WPRO News
Governor Gina Raimondo made her monthly “Ask The Governor” visit to The News with Gene Valicenti on WPRO Thursday and touched on a variety of subjects.
Governor Raimondo told Valicenti that she feels the owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox should disclose their finances to the state if they want Rhode Island to be a partner in a new stadium. “If they want the state to be their partner, they can’t hide anything from us. That’s sort of part of the deal. And if they don’t want to, fine, finance it on your own.” According to Associated Press reports, team chairman Larry Lucchino says the organization has released as much financial information as possible without revealing sensitive data. A balance sheet released last week shows more than $18 million in assets and $7 million in liabilities.
The Governor also weighed in on Representative Teresa Tanzi’s claim of sexual harassment at the State House. Tanzi says she was offered to have her legislation fast tracked in exchange for sexual favors. “If there’s an allegation of quid pro quo, that’s public corruption,” Raimondo told Valicenti. “Offering a favor in exchange for a bill or an action, then yes, that ought to be investigated and people ought to cooperate with the State Police.”
Valicenti asked Raimondo if she thought that a special master should be appointed to oversee the UHIP disaster, as suggested by the ACLU. “I may go along with that. We need to hold Deloitte accountable. This is an intolerable situation. We’re going to be in court in a few weeks, and I am open to that.” UHIP handles applications for food stamps, Medicaid benefits and other services. It has been beset by problems since launching in 2016. On Tuesday, Deloitte agreed to a $58.6 million credit after disclosing that thousands of unprocessed applications were discovered in the system.
Raimondo also discussed the state’s relationship with tourism vendor Havas, DMV issues, and her thoughts on the upcoming gubernatorial race in 2018.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION BELOW:
