A former prosecutor in the criminal division of the attorney general's office, Wallin created a campaign fundraising committee in February. At the time, however, he left blank the box for candidates to declare the "office being sought.'' In his new filing, he left no further doubt about the office he seeks: attorney general.

He loaned his campaign $25,050 in start-up money, and he had $20,236 left to pursue his campaign after raising an additional $8,450 during the three-month stretch that ended September 30.

Now in private practice in Wakefield, Wallin, 39, worked in the attorney general's office.
In recent weeks, he said, he has started sending out press releases and proposed editorials to the state's smaller local newspapers, and accepting invitations to speak on talk radio shows.

On his campaign web page, Wallin describes himself as a native Rhode Islander raised in North Kingstown, who graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School, Rhode Island College and the Roger Williams University School of Law, Class of 1997, before enlisting in the Air Force, where he served as a military prosecutor and "successfully litigated numerous court martial cases involving drugs, sexual assault, child Internet pornography, and financial crimes.''

Before returning to Rhode Island, he also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

In recent weeks he has circulated for publication a sample of his views and writings that begins: "The cancer that is corruption continues to devour our state. Most recently, the governor's audit shed light on $75 million of willfully mismanaged taxpayer dollars for insider deals, extravagant bonuses, over-paying and a variety of other corrupt actions....What Rhode Islanders can see from these actions at the landfill is inaction from the state's highest elected official responsible for enforcing our laws, the Attorney General.''

"Is it possible this corruption occurred under the nose of the attorney general and he had no idea?'' he asked. Rhode Islanders are entitled to answers rather than a statement that no prosecution of anyone involved in this fleecing of taxpayer dollars will occur.''

A woman of many opinions, she shared a few of them during a rare -- but not unprecedented -- radio talk-show interview, hosted on Tuesday morning by WPRO's John DePetro.

Of the proposed Constitutional amendment to strip the word "plantations'' from the official name of the state, she said: "They should keep the name as it is.''

A measure placing the proposal on the 2010 ballot was approved by state lawmakers last week during a hectic two-day special session.

After researching the history of how the state came to be named "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," Mrs. Carcieri said: "We believe this has absolutely no connotation that people want to attribute to it,'' and the referendum drive is likely to cause "a lot of trouble'' and "cost money to fight that fight ... in a year when "there are many more important things.''

"And it's a distraction,'' she said, but "maybe that's the purpose of it. I don't know. I find myself wondering about these extraneous ideas ... Is this about distracting us from what's really important ...The economy is really important, for instance.''

Moving along, Mrs. Carcieri said she is "disappointed'' that none of the candidates in the mix to succeed her husband as governor when his run ends next year share the Carcieris' strong anti-abortion views. That includes the newly emerged Republican candidate: Riordan B. Smith.

Aside from that, however, she said, Smith strikes her as "a very, very great candidate with many good ideas, and I am pleased that we have someone who would continue the policies of my husband.

"I think that's the main point I am looking for in a candidate, and good character,'' she said. "And, he's a good Republican. His background is in business, and I think we continue to need that in this state.''

Not everybody agrees the Democrats - who control all but six of the 75 House seats - need to meet in private to discuss what is arguably the most urgent problem the state faces.

"I think the fact that we are having a caucus could be a step in the right direction,'' notes Rep. Gregory Schadone, one of the House Democrats vying to replace House Speaker William J. Murphy when he makes good on his vow to make next year his last at the rostrum.

Schadone does not quarrel with the occasional need for the party to caucus behind closed doors. But he questions the need for secrecy in this instance, and contends "the Republicans should be included in this discussion.''

His argument: "The public's confidence in the General Assembly right now is obviously at a low, and the fact that we are meeting behind closed doors to discuss the biggest issue facing the state is certainly not going to bolster public confidence or help them understand what we are trying to do.''

But Murphy, D-West Warwick, is standing firm.

He also noted his leadership teams plans to hold what he is calling an "economic forum'' on December 1 "that will be open to the public, the press and all 75 House members."
House members interviewed in recent days have been unclear on the agenda for the caucus, and how far it might stray from the stated reason for the discussion scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the House lounge.

In a letter informing the House Democrats of his plans for the caucus, Murphy wrote: "The purpose of the caucus will be to hear your input and freely discuss some potential plans of action for the current fiscal situation. Because of the economic morass the state is in...I want the House to be fully prepared for action regardless of whether the Governor adheres to the mandates of when his budget must be presented.

"I believe this caucus will be a significant first step in helping the House of Representatives organize a forward thinking plan of action,'' he wrote.

The House leadership did not respond to a question about why the meeting would be closed to the public.

But a number of legislators said they believed some of their colleagues would not feel free to talk openly about what they think the legislature should do in public.

"Maybe some people need (closed meeting) to hash out whatever is on their minds,'' remarked Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence. Almeida said he is not one who generally feels that need, but he agrees "we need to have a meeting and correct ourselves...and stop acting like a bunch of actors on the House floor, so I think that is a sense of professionalism that needs to be spoken about.''

Almeida did not name names, or attribute the behavior that troubles him to the members of any one political party. He said: 'It's everybody... I think we need to come up with a better idea of how to make a plan, a financial plan for the state of Rhode Island, and I don't think we should be acting foolish in front of cameras and reporters.''

But House Minority Leader Robert Watson, R-East Greenwich, said he told Murphy "I thought it was a mistake to exclude the six Republicans'' who, over the years, have championed some of the municipal-cost saving ideas now gaining traction at the State House, such as relief from state mandates.

"I don't see why they need a secret meeting to discuss that,'' Watson said. In fact, "I see no reason why the Democrats should feel they need to go behind closed doors if they are trying to come up with good ideas. That's something they should be able to talk about in the open and not be embarrassed. ''

But Watson said he suspects the discussion will, in some way, reflect the political maneuvering around Murphy's announced plans to leave the rostrum sometime after next January.

And he suggested other scenarios, such as: "If they need to talk about how they are going to deliver binding arbitration, oh yeah, I can imagine why they want to do that in secret. If they want perpetual contracts, I now know why they would want to do that behind closed doors.''

Former U.S. Attorney Robert C. Corrente will not run for governor in 2010.

The newly-formed Moderate Party hosted at least two private meetings with Corrente in recent weeks in a courtship that was ultimately unsuccessful.

"I'm not going to do it," Corrente, 52, of East Greenwich, said in a Journal interview Monday afternoon. "It's certainly an interesting landscape for next year and the whole race looks intriguing, but it's not a good time for me given where I am in my career."

Coming off five years working in government, Corrente, a partner at Burns & Levinson, says he's eager to re-establish his private practice.

"I've got one more daughter to put through college," he said.

Corrente spent roughly a month considering a gubernatorial run with the Moderates. He notified party leaders of his decision during a private meeting Monday morning at the party's Warwick headquarters.

"I think it's critically important that we have a credible opposition party," Corrente said, adding that he's "thinking about" changing his party affiliation from Republican to Moderate.

Moderate Party officials have asked Corrente to serve as chairman of the organization's Ethics Policy Committee.

"That's something I'm seriously considering," he said.

Despite the news, Moderate Party executive director Christine Hunsinger is optimistic about her organization's effort to attract a strong candidate to head the ticket in 2010.

"We're still talking to lots of people," Hunsinger said. She declined to be more specific.

Corrente did not leave any room for interpretation as to his intention in 2010. When asked, he said he would not consider running for any elected office with any party.

"It's something I would look at down the road, but nothing for this cycle," he said.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The newly-formed Moderate Party of Rhode Island has released a made-for-Web video that may contain some familiar footage.

Posted on its Web site, the production, which lasts 5 minutes and 29 seconds, features testimonials from party supporters, moving classical crescendos, and spectacular views of the Ocean State's natural wonders.

Some of the cinematography, however, is remarkably similar to campaign ads of a certain former Providence mayor.

The video -- which may be cut up later to run on television, according to party executive director Christine Hunsinger -- didn't cost the Moderates anything. Executive board member Robert LaChance, a partner in Tin Can Alley productions, donated his time and expertise to produce the film, which amounted to an in-kind contribution worth around $5,000, according to Hunsinger.

LaChance has had no qualms about charging politicians for his work in the past.
His previous clients include Edward S. Inman III, unsuccessful attorney general candidate J. William W. Harsch and Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci."

In case the irony isn't obvious, LaChance's work may end up helping Robert C. Corrente, a favorite of the Moderates for governor. Corrente, as former U.S. Attorney, helped send Cianci to prison.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- What does a law against sex-trafficking of minors have to do with art?

Nothing, you say? Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, begs to differ.

Legislation passed last week to make sex-trafficking of minors a felony is so broad, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee, that it could make criminals of people who profit from sexually-explicit art depicting minors.

Think Britney Spears when she was 17, or the film production of Lolita.

The allegedly offending language in the human trafficking legislation defines "sexually-explicit performance" as "an act or show, intended to arouse, satisfy the sexual desires of, or appeal to the prurient interests of patrons or viewers, whether public or private, live, photographed, recorded or videotaped." Anyone found guilty of such an offense would face up to 40 years in prison and a $40,000 fine, or both.

"Theoretically, it could be a theater owner," the state's chief civil libertarian told Political Scene. Or "somebody who takes photographs of minors deemed to appeal to prurient interests..."

Tammy Dudman, an artist and co-chairwoman of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking, which spearheaded the bill's passage, said the language is based on the Department of Justice's model for state anti-trafficking statutes and has been adopted by several other states.

"Our whole judicial system is based on a reasonable person's point of view," she said. To apply the law to artists, she said, is simply "unreasonable."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Carcieri administration has filled in some of the blanks on how state Sen. John Tassoni, D-Smithfield, landed on the state's list of qualified mediators/arbitrators to call when there is a labor dispute.

The minimum qualifications to get on the state's list of potential mediators include "a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university."

A senior business agent for the largest state employee union until last spring, Tassoni - who offered his services for $125 an hour, $1,000 a day - does not have a college degree.

While acknowledging that a degree was one of the two "provider qualifications,'' Carcieri spokeswoman Amy Kempe said lawyers Jacqueline Kelley at the Department of Administration and Valentino Lombardi at the Department of Labor & Training decided that did not mean "that someone must meet BOTH requirements.''

She said they believed they were free to take into account "the totality'' of Tassoni's experience, and DOA director Gary Sasse "reviewed the qualification piece'' and agreed the education requirement "was up to interpretation.''

"It's fair to say that it is highly unlikely that the Administration would use his services in labor disputes," Kempe added. Asked why, she cited his "his past relationship with labor unions'' and the fact that he is a state senator.

"I am not in the habit of defending someone who is often in opposition to the Administration on legislation, policies and initiatives, but I don't think it is fair [to assume]...someone is not qualified simply because they do not have a Bachelor of Arts degree," she said. "There are several very successful businessmen who never graduated form college, including Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, just to name a few."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Those lucky enough to view the chaotic final hours of the Assembly's two-day session late Thursday from the comfort of their living room couch might have witnessed House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson storming off the House floor just after 10 p.m., never to return for the night.

Watson said he was leaving because he was angered by the Democratic leadership's seeming circumvention of certain Assembly rules and the addition of yet another round of bills to the night's ever-growing calendar without his knowledge.

"I'm not going to be here all night," he bellowed. "In fact, I promised I was leaving after we were done with the issues on our calendar. And frankly, I'm done."

With that, he walked out of the chamber and didn't come back, leaving the remaining four Republicans to fend for themselves with no minority leader as the floor debate droned for two more hours.

But a day later, Watson told Political Scene he wasn't actually all that mad, he left because he was late for a prior commitment that he couldn't break.

So why the show?

"I thought it would be more provocative to use the opportunity to say 'what are we doing here at this late hour? Political horse trading and for whose benefit, not the public's benefit'," he said.

Watson reported that he continued to watch the proceedings on television after his departure.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Known labor critic Douglas Gablinske, D-Bristol, has extended an olive branch to the head of the state's second-largest teachers union.

Gablinske will have lunch this week with Marcia Reback, president of the 9,000-member Rhode Island Federation of Teachers. The Hemenway's Restaurant meeting comes at the lawmaker's request.

Gablinske tells Political Scene he felt a need to smooth over tensions caused by his remark at a recent House Labor Committee hearing on a binding arbitration for teachers unions.

Don't remember what he said?

We'll remind you: "Do you not think that the pigs at the public trough have gone too far?" Gablinske said to Reback, prompting excited oohs from the taxpayer groups that packed the hearing.

"I wasn't talking about teachers," Gablinske later explained. "I was talking about the voracious appetite of unions to change public policy in their advantage."

It's worth noting that Gablinske's wife is a school administrator.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Stephen P. Laffey may be around for a while.

The outspoken former Cranston mayor has formally moved out of his parents' house and into a two-family house little more than a stone's throw from the Narragansett coast.

Town officials confirmed with Political Scene last week that Laffey formally registered as a Narragansett voter Monday, Oct. 26. He listed his address as 18 Mathewson St., which is a block from the Coast Guard House restaurant.

And in case anyone's wondering, he's still registered as a Republican.
Laffey didn't return our call for comment.

He told Political Scene over the summer that he would not run for governor, but speculation continues to swirl about his political aspirations.

He has $97,936 sitting in his campaign fund, but is not actively raising money, according to his most recent filing with the Board of Elections.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- There is a bill posted on today's House calendar that would allow binding arbitration for teachers unions.

That does not mean that the House is going to review or even vote on that proposal today, according to a House spokesman.

In fact, the bill will be sent to committee immediately at the beginning of today's session, according to House spokesman Larry Berman, formally killing it for this special session.

It's only on the calendar as a technicality because it was not formally addressed before the R.I. House of Representatives recessed in June.

Extra: Read today's story in The Journal on the General Assembly special session: Bills fly through the House at special session

Legislative leaders have scheduled hearings or floor votes for scores of individual proposals between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday night.

The Providence Journal State House staff is covering the special session live and late into the night, if necessary, tonight and Thursday, as developments warrant.

Get the latest from the State House at projo.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- With the first committee hearings just a day away, the agenda is growing by the hour for this week's two-day General Assembly session.

On Friday evening, R.I. legislative leaders posted a series of high-profile bills scheduled to be heard Tuesday afternoon before the House Judiciary Committee, including a compromise bill that would close a loophole in state law that makes indoor prostitution legal.

All the bills posted for hearing are ultimately expected to pass both chambers of Assembly by the end of the week on their way to becoming law, according to Larry Berman, spokesman for House Speaker William J. Murphy.

The list grew substantially Monday.

A series of committee agendas outlining dozens more proposals have been posted on the the calendar section of legislature's Web site, including legislation that would:

- outlaw text messaging while driving
- require a license for saltwater fishing
- re-open the Westerly branch of the Division of Motor Vehicles for three days a week
- allow mixed-martial arts matches in Rhode Island

There was also a noticable ommission. The House Labor Committee agenda did not include a controversial bill allowing binding arbitration for teachers' contracts.

That doesn't mean the issue is "dead," said House spokesman Berman, who warned that committee agendas are subject to change. But the omission may reflect vocal opposition -- including that of Labor Committee Chairman Arthur J. Corvese, D-North Providence -- to the labor-backed measure.

Other key bills scheduled for hearing include new laws to:

- allow voters to decide whether to remove the word "plantations" from Rhode Island's official state name
- strip the governor of his power to appoint replacements to fill Congressional vacancies
- reduce the minimum sentences for some drug offenses
- allow police to force chemical tests on drivers involved in serious accidents

Committee hearings are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, while the full House and Senate are scheduled to convene Wednesday and Thursday. The floor calendars have not yet been posted, but whatever is ultimately posted Monday will change substantially before the end of the week.

Assembly leaders have "suspended the rules," which normally require 48-hour notice of all committee and floor action. That means committee hearings can be held with a few minutes notice in unusual places, such as State House balconies and hallways, just as has happened in the final days of recent Assembly sessions.

"We're trying to abide by the rules as much as possible, but we may need some leeway," Berman said.

The floor calendars, too, change substantially as bills passed by committee are immediately moved to the House or Senate calendars for immediate passage.

CRANSTON, R.I. Former Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey has been out of the public eye for the past couple of years, but the one-time candidate for U.S. Senate was back on stage Friday -- literally -- for the long-awaited reopening of Cranston's Park Cinema.

Laffey, a longtime supporter cinema owner Piyush Patel's plan to reopen the 85-year-old building as an upscale theater, joined a slew of local and state officials at the event and even participated, telling the audience that Patel's plan was nothing less than a classic example of the American Dream.

"Here's a guy who has the dream, and we don't know why he has the dream, but this is what he wants to do," he said. "And what government can do is give him his chance to succeed."

Laffey, with his wife and children in tow, recalled going to the old cinema as a youngster and hearing the local commercials, as well as the National Anthem, before each movie.
"Everybody stood," he said.

Afterward, Laffey maintained his question-mark status with regard to the 2010 governor's race, committing to nothing and saying that people will know if anything changes.

"If I have something new to say, only then will I say it," he told Political Scene. "I'll let everybody know."

Laffey told talk radio host Dan Yorke in March that he would not run for governor next year and he reiterated that stance an interview with Political Scene over the summer, saying he was not interested "unless there are a significant number of people willing to change" the state's "crash course to financial death."

While he did not reveal any plans Friday, Laffey did seize the opportunity to air his views on the state's budget woes.

"I am not happy at all with our elected officials. I'm not happy with the fraud with the budget," he said. "When they said they solved last year's budget, they lied."

Laffey's last run for office was in 2006, when he lost a Republican primary to then-U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee. Chafee went on to lose in the general election to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.

Laffey, who still has $97,936 in his campaign fund, says he is now living in Narragansett.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Sen. Frank Ciccone, D-Providence, has served notice he intends to revive his campaign to give voters the opportunity to turn Rhode Island's part-time General Assembly into a full-time legislature where lawmakers are paid $85,000 a year, and their top leaders, $145,000 a year with a new twist. He also wants to cut the size of it by a third.

His argument: a full-time legislature will "attract individuals who are truly passionate about public service,'' reduce the end-of-session "rush to pass bills in the final days of a session,'' and cut operating expenses.

"The cost of providing health care to 113 members of the General Assembly, along with paying the salaries of over 300 employees to support this over-sized legislature is exorbitant,'' he said in a press release last week. Going full-time would also eliminate potential conflicts of interest because full-time legislators would "only work for one employer -- the state,'' said Ciccone, a field representative for an arm of the Laborers International Union.