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By Katherine Gregg
Journal State House Bureau
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The race for Speaker heated up last week when Rep. Gregory Schadone fired the opening shot in his long-running campaign for the top leadership post, and the incumbent -- William J. Murphy -- fired back.
The war of words began with a Sept. 14 letter in which Schadone, a 42-year-old North Providence Democrat, criticized Murphy for not bringing the House back sooner to tackle the state's economic crisis. His letter to Murphy began: "As the state budget crisis continues to deepen, there is growing public concern that the General Assembly has failed to return to work and address the crucial problems facing Rhode Island."
Of the series of delays in reconvening the legislature to finish the legislative business the House and Senate left hanging when they recessed abruptly in late June, Schadone wrote: "Unfortunately this constant series of changes raises questions about whether the legislature is capable of addressing this significant crisis."
He called for lawmakers to (figuratively) "bang their heads together" until they come up with an action-plan, and suggested this include a second look at one of Governor Carcieri's proposals: the phase out of the state's corporate income tax.
Taking direct aim at Murphy and his leadership team, Schadone also wrote that: "This is a time when leadership is needed in our state, a time when all of our elected officials need to be involved in the effort to fix the systemic budget problems threatening our quality of life."
Schadone is now openly campaigning for the votes to succeed Murphy if, as widely expected, he does not run for reelection next year. Murphy's Number 2 -- House Majority Leader Gordon Fox -- is also campaigning to succeed him, amidst speculation that Fox, D-Providence, might seek to team up with another aspirant, the more conservative Stephen Ucci, D-Johnston, to firm up his votes.
Schadone made his letter public on Wednesday, on the same day Murphy and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed announced their intention to reconvene the House and Senate on Oct. 28 and 29 to complete the legislature's unfinished business.
In his sharply-worded response a day later, Murphy wrote Schadone: "It is apparent that your second campaign for Speaker is floundering and you feel the need to generate some attention."
"Let us set the record straight,'' Murphy wrote. "My office is always open to meet with all representatives to discuss the budget and any other legislative matters. Not once did you avail yourself of the opportunity to meet with me to discuss any of your purported budget concerns this session. ... You never testified before the House Finance Committee about any of your now alleged issues with the state budget."
He saved the zinger for last: "The 2010 budget passed by the House of Representatives contained $55 million in direct savings to the taxpayers through pension reform. On June 24, 2009, you voted against pension reform and its savings to Rhode Islanders."
Schadone later told Political Scene that he voted against the pension changes because they didn't do enough to "protect the integrity" of the pension, should have gone further in changing the rules for new hires, and should have applied to judges.
Neither Murphy nor Paiva Weed have yet made public their agenda for the rare fall session they have called, just days before the state's official revenue-estimating committee is scheduled to meet for the second and last time this year to reassess where the state stands financially.
