RI Governor's Race: Candidates Debate At Rhode Island College

PROVIDENCE, RI — Four of the six candidates running for Rhode Island governor duked it out during an hour long debate Thursday night. The debate, which was televised live over WJAR-TV and moderated by Channel 10's Gene Valicenti, delved into four main topics: tone and tenor of the campaign; jobs and taxes; education and public safety; and mistakes made and lessons learned. The candidates also fielded questions during a "lightning round," and those topics included immigration and President Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship. The sparks flew with the first question.

Moderate Party Candidate William Gilbert, former state Rep. Joe Trillo, Gov. Gina Raimondo, and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung participated. (Independent Dr. Luis-Daniel Munoz and Compassion Party Candidate Anne Armstrong were not invited because their polling numbers were below five percent.) Trillo, a former Republican, is running as an Independent. Fung is the Republican candidate.

Tone and Tenor of the Campaign

The first question asked Fung if he had any proof Raimondo and Trillo "are in cahoots," as the mayor had complained. A campaign finance report Thursday morning showed the Democrats had footed the bill for a mailer about Trillo's achievements. Fung repeated a claim he has made in the past and said Trillo was only running to take votes away from Fung and prevent the mayor from being elected.

"That's not true," Trillo said when offered a chance to rebut. He would have to be "craziest person in the world," he said, if he poured hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into the race only so he could ask Raimondo to give him a political job later.

"I don't need a job," Trillo said. "I don't want a job other than being governor."

Raimondo also denied she and Trillo had cut a deal.

"Absolutely not," she said. "Furthermore, it's offensive." She went on to say she didn't see any difference between Fung and Trillo on the issues.

"I don't want to talk about the deal," Gilbert said when asked if he thought Raimondo and Fung were working together. He said he wanted to talk about issues, such as college student debt. When pressed, he said he didn't know whether Raimondo and Trillo had made a deal.

Gilbert also said he was disappointed in the quality of the debate because of the name-calling and sparring. Trillo, Raimondo and Fung hit their opponents hard. For example, Trillo called the mayor a liar and dubbed Raimondo "Give Away Gina" because she has offered incentives to corporations if they move to Rhode Island.

"We can go fight someplace else," Gilbert said. "People want us to talk about issues."

Valicenti asked Gilbert why he should be included in the debate when his polling numbers are so low.

Gilbert replied he should be there because someone needed "to elevate the discussion."

Valicenti turned the discussion to Trillo's step-daughter, who has a state job. She is employed as a magistrate. Although admittedly unfair to drag her into the discussion, Valicenti said, wasn't it possible Trillo hoped to gain some advantage for her — or other family — by helping the governor win?

"No one in my family will ask her for any jobs," Trillo said. He also said his step-daughter didn't need any career help.

Raimondo also denied any quid pro quo with Trillo.

"I don't even know who Mr. Trillo's step-daughter is," Raimondo said. But if he tried to call in a favor, she would have no trouble rejecting his appeal, she said. Since she's been elected governor, she's been "trying to change that culture," she said, meaning the back room dealing in the Statehouse.

Turning to Raimondo again, Valicenti asked about her evidence for calling Fung a "failed mayor."

"My basis is the facts," she shot back. Raimondo said as Cranston mayor, Fung raised taxes five times. The city qualified as a "distressed city," she added.

"Governor," Fung replied, "why can't you be honest about the facts? We are one of the best cities to live in America." Cranston is also rated as one of the best places in the U.S. to raise children, he said. Furthermore, he said, Raimondo's four state budgets have resulted in higher taxes. Meanwhile, Cranston has undertaken pension reform but "is doing it the right way," instead of going the route the governor chose.

Jobs and Taxes

Gov. Raimondo, working with the commerce commission, has given away millions of incentives to lure companies to Rhode Island, Valicenti said. Turning to Trillo, he asked if he'd continue.

"I'd do it differently," he said. He proposed $20 million for people who typically can't get loans to help them start small businesses. He estimated the money could help 700 people in small business.

Raimondo defended her actions and said the incentives are working.

"The Rebuild Rhode Island Program created 10,000 jobs," she said, and average salaries are $65,000 annually. Rhode Islanders will lose jobs if she's not re-elected, she said.

Fung would end the corporate hand-outs, he said. But he'd also cut the sales tax to five percent to benefit all Rhode Islanders as well as business owners. Plus, he'd expand Cranston's "concierge program" statewide, to walk new business owners through the state regulations and red tape.

Gilbert said he would beef up vocational education, so when businesses do relocate here, they can find tradespeople to support them. He'd also focus on tourism and would promote a new slogan: "Summer belongs to Rhode Island."

Turning to Raimondo, he said he's surprised she's a Democrat because her policies help Wall Street, not Main Street.

Trillo agreed with Gilbert.

"She wants to take credit for all the good done in Washington," he said. "She thinks she deserves all the credit."

Valicenti asked Raimondo about a comment she made that President Trump doesn't deserve any credit.

Yes, she said. She would repeat that.

Education and Public Safety

Valicenti noted Rhode Island's teachers are some of the nation's highest paid, but the students are some of the worst-performing.

Raimondo disagreed and said Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and graduation rates and other measurements are improving.

Gilbert said "education in Rhode Island serves some people very well," meaning children in Barrington, East Greenwich, North Kingstown and a few other communities thrive. But in other communities, the students are not faring well.

"The governor should be fired," Fung said. He also said she should "stop lying" about Cranston. Graduation rates have climbed 20 percent at Cranston High School East, he claimed. He also bashed her Rhode Island Promise Program, which offers free tuition at the Community College of Rhode Island. Four of every five students enrolled "are not completing enough courses to move on," he said. Furthermore, the governor misspoke when she said the program was free. Rhode Island College students ended up paying higher tuition. So did students at the University of Rhode Island, he added.

Trillo said he would change the free tuition program, so the qualifications were more stringent. He also advocated for eliminating the state education commissioner's post and putting the teachers back in charge of their classrooms. He also would support more trade schools.

Raimondo said Fung's criticism was "factually inaccurate," and more students are graduating than before. She also hopes to expand the program to RIC.

Gilbert said the free tuition program was "a waste of money."

Turning to a new topic, guns in the schools, Raimondo said "there is no silver bullet" to solve problems about school safety.

Trilllo said he "spent many years with security" and consulted about safety issues at the Statehouse. His 10-point plan "starts with making the building more secure," he said. "You need metal detectors and controls about who carries a gun."

Gilbert dismissed a law banning guns in the schools.

"Nobody wants to see children get shot," he said, but "it’s pretty odd to say 'pass a law.'" In his opinion, the question is about fortifying the schools.

Fung said he would oppose a law banning guns in school.

"I don’t want to take a firearm away from an off-duty officer," he said. He believes the decision about metal detectors, for example, should be made by the local officials. He does see gun violence as a "mental health" problem and noted Cranston has hired social workers to help the children.

Mistakes and Lessons Learned

The governor was asked about the problems at health and human services over the computer fiasco known as the United Health Infrastructure Project, or UHIP, for short. A premature launch resulted in loss of benefits for needy Rhode Islanders.

"The good news is, we turned the corner,"Raimondo said. "We're processing claims faster than we ever have. We've learned." Then she tried to segue into an attack on President Trump, but the crowd cut her off.

"The next time Donald Trump goes after health care," she said, and stopped. Valicenti said she had roamed off topic.

Fung said Raimondo had flushed $660 million "down the drain" over UHIP and was still dealing with Deloitte, the company responsible for the software glitches.

"I'm going to fire Deloitte," he said, if he's elected. He also said the governor has failed to make changes at the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

"Another child died" recently, he said. Also, he claimed, state troopers are leaving because of dissatisfaction with the governor's actions and policies.

Trillo also said he "wouldn’t have continued pouring money into UHIP." The company, Deloitte, "is being sued all over." But he also was fed up with hearing how all the candidates are "learning by their mistakes," he said.

"Go out and grow and come back in a few years," he said.

Raimondo said she did make a mistake with UHIP but added "you cannot compare an IT glitch with government corruption," referring to past problems at the Cranston police department.

Gilbert said he was a past project manager and believes the governor needed to "hand-hold this thing" until the UHIP problem was solved. He would give up his time if she could tell everyone "the next key event, milestone and due date" for the project. Could she?

"Yeah, I can," Raimondo said. She came up with some information and thought the next due date was in two weeks.

Gilbert said governor must "take responsibility for those issues" and added there should be "no corporate welfare until" the problems were fixed for children.

Fung said Raimondo's administration was incompetent "from the top down" and added the comments were not true in the state police report about the Cranston police. Had they been true, he asked, "why did your own troopers association donate to me and not to you?"

Trillo said "under her watch, the supervision has not happened" at DCYF, for example. "You can't drop a child in a foster home and not check on them in a week." He also called Fung " a weak leader."

The candidates then answered questions during a lightning round about various topics.

Legalizing Weed?

Turning to another topic, legalizing marijuana, Fung quipped he wished someone had a "joint for Joe to calm down."

Trillo said until police can determine impaired driving due to the drug, he wouldn't favor legalizing it.

Fung echoed that opinion.

Raimondo said she was open to legalization but had concerns about children.

Gilbert said he favored legalizing and decriminalizing because too much money is being wasted now on law enforcement.

Licenses To Illegal Aliens

Raimondo would favor giving the licenses "as a matter of public safety," she said. Everyone should pass a driving test and carry insurance.

Fung disagreed.

"I do not believe in licenses for those here illegally," he said. He also criticized the governor for telling Latinos she would give them licenses but then not doing so.

Trillo said "it's a complex problem," due to issues about making Rhode Island a sanctuary state. He called Fung a "copycat" and said he, Trillo, initially raised the issue.

Fung said he was the only candidate who signed a pact with the Department of Justice to turn undocumented criminals over to federal authorities. He recapped last week's arrest of a man who had been deported and re-entered the U.S. illegally.

"Big deal, one guy," Trillo said.

"He's lying," Raimondo said meaning Fung. "He's politicizing public safety."

Gilbert said he did not believe in a piecemeal approach to immigration policy but thought the voters should decide about the licenses.

Birthright Citizenship

Trillo said he opposes birthright citizenship.

"We need to stop welcoming illegals," he said.

Raimondo disagreed.

"If you're born in America, you're an American," she said.

"I won't change it," Fung said. His parents were immigrants, he said.

Gilbert said he was disappointed about the question coming up. Why should the gubernatorial candidates be discussing birthright citizenship? he asked. "I though we would have a high level discussion" at the debate about issues that matter to Rhode Islanders.

The candidates also touched on the state's failure to keep the Pawtucket Red Sox and plans for Pawtucket's future. Finally, they delivered closing statements.

The debate ended at 8 p.m.

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