The cavalier attitude wherein Rhode Island politicians work for themselves by insuring their reelection through special interest legislation is much in evidence this session. You already know that the taxpayers were sold short with the passage of the so-called evergreen contracts where the unions have the upper hand by the automatic continuation of their contracts until the governing body kowtows to their latest demands. Then, we had the passage of the firefighter’s legislation which made them eligible for overtime 11 hours per work period sooner than the federal law would allow. This one bill may very well up the cost of firefighting by 30 percent in the state municipalities. The steady beat of self-interest continued unabated even beyond these giveaways. Here are some examples:

There is the outrageous example of state senator, Valerie Lawson (D-East Providence), whose full-time job is as a “bargaining agent” for many Rhode Island school teachers. She co-sponsored, advocated, and voted multiple times for legislation that created the “evergreen” contract mentioned earlier. Although she never mentioned her rank as Vice-President of the National Education Association of Rhode Island in her campaign material, she is claiming a “class exception” that she benefits from her votes as a member of the whole group which does. Putting aside a moment that she has much more of a conflict, the attitude of Ross Cheit, the chair of the Ethics Commission, is illustrative of what exactly is wrong in this state. In his comments to the Providence Journal (May 20, 2019), Mr. Cheit notes that we are living in a world of interest group politics. “Interest groups organize. They get people elected. They advance their interests. That really is how American politics works.”

No wonder we have the politicians we have when the head of the ethics commission gives them a pass to do what is solely in their interest. I thought elected officials were supposed to do what is in the best interest of their constituents, not line their own pockets. Then again, since civics is missing in action in most schools, Lawson, Cheit and company have retaught the rules. It’s all about what you can do to benefit yourself, and the public be dammed. Silly me to think otherwise!

Another example of “pandering” legislation is the bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader, Michael McCaffrey (D-Warwick) which would keep the public from learning too much about applicants for the lifelong job as a judge. The investigation of their background would remain “confidential”. The Senator misses the mark when he argues that these applicants should be treated like other state job applicants whose personnel records are kept confidential. An argument could be made that this exception needs revisiting as to its viability, nonetheless, judges are in power jobs for life. Without question, he, Judiciary Chairwoman Erin Lynch Prata, and Senator Frank Lombardi, all of whom are lawyers, are shopping for brownie points from the judges before whom they regularly appear or would appear. Instead, they should get razzies from the bench since such a preposterous proposition makes the judges look like dilettantes. One could argue that it is precisely the transparency since the dark days of the 1970’s through the 1990’s that has restored some semblance of respect for the Judiciary. This legislation actually demeans judges in the public’s eye.

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