks had a lot of questions that were ignored as the governor and her legislative cohorts rammed through the legislation.

Providence viaduct traffic changes
An announcement was made on the late afternoon before a new traffic pattern was put in place on 1-95 South at Exit 21 (Atwells Avenue) causing a huge traffic jam the following day. Back-ups were reportedly 5 miles long. The changes were temporarily abandoned in order to give more lead time to prepare drivers.

Deloitte UHIP Computer System
It was bad enough that the state’s IT project cost was tripled to $364 million, but the launch of the system to handle public assistance programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, Health Source Rhode Island and disability payments was an inauspicious occasion. Tens of thousands of people didn’t receive benefits — a situation which, according to the State House, continued into late October for about 10,000 people. After amending the UHIP agreement at least 31 times (raising the question as to why the proposal wasn’t spot-on to start with during the Chafee administration) and delay after delay, the system was put on line despite warnings from the federal government that it wasn’t ready to process or check requests for benefits. Nonetheless, it was rolled out anyway. Kinks still haven’t been totally worked out.

Tax returns
Despite having a professional do my Rhode Island taxes and submitting them in a timely fashion online my refund wasn’t processed until September. My friend, who also had a CPA do her return got a letter stating that her return was incorrect and that an explanation would follow. It did with another 47 cent stamp (94 cents in all) to inform her that she was off by 6 cents. She got her refund in September.

Maybe it’s time for the administration to borrow another lyric namely "I’ve come to watch your flowers growing." Slow down some and stop the rush. After all, you got to leave the taxpayers feelin’ groovy. Follow Paul Simon’s admonition in his 59th Street Bridge Song!

Arlene Violet is an attorney and former Rhode Island Attorney General.