By Randal Edgar
Journal State House Bureau

Members of the Republican Party's State Central Committee succeeded last week in keeping alive their goal of closing the party's primaries, but if they are to be closed, it won't happen this year, says party chairman Giovanni Cicione.

True, Cicione allowed supporters of closed primaries to read a motion to that effect at last week's central committee meeting, but he said the soonest the issue could be discussed would be at the next central committee meeting, in April. That would be too late to allow a rule change this year, he said.

Cicione, who faced a movement to oust him as party chairman over this very issue, said he does not oppose the change, but does oppose the push to do it during an election year, when "individual candidates" can try to influence the decision.

"I don't think it's fair to candidates or people who are thinking of being candidates to change the rules at this late stage," he said.

He pointed to a rules change during 2006 that allowed the party to support then-U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee in his primary campaign against Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey.

"It allowed a national committee to fund Chafee's campaign prior to the primary, rather than allowing voters to decide who ... to put up," Cicione said.

Laffey, viewed as a potential candidate for governor in 2010, is among the Republicans who support the move to close the primaries, which would block non-registered Republicans from voting.