News

2014 RI Primary Political Coverage: We break it down and your candidates talk about what matters to you

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Key issues

We asked our resident data nerd, political operative and angry outlier (and concerned mother of three) what they thought were the key issues facing candidates. With a range of conservative and liberal perspectives, here’s what they think.

By Mike Bilow, “Its the Economy, Stupid
By Jonathon Jacobs, “Zombies, Brains, and Arts Education”
By Robert Healey, “Motif’S Angry Outlier Talks Issues”

Races

We asked the same political operative, resident data nerd and pissed-off outlier (and concerned mother of three) for their thoughts on which RI primary races will be the most important and/or provide the most suspense and drama. Not surprisingly, the close Democratic gubernatorial pack was a top choice, followed by Providence mayoral shenanigans. Here’s their insight.

By Jonathon Jacobs, “The Gubernatorial Races — A Prediction”
By Mike Bilow, “The Primaries from Motif’s Data Nerd”
By Robert Healey, “Primaries— Should we Hold Them At All?”

In their own words…

We asked the following questions of leading primary candidates for governor of RI and mayor of Providence. The responses come from the candidates themselves, though in some cases they have been edited for clarity.

1. Acknowledging that there are a lot of intricately interconnected factors driving the economy and no silver bullet to fix it, what do you feel is the is the single biggest reason RI is slowly recovering/not recovering from the recession?
2. Why isn’t cannabis legal yet?
3. There has been a lot of emphasis on crime in Providence during this campaign. Why do you think it’s a hot button issue in this election?
4. If you had to cut funding and had to choose between arts programs in schools, and funding for public art, which would you cut first?
5. Some local artists have expressed concern that the tax-free art bill will encourage out-of-state galleries and out-of-state artists to use RI as a tax haven, something that is already happening. Is this a bad thing, and what would you do to ensure the promotion of local artists when it comes to selling art?
6. Live/work spaces are sometimes considered crucial for incubating both artists and small businesses. Would you develop any plans to cultivate these spaces in [Providence / Rhode Island]?
7. What will you suggest to make the city/state more hospitable to artists?
8. Small gallery owners have successfully cross-promoted with events like gallery nights, but they often fall through the cracks between initiatives directed at small businesses and the support given to non-profits. What action, if any, would you take to support this niche in the Providence art scene?