Cortvriend announces write-in for Portsmouth School Committee
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| Terri Cortvriend (center) with supporters Amy Rice, Chuck Levesque, Dave Croston, and Sylvia Wedge. |
School Committee member Terri Cortvriend launched a write-in campaign for the November election at a press conference at the Portsmouth Playground this morning, surrounded by school supporters and local political figures. Citing "mischaracterization" and lack of "factual details" from two of the candidates currently running unopposed, Cortvriend said she was "compelled" to take this unusual step.
"At this time in Portsmouth, we can ill afford putting our system under greater strain," said Cortvriend. "If you care about our education system and you want a fighter for your children and grandchildren, come stand with me."
Acknowledging that a write-in campaign was an uphill battle, Cortvriend said she would spend the next five weeks "comparing my experience and knowledge against the broad statements of my two opponents." While Cortvriend did not mention them by name, since fellow School Committee member Sylvia Wedge was on hand to endorse her, it is clear that Marilyn King and Angela Volpicelli were the target of her criticism.
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| School Committee chair Sylvia Wedge and write-in candidate Terry Cortvriend. |
"Nobody could have been more dedicated," said Wedge, citing Cortvriend's accomplishments on the committee, including her work on gym construction and contract negotiations.
Also on hand were State Senator Chuck Levesque and Rep. Amy Rice. Calling the school committee the "toughest job in the state of Rhode Island," Levesque voiced his support for Cortvriend's candidacy. "With Sylvia Wedge, I give her credit for restoring the financial integrity of the schools," said Levesque. Rep. Rice reminded voters that they needed to both spell out Cortvriend's name and draw the arrow on the ballot, and added her endorsement. "Terri has worked really hard for the Town of Portsmouth, the children, and the teachers," said Rice, "I support her wholeheartedly."
Also on hand were past and present members of the school committee Dave Croston and Marge Levesque, as well as over a dozen supporters.
Candidates Volpicelli and King had not yet responded to a request for comment before press time.
Resources:
Terri Cortvriend web site
Comments
interested observer
Fri, 10/03/2008 - 10:52am
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Rice & Levesque
It is good to see them take time out of their busy schedule to promote a qualified school committee candidate. I find it a little ironic that Levesque uses the phrase "financial integrity" to describe Terri. Had Chuck done his job over the past 16 years Portsmouth might have a better share of State Funding rather that passing all the burden onto Portsmouth Tax Payers.
John McDaid
Sat, 10/04/2008 - 7:39am
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A legislature of one?
Hi, interested observer...
I completely agree that the lege has failed to live up to their responsibility to provide fair, stable funding. And I think that even Sen. Levesque would acknowledge that.
But the roots of the problem lie beyond education funding. According to Rhode Island Policy Reporter, declining corporate tax revenue, cuts to the capital gains tax, reductions in the personal income tax (a progressive tax), and the phaseout of the car tax combined for a loss in state revenue of over $200M last year.
What I find troublesome, specifically, is that by reducing other State-level taxes and failing to pass a funding formula, the burden of supporting education has shifted, in my view, disproportionately to property taxes.
The solution is not, unfortunately, just to have our delegation try to grab a bigger slice of the funding pie. The problem is that the available pie needs to be bigger, and that implies reform to Rhode island's taxes. That is something that Chuck did advocate for, with the Economic Growth and Fairness Act in the last session of the legislature which would have broadened the "retail" tax base with gross receipts taxes, and I give him a lot of credit for doing that in an election year.
Chuck is not alone in thinking that such fundamental changes are needed — Gary Sasse, director of the RI Department of Revenue and leader of the Governor's Strategic Tax Policy Workgroup recently told the RI Economic Policy Council that it was considering a move away from corporate income taxes toward a gross receipts tax on businesses. (Providence Business News, Sept. 15, p.6; online link behind a paywall.)
I'm not an economist, so I don't know what the best tax structure is to achieve our specific goals (sustain our economy in a recession, spur job growth and innovation, adequately fund needed services) but I trust legislators like Chuck to have the ability to consider expert testimony and make reasoned policy recommendations, and that's why I continue to support him.
Recommend you take a look at the back issues of the Rhode Island Policy Reporter, which provides detailed analysis.
Cheers.
-j