Corrente doubles down on promise to cut taxes, spending

By Ethan Hartley
Posted 7/10/18

By ETHAN HARTLEY Even if you've never met Richard Corrente, there's a better than good chance that you've seen him around Warwick at least once or twice. The mortgage broker known for waving to commuters along main arteries in the city and his rallying

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Corrente doubles down on promise to cut taxes, spending

Posted

Even if you’ve never met Richard Corrente, there’s a better than good chance that you’ve seen him around Warwick at least once or twice. The mortgage broker known for waving to commuters along main arteries in the city and his rallying cry of “Cut taxes, cut spending,” is in full campaign mode once again, after an unsuccessful run in 2016.

Corrente ran for mayor last election cycle as the only Democrat in opposition to Republican stalwart Scott Avedisian and, while he didn’t end up in the mayoral chair, he does hold the distinction of getting closer to victory than any other challenger of Avedisian over his 18-year tenure. He only lost by 12,000 votes.

This year, Corrente’s message hasn’t changed. He still believes strongly in his theory that lowering property taxes on citizens will enable more people to move to the city, which will in turn lessen the tax burden for those already living here, and that cutting spending will make for a healthier financial situation in the city. He reached 200 signatures, solidifying his position on the ballot, this past weekend.

“I'm just so frustrated with the tax and spend tactics of the political insiders,” Corrente said. “Joe Solomon is a nice guy and we're friends but he just introduced the largest tax increase the law allows. We cannot continue to tax and spend, it doesn't work.”

Corrente argues that Warwick has lost 5,800 “taxpaying residents” over the last 10 years. According to the U.S. Census, the population decrease is closer to 2,000 over the last seven years and 5,000 over the last 17 years. Despite the fact that not all of these individuals would be taxpayers, as some would be children and many would not be paying property taxes, Corrente still contends that annual tax increases as a big part of that exodus.

“I've been a mortgage banker for 40-plus years. I see this every single day. I kept seeing taxes go up 18 years in a row. No other town or city in Rhode Island can say that. In 2009, when property values went down significantly, when everyone else was keeping taxes the same or lowering them, we increased them."

“That's a lot of tax dollars that went out of our city,” he continued, referencing the loss of population. “It's something I'm passionate about. We keep losing tax dollars. My solution is no, lower taxes and we'll get more people.”

Corrente is correct that Mayor Joseph Solomon approved a budget for FY19 that included the largest allowable tax increase this spring. However, this came about after a year the City Council, at the time led by Solomon as president, hung its hat on holding the line on a no tax increase budget for FY18. Corrente claimed that his advocacy was partially responsible for this outcome.

“It worked,” Corrente said of his losing campaign in 2016 where he claimed to have campaigned “700 days in a row” and spent $40,000 of his own money. “Avedisian introduced 29 new taxes and was defeated on every single one of them by a brave city council. That's when Avedisian saw the writing on the wall.”

The second part of Corrente’s vision is to decrease spending, but Corrente does not jump to quick solutions about where those cuts should come from.

“If we increase tax revenue by adding new taxpayers, we don’t have to cut spending at all,” he said. “But there's a lot of things we're spending money on right now that I sincerely believe we don’t have to spend money on.”

Corrente mentioned starting a voluntary pension reform program where longtime employees could be offered buyouts on their pensions in a lump sum payment. He argues that, even if the city has to borrow money to pay for these lump sums, lessening payments in the long term would be of financial benefit to the city as it would free up debt obligations to be used elsewhere.

Corrente also suggested a two-year moratorium on building permit fees in order to promote more development, which he argues will increase the amount of money captured in annual property taxes and recoup savings in the long run.

In a similar vein, Corrente mentioned a tax rebate program that would provide incentives for new families and businesses to move into Warwick.

“This is basic economics, and my critics want the voting public to believe that it can't be done. Well gee whiz, it's being done in Texas,” Corrente said. “I am not the smartest man in the world. These are not my ideas. These are ideas that other people have had in other states where they are working.”

As for his other ideas, Corrente believes that the school department needs to be audited from an outside auditing agency that isn’t chosen by the school administration, as the department is currently in the process of hiring auditing consultants to examine their books ahead of what seems to be an imminent lawsuit against the city on the grounds of insufficient funding.

“They need to be accountable and responsible for the money we give to them from the moment we give it to them,” Corrente said. “This is the taxpayer's money, not the school committee's money.”

Corrente also took some digs at how he doesn’t believe the city markets itself enough, claiming that he sees no signs declaring where the beaches are, including City Park, which he called one of the “best kept secrets” in Rhode Island. He said the marketing approach should seek to bring other Rhode Islanders to Warwick and stop trying so hard to bring people in from other parts of the country.

“If we promote our beaches and malls and Iggys, if we promoted what's unique to Warwick to the rest of Rhode Island, we would attract people from the rest of Rhode Island,” he said. “We're not going to attract people from Florida. We have too much snow. We should advertise our beaches to rest of Rhode Island and attract new residents from within Rhode Island.”

Corrente was born in Providence and raised in North Providence. He has lived in Warwick for about 12 years, moving from East Greenwich around 2006. He maintains a campaign office on Warwick Avenue. Corrente maintains that, win or lose, his philosophy will persist.

“Scott was a tax and spend kind of guy, and we stopped that cycle,” he said. “We now have another political insider and he introduced the largest tax increase the law allows. That's got to be stopped. Tax and spend mentality has got to go away.”

Comments

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  • CrickeeRaven

    Compliments to the Beacon reporter who did not allow one of the make-believe mayor's claims to go unchallenged:

    - "Corrente argues that Warwick has lost 5,800 “taxpaying residents” over the last 10 years. According to the U.S. Census, the population decrease is closer to 2,000 over the last seven years and 5,000 over the last 17 years."

    However, the reporter still did not correct this false statement: “Avedisian introduced 29 new taxes and was defeated on every single one of them by a brave city council."

    No, this is a lie by the make-believe mayor. The city council proposed 29 amendments to the FY18 budget that reduced it by $750,000 while still increasing spending by $6.5 million and leaving a $4.2 million deficit that the FY19 budget has to cover. Avedisian did not "introduce 29 new taxes."

    The make-believe mayor is also flip-flopping when he credits the city council with being "brave" in FY18 but attacking Mayor Solomon for this year's tax increase -- the current budget's state max tax increase is a direct result of those "brave" FY18 budget decisions by the council.

    This new article will -- along with the proof that he has not paid taxes on his residence since 2014 and is not paying the sewer and water fees on that property -- show honest, taxpaying voters that they are right to reject his candidacy again this year.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    This is also not the first time the make-believe mayor has been described as "doubling down" on blatantly false statements: https://warwickpost.com/pressed-to-explain-errors-corrente-doubles-down-instead/

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Where to begin? Think about a candidate who has run for office for close to 4 years on a "cut taxes, cut spending" platform, that cannot tell voters ANY areas of spending he'd cut. Even though he says "there's alot of things we're spending money on right now that I sincerely believe we don't need to spend money on" OH??? REALLT??? WHY IS IT HE CAN'T NAME ANY??? The very next sentences, this fraud candidate (Corrente) says: "even if we had to borrow money" guess what Rick? IF YOU ARE BORROWING MONEY YOU ARE NOT CUTTING SPENDING.

    He goes on to talk about "pension reform" that includes buying pensions out of the remaining years of the employees retirement. He never says how much each employee would be offered. Lets say a 65 year old retiree made $60,000 a year while working, lets say they'll take 75% of their pay home in retirement. If they will be getting $45,000 a year in pension payments every year of their lives, how much money (lump sum) would you have to offer to incentivize that person to retire? If you were going to get $45,000 a year in retirement as is, why would you gamble your future years on 1 lump sum payment that has no guarantee of covering you for life? Any person who spends more than 2 minutes looking at this proposal can see it doesn't pass the common sense test. Pensions need to be secured for ALL WORKERS, Rick Correntes proposal does NOTHING to secure them. Rick Corrente keeps referencing Texas and all of the big ideas happening there, Texas isn't exactly a union stronghold as RI. There are MANY DIFFERENCES between RI and Texas without even including anything to do with unions. If a candidate for Mayor can't figure out what those differences are, then he SHOULD NOT BE RUNNING. Any member of the DPW, WFD, and WPD should ask Rick Corrente if he'd like to see RI adopt Texas' laws on unions?

    Another idea Rick includes is a "buy a house get a check" proposal. He doesn't even tell voters who would be eligible for this benefit. Is it new home buyers? Wouls every person who buys a home be included? Would landlords be eligible for this benefit? What line item in the budget will be cut to pay for this benefit program? If he doesn't have these answers after 4 years of running, then he is NOT A SERIOUS CANDIDATE.

    Finally, there is the issue of Rick Correntes tax delinquency. Since 2014 he has failed to meet his obligations as a taxpayer. He actually had the water/sewer and delinquent taxes paid by the same person who Rick rents his campaign office from, STILL TO THIS DAY. Think about a candidate for office who has been running for almost 4 years, that cannot pay their own fair share of taxes. Whether it was years of late car tax payments '09-'11 that were finally paid in 2012 after he wasn't able to register a car, or the water/sewer bills and delinquent property taxes that he has relied on others to pay for him. When you can't meet your basic fiscal obligations as a homeowner and taxpayer, you SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SEEK ELECTED OFFICE. Most people these days don't have the luxury of not paying their taxes, or having their wealthy friends bail out their "grifter" ways. Rick Corrente claims business experience when he can't even pay his own taxes. What a disgraceful embarrassment. Rick Corrente won't cut spending, he'll increase it. He isn't going to cut your taxes, just like he's apparently never going to pay his. Thousands of Warwick voters will send this repeat loser a strong message this election season.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Da repot are misses master mayer third leg of his promices increase services. Once he does Dat with slashing spending and tackses he is gonna turn wine into water

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Thank you, Scal, for providing those facts and verifiable information about the make-believe mayor. We should perhaps thank the Beacon for providing one [and hopefully last] article specifically about his futile campaign and ongoing attempts to fool voters.

    Just as his continued use of this website for free political advertising does, the publication of this article provides us another opportunity to present the truth about him.

    I look forward to joining you and thousands of honest, taxpaying voters in overwhelmingly rejecting his candidacy again this year.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Guy truly IS a nut. Thanks to beacon for checking his facts. Can't wait for this noise to end.

    Maybe then Corrente will start paying his own Warwick bills

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • allent

    Why does he deserve our vote? Weird slogan to have.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    The short answer, allent, is that he doesn't deserve our votes.

    The longer answer is...

    A candidate who complains about taxes, then is proven not to be paying his, doesn't deserve our votes.

    A candidate who lies about changes in the city's population, school enrollment, and business sector doesn't deserve our votes.

    A candidate who falsely claims credit for the council's decisions in FY18, which resulted in a tax increase in FY19 that he is now trying to attack, doesn't deserve our votes.

    A candidate who accepted campaign contributions from the same Democratic elected officials he is now calling "political insiders" doesn't deserve our votes.

    A candidate who had his property taxes paid by the same person who he later paid campaign office rent doesn't deserve our votes.

    A candidate who hasn't identified how he would fund his imaginary spending cuts -- except by borrowing -- doesn't deserve our votes.

    And a candidate who spends all his time losing online arguments, having other people pay his taxes and sewer/water fees, and repeating claims that have been objectively proven false, doesn't deserve our votes.

    What he deserves -- and will soon get -- is another overwhelming and humiliating rejection by honest, taxpaying voters.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Wow.

    Read all the lies my anonymous critics are shouting about. No explanation as to how I am getting away without paying taxes, utilities, water bills and car registrations. Wouldn't the City prosecute me if any of that crap were true. For that matter how could I hold a mortgage bankers license?

    It's no wonder these "people" don't use their real names. I must really be on to something if they are stooping this that low to attempt to discredit me. The above article is accurate with todays numbers. My numbers were accurate in 2016 when I researched them and gave that research to John Howell and the Warwick Beacon, BEFORE it was printed in the Beacon.

    Regardless, the point remains, Warwick has lost thousands of taxpayers. I have a plan to get some back. These "critics" don't. They just want complain. Fake news. Fake sources. Fake people. Fake names.

    I strongly believe that if we "Cut Taxes" we will attract new taxpayers AND increase Warwick's TTR (Total Tax Revenue) by increasing the number of taxpayers. That will make less of a tax need on the rest of us. Joe Solomon wants to increase taxes to the highest level allowed by law. He has no plan on what or who he will spend the extra money on. Or at least, he hasn't shared it with the taxpayers. He voted for every tax increase since he became a City Council person.

    Which do the readers prefer? A political insider that WILL increase taxes, or a businessman/working man that will "Cut Taxes - Cut Spending"

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    "No explanation as to how I am getting away without paying taxes, utilities, water bills and car registrations."

    This is a blatantly false statement. Commenters on this website have repeatedly provided factual and verifiable information about the make-believe mayor's tax delinquencies, like the city tax assessor website, found here: https://www.citizenselfservice.com/MSSProd/citizens/RealEstate/Default.aspx?mode=new

    By entering 177 Grand View, one sees that, since 2014, the property taxes have been paid by someone other than the make-believe mayor: Clayton Shackleton in 2014 and 2015, Red Stick Acquisitions in 2015 and 2016, and Dr. William A. Masopust in 2018.

    Clicking on "utility billing" shows that the water and sewer bills on the property at 177 Grand View Drive were paid by Cove View, LLC [for which Dr. Masopust is listed as the principal] on July 6, 2018.

    The registration for the "BANKRS" license plate, which the make-believe mayor uses, was inactive from 2013 through 2015 -- that factual information is found by visiting this website and entering that license plate number: https://www.citizenselfservice.com/MSSProd/citizens/MotorVehicle/Default.aspx

    "I must really be on to something if they are stooping this that low to attempt to discredit me."

    No, this is all easily-verifiable, factual public information that anyone can find with a simple internet search. No one is "stooping" to produce this information.

    "Which do the readers prefer?"

    A candidate who does not lie to them, does not continue to lie in the face of factual information, and does not claim victimhood when the statements he has willingly repeated are all proven to be false -- and honest, taxpaying voters will prove it by overwhelmingly rejecting his candidacy again this year.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Correction: Red Stick Acquisitions paid the taxes on the make-believe mayor's residence in 2016 and 2017.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Once again, the "deadbeats mayor" Rick Corrente proves he's either a pathological liar, or mentally unstable. What else could explain his blatant dishonesty to all Warwick voters? Especially real, hardworking voters who ACTUALLY PAY THEIR TAXES. I encourage readers who are tired of these comments to enter the information Crickee Raven provided. That is factual evidence printed in black and white. How is it Rick Corrente, when faced with actual facts, including links to show our charges are accurate, one has to wonder why he continues to lie?

    Voters must also ask: why is it that Rick Corrente can never attack the message we send? He only attacks the messanger because he knows the message is 100% accurate. Again, anyone who enters the links and information provided by CrickeeRaven will see indisputable facts that Rick Corrente is a tax delinquent, who skates by on being bailed out by others. One of the individuals who paid Rick Correntes back taxes is the landlord of Correntes current campaign office, where conveniently Correntes campaign is staying rent free. One must wonder why someone would pay a "friends" back taxes, water/sewer bills & also allow someone's Mayoral campaign to stay in their plaza rent free just because. I don't think its unfair to wonder what Corrente promised this individual in trade for paying his delinquent taxes and water/sewer bills.

    This doesn't even touch Correntes history of litigation losses, as well as embarassing "stealth" car registration, where the bum took his car off the tax rolls in order to avoid taxes. If this is untrue Rick WHERE WAS YOUR CAR REGISTERED 2013-2015??? In 2009 his car taxes were late. In 2010 and 2011 he didn't pay his car taxes, until the city didn't let him register his car in 2012. Magically, he found a way to catch up then. In true miracle fashion Correntes car disappeared from the tax rolls 2013-2015 AFTER he was penalized for paying his car taxes late.

    There are many things honest, hardworking taxpayers can debate. I'd be much happier having those debates instead. However, there is no debating facts, and everything laid out here is a fact for anyone who wants to look it up. Rick Correntes pathetic, flailing, gutter campaign has been circling the drain for almost 4 years. Honest, hardworking voters will send "the deadbeats mayor" a strong message this primary season.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    You know what I find especially pathetic, Scal? It's how the make-believe mayor thinks he is somehow shaming us by calling us "anonymous critics" and whining about our use of screen names -- when he is so utterly shameless in repeating his lies, over and over again.

    All of the facts we have presented are true. His attempts to attack us do not make them untrue.

    He has already lost this election; we only await the formality of the vote to confirm it.

    Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Stay anonymous. I seem to recall Corrente making veiled threats to other readers right on here last mayor election that he lost. Put it this way, if he were ever elected dog catcher, he'd catch your dog, reason or not. No ethics.

    Don't forget corrente repeatedly didnt pay his taxes, someone else apparently paid them for him (two people actually) (why?) Placed campaign signs illegally, filed illegal campaign reports, not to mention the lawsuits etc. As they say in Mississippi, he's a "hot mess".

    Fortunately we have a very legitimate candidate running as the obvious good alternative, Joe Solomon.

    And again - I never even knew anything about now Mayor Solomon before the election, nor anything about this corrente person, before the last election. So zero axe to grind. Just a voter hoping and praying for keeping a good Warwick.

    Here's a post from The Captain in February:

    GOP Chair Files Election Board Complaint Against Corrente for Failing to Report Ad, HQ Spending

    by Rob Borkowski on February 6, 2018 in News to You

    WARWICK, RI — Warwick’s Republican City Committee has filed a complaint against Richard Corrente with the Rhode Island Board of Elections Campaign Finance Division, asking for an investigation into the perpetually campaigning politician’s unreported campaign spending on a full-page Pennysaver ad.

    Anthony Corrente (no relation to Richard) said the Pennysaver advertisement ran Dec. 17, but that no record of the ad appears in Correte’s latest quarter campaign finance report. A check of Corrente’s campaign finance reports of all of 2017 shows spending on the ad has not been recorded, Warwick Post reported Jan. 31.

    Anthony Corrente is also asking the Board of Elections to investigate Richard Corrente’s spending regarding the latter’s failure reporting any expenses related to operating his campaign headquarters located at 1609 Warwick Ave., also related to the Pennysaver ad.

    “In this advertisement, Corrente also states that people can visit him at “Corrente for Mayor headquarters, 1609 Warwick Ave., (next to Dave’s),” but “does not report any expenses” or “any contributions or personal loans” that would cover rent, utilities, or other costs.

    No office costs listed for 2017; past rent went to payer of tax bills on Richard Corrente’s residence

    A review of Richard Corrente’s campaign finance reports for 2017 found no mention of any payments related to the office at 1609 Warwick Ave. In fact, among the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, and fourth quarter filings, the candidate only entered a $100 loan to the campaign in income and $44 to print new checks in expenses for the entire year.

    In a review of earlier campaign finance reports, Warwick Post found that Richard Corrente paid $4,000 for the campaign office on Feb. 17, 2016 to Clay Shackleton, listed on state business filings as President of G W Realty, which owns Gateway Plaza. The check was paid to Shackleton personally, as opposed to to G W Realty.

    Clayton A. Shackleton is also listed as paying the tax bills on 177 Grand View Ave. in 2014 and 2015, totaling nearly $13,700:

    City tax records show that Clay Shackleton paid the delinquent tax bills on Richard Corrente’s residence in 2014 and 2015; Corrente paid Shackleton $4,000 for his campaign office in 2016. [Screenshots from Warwick Tax Assessor website]

    City tax records show payments of $6,910.33 in 2014 by Clayton A. Shackleton for Richard Corrente’s residence.

    City tax records show payments of $6,762.19 in 2015 by Clayton A. Shackleton for Richard Corrente’s residence.

    Richard Corrente also filed to change the address of the campaign office to its location in Hoxsie from 177 Grand View Ave. on Jan. 19, 2017, and later put up signs on the storefront for his business, Bankers Mortgage.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    To those anonymous critics that keep complaining that I "haven't mentioned one line-item that I would cut from the budget".

    We all know that you just want something else to complain about. If I said I wanted to reduce ANY item in the budget by ten cents you would yell, scream and stamp your feet accusing me of harming that department and you would try to rally everyone in that department against me. So let me ask you a few questions:

    If we had VOLUNTARY PENSION BUYOUTS and just one retiree accepted, would that "Cut Spending"?

    If we had a HIRING FREEZE and just one employee retired or resigned and wasn't needed to be replaced, would that "Cut Spending".

    If we REWARDED EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT UNDERSPENDS would that "Cut Spending"?

    If we PENALIZED EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT OVERSPENDS would that "Cut Spending"?

    The Corrente Plan is full of ideas that either "Cut Taxes" or Cut Spending". If you truly want to help (not harm) our City, then suggest something that "Cuts Taxes" or Cuts Spending" and I will happily add it in and credit you for it. Otherwise please just shut up. Your comments are destructive, not constructive, and I noticed you didn't say anything about my opponent who hasn't mentioned ANY plan. Kinda makes people think you're a henchman for him. That's dirty politics.

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    To your first point, WwkVoter: I plan to continue to use a screen name on this website, despite the make-believe mayor's whining about it and his insistence that the facts we present are somehow not true because we use screen names.

    Thanks for bringing that Warwick Post article back to the attention of readers here, too. You may recall that in response, the make-believe mayor falsely claimed that Rob Borkowski was the city GOP chairman, another in the long, long list of instances where he humiliated himself through his lies.

    We should know soon what the Board of Elections decided to do about the complaint against the make-believe mayor; he has claimed [typically for him, with no evidence] that the former BoE chairman sent him an email clearing him of any wrongdoing. This is also not the process that the BoE follows to consider campaign finance violations, so the make-believe mayor is compounding his ethically questionable campaign finance activities by inventing Board of Elections procedures.

    What your very astute observation proves is that, no matter how many times the make-believe mayor tries, he will not fool the voters of Warwick. His claimed "plans" to "bring back taxpayers" are nothing more than giving away city funds and borrowing against future revenue to pay for it -- mortgaging the future of the city, in other words. And since it has been repeatedly proven that he is not paying the taxes on his residence, he would be gambling with other peoples' money -- not his own -- to fund his delusional ideas.

    And one other point: His premise -- that "new taxpayers" will increase city revenue -- is erroneous. Whether by the residents or another entity that owns a property [as in the make-believe mayor's case], taxes are already paid on homes and businesses in Warwick. While properties are for sale, taxes are paid by banks or management companies. Thus, adding more taxpayers would not substantially change the amount of tax revenue going to the city, since they would simply be paying the tax bills that are already being paid.

    Now that you and Scal and I have once again disproven the make-believe mayor's claims, we can expect that he will abandon this comment board and use a new article to repeat them, instead of answering for the factual proof of his tax delinquency. [Calling those facts "fake" is not a legitimate answer, except in the delusional mind of the make-believe mayor.]

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Would the make-believe mayor's ideas cut spending?

    No. Pension buyouts cost money up-front, increasing spending.

    Hiring freezes increase overtime for the rest of the staff, increasing spending.

    'Rewarding departments that underspend' and 'penalizing departments that overspend' are vague ideas that, typically for the make-believe mayor, have no substance.

    "Otherwise please just shut up."

    No. Commenters on this site will not allow the make-believe mayor to repeat his lies and try to deflect from the many defects in his candidacy.

    He is the one running for public office, yet he wants to determine how readers may respond to him on someone else's website. No, that will not happen.

    "Your comments are destructive..."

    Only for the make-believe mayor's ongoing and ultimately futile campaign. We will not allow him to lie and mislead our honest, taxpaying neighbors.

    "That's dirty politics."

    No, lying to voters is dirty politics. Failing to pay one's taxes and city utilities -- and lying about those proven delinquencies -- is dirty politics. Calling elected official "political insiders" after accepting campaign contributions from them is dirty politics. Claiming victimhood when one's statements are exposed as lies is dirty politics.

    Telling the truth about a declared candidate, providing factual and easily verifiable information about him, and educating other voters about him is not dirty politics.

    And in the end, it is those facts that will result in another humiliating loss for the make-believe mayor.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Voters can see Rick Corrente and his "plans" unraveling right before our very eyes. He's not doing much to dispel those erratic labels being attached to him. His ideas are like trying to make the bed with a blanket that is just too small. You pull on one side, it exposes the other. You try and try but it just doesn't work. This is the true "Corrente plan". Just a bunch of words thrown together as talking points (or a blanket way too small for the bed).

    By implementing a hiring freeze Rick Corrente is suggesting that the city is overstaffed. Is that the Warwick PD? Warwick FD? Dept of Public Works (DPW)? I can't imagine Rick Corrente is running on a platform of "less police and fire" so I imagine they'd be exempt from the hiring freeze. That leaves the DPW as being the only subject of a Corrente hiring freeze. I would ask if the DPW is so overstaffed, why does Rick Corrente need to raise BEACH FEES ON EVERY DRIVING RESIDENT in order to pay for beach cleanup? A hiring freeze suggests Warwick has too many employees. Is Rick Corrente going to RAISE BEACH FEES in order to pay for beach cleanup, at the same time he's implementing a hiring freeze on the very department that cleans our beaches? Is that efficient government? The answer is it is not. It is the very definition of waste.

    The voluntary pension buyout will not save the city $. Corrente has no way of paying for this, he'd be forced to borrow the money or raise taxes. He doesn't include this piece in the "Corrente plan" because he'd have to acknowledge borrowing money is NOT cutting spending. I used the example (above comment) of a retiree due $45,000 a year PLUS health care benefits. If you were that retiree due $45,000 along with a stable health care plan, how much $ (lump sum) would it take to convince you (the retiree) to forego your GUARANTEED $45,000 plus benefits? The answer is ALOT. That is just 1 employee making $45,000 a year. Now start doing the math with employees due $90,000 a year in reitrement, and how much $ (lump sum) it would take that person to retire. Once again, the blanket just doesn't fit.

    Finally, Correntes entire message just whistles past the FACTS about his tax delinquency. Including delinquent water/sewer bills, late car and property tax payments. No candidate should be allowed to run for office with that kind of record of reckless tax delinquency. How is it fair that the rest of us honest, hardworking taxpayers always pay our fair share of taxes ON TIME, while a candidate for Mayor of Warwick makes backroom deals with his wealthy friends to pay his delinquent taxes for him? It is not fair and that type of pathetic behavior should disqualify him to even run for Mayor. What about voters who have lost their home to tax sale? Regular, honest, everyday people don't have the luxury of cutting shady deals with the wealthy to pay their bills for them. One has to wonder what was promised to these people, to pay Correntes back taxes for him. Rick Corrente will use the only line of attack he has: screen names. No screen name in the world will make PROVEN FACTS untrue. Imagine the audacity to call yourself "the taxpayers mayor" when you've been a "grifter" in your own home since 2014. This is not the behavior of a Mayor who represents taxpayers, this is the behavior of a mayor who represents deadbeats.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Crick,

    I am trying to find the statement that I posted about Corrente and the court documents pertaining to his unpaid child support. I posted these documents on this site before the last election, cant find them in my laptop. Maybe you have a better search skill. I would like to post it again to remind all of the readers what a shmuck this guy is.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Rob, please do. I recall that but couldn't find it to repost. It is very relevant to character of the candidate.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Captain, I can find it again. I recently pulled the article up but deleted the screenshots about Corrente only able to afford $10 a week or month was it? Also, there is Correntes "spirited" defense where he says "maybe I said that, maybe I didn't". I will find it and update.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Didn't Fung and another candidate for Governor get caught up in not paying rent on their campaign headquarters? Wouldn't what RC is doing cause the same type of investigation?

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Thanks for the research, Scal. I have not been able to locate the article myself, so I'll defer to your sleuthing abilities.

    Cat: You are correct, Mayor Fung did not pay rent on his campaign office. The situation is somewhat different with the make-believe mayor, because he changed the purpose of his former campaign office to a business office. As a result, he has no legal requirement to report the rent that he may [or may not] be paying, as he did when it was a campaign office.

    For all of 2017 the only expenditure reported by the make-believe mayor was $44 for new checks in the 4th quarter -- after he wrongly wrote a business check to pay for the political ad in the Pennysaver, which would have been illegal under state law. [Companies are prohibited from making direct contributions or making expenditures on behalf of a campaign.]

    As you may recall, the Beacon reported that it returned that potentially illegal check, meaning that it gave the make-believe mayor, in effect, a campaign contribution by running the ad for free until he covered the expense with an actual campaign check weeks later in January, 2018.

    What stands out about these situations with the make-believe mayor -- tax delinquencies, misuse of a business check for campaign purposes, shifting the entity that rents the office for his campaign, getting a neighbor to create a new LLC to pay his water and sewer bills, failing to report his receipt of a free campaign ad, and on and on -- is that they all have been proven with minimal online research, and combine to portray a candidate who thinks he can get away with fooling voters.

    As you have seen in the prior comments -- and so many other articles on this website -- he is not getting away with it.

    None of his complaints or conspiracy theories provide explanations for the logical conclusions that are drawn from the available facts, and they will not change the inevitable and humiliating rejection that honest, taxpaying voters are going to deliver to his candidacy.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Scal,

    That is the comment that i was referring to. For some reason I cannot find the link nor can I find the file that I saved it in. If you do find it please cut and paste the comments as they are relevant.

    Thanks

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    The article is from February 16th 2017

    Headline: "Hold Down Costs is theme to budget process".

    You'll find the comment/transcript by Rob (Captain) in its entirety. I'm having trouble copying and pasting in the comments. I can transcribe if needed, it'll just take alot longer.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Scal and Thecaptain, that is a highly instructive link;here's the direct URL: http://warwickonline.com/stories/hold-down-costs-is-theme-to-budget-process,122009

    It's instructive not only for Thecaptain's sharing of the transcript from the child support case involving the make-believe mayor, but also for what appears to be one of the first recorded attempts by the make-believe mayor to justify his false assertion of Warwick having 80,000 taxpayers, and for an earlier example of his lie that Warwick's population was "down by 5,800 from ten years ago."

    The make-believe mayor then compounded his lie with this statement: "My math Scal, is based on the U.S. Census Bureau. If I am wrong, the U.S. Census Bureau is wrong."

    No, the Census figures were not wrong then, and they are not wrong now -- the make-believe mayor has been lying about the Census data after the correct information has been provided on this website multiple times in the last 17 months.

    "I got 13,278 honest votes without buying one vote."

    This is a lie. The make-believe mayor has consistently bragged about spending $40,000 on his first losing campaign -- so, in fact, he "bought" the losing 35% of the vote that he received.

    As mentioned previously, the make-believe mayor has already lost this election. The actual vote where thousands of honest, taxpaying voters reject his candidacy is, at this point, merely a formality.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    "My numbers were accurate in 2016 when I researched them and gave that research to John Howell and the Warwick Beacon, BEFORE it was printed in the Beacon."

    And yet he is now admitting that the above article's statement "the population decrease is closer to 2,000 over the last seven years and 5,000 over the last 17 years" is correct.

    No, the make-believe mayor's claim of 5,800 taxpayers moving out of Warwick over 10 years was never "accurate." Having it reported as a claim of his did not make it true.

    It was a lie then, and it is a lie now.

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Dear Scal,

    Thanks for your diligence and retrieval skills. Here is the original text of the court stenographers notes on the fake mayor tax delinquent delusional never to be elected Corrente:

    Its not that the Non-Taxpayer Mayor was late with "a couple of dollars", its the fact that every where he travels he leaves a trail of unpaid bills and litigation. Property taxes, utility taxes, car taxes, defendant in 14 civil cases, two civil cases as defendant against tenants, lost both, still refused to pay even after loss of appeal, court order and judgment. Then, he decides he can only pay $25.00 per month just to spite his tenant and takes 7 years to pay her back her damage deposit and costs of her damaged property due to his non- insured roofers who screwed up the job. Then there's the 9 years of contesting his child support.

    From the court records:

    " Further evidence that Plaintifff Corrente believed the order to be inequitable at its issuance is found in past court records from previous court appearances. The computation of Corrente's income has been the central focus of the past nine years of litigation.

    Corrente has continually urged in past court appearances before different judges, that the Family Court's method of computing his income is inequitable because the court has not subtracted what he considers to be legitimate business expenses from his gross earnings. Appearing before Justice Michael Forte in the same matter on March 12, 1997, Justice Forte asks Corrente, "What's your annual income?" (Record, 3/12/97, page 12, line 7) Corrente responded , "Under $7000 per year, and I can prove that to you. My gross earnings is (sic) one issue. What I live off is a fraction of that, Yor Honor." (Record, 3/12/97, pg 12, lines 8-11) In the same court appearance, Justice Forte asked Corrente, "I'm asking you what your willing to pay temporarily until I can resolve this. If you're a good father - and I'm sure you're going to stand there and tell me that you are - then you're willing to pay something. How much?" (Record 3/12/97, pg 11, lines 8-13) Corrente responded - " I don't want to set a precedence (sic) Ten dollars a week is about what I can afford." (Record 3/12/97, pg 11, lines 14-16) to clarify Corrente's response, Justice Forte later asked,

    The Court - "You're telling me, you can only pay ten dollars a week?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Yes sir"

    The Court - " You're telling me that on the record?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Yes sir, I'll stand by that"

    Mr. Watson - There is a W2 form that declares $40,000 in income in 1995

    The Court - "What happened to that?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Gross earnings, Your Honor, He's neglected to tell you the $25,000 that it cost me to make that, Your Honor."

    The Court - " Well, we're going to have to wait. We'll deal with it at the hearing".

    Mr. Corrente - "You cant look at gross receipts and consider them earnings, I wish you could."

    In a court appearance before Justice Forte on January 28,1997, to determine his income for child support payments, Corrente stated on the record, "He (defendants attorney) does not know what my income is. All he know's is my gross receipts , and he's trying to manipulate this Court into believing that my gross receipts is my income." (Record, 1/28/97, pg 3 lines 22-25)

    This small sample of on the record statements demonstrates plaintiff's concern with the court's computation of his income - specifically his contention that certain business and/or personal living expenses should be deducted from his gross earnings. It also shows the amount of money that Corrente believed he could afford to pay for child support: $10.00 per week. Corrente was aware at the time of the issuance of the May 27th court order that the court had not deducted the amounts from his gross earnings thathe had wished. He was also aware the the court order stated he must pay $223.15 per week for child support payments: $213.15 more than he stated on the record he could afford. It is hard to imagine how this order could ever have been considered "equitable" by Corrente in light of his previous testimony. His statement on the may 27th record confirms this theory. "

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    To Scal, Crick ,and all of the other educated readers, here is something to think about:

    It is indisputable that The Fake Mayor Corrente lost his WATER FRONT HOME due to delinquent tax and mortgage payments. Interestingly enough, this evening I passed by the property in my boat as I was going out fishing, and I pondered the following:

    What kind of person would relinquish a piece of water front property with a direct west view of the sunset overlooking such a beautiful area in our city? How could a mortgage broker lose a home that is water front, surrounded by other beautiful homes? If any of us had a water front piece of property, wouldn't we do everything possible not to lose it? Particularly to tax delinquency and failure to pay the mortgage? Particularly as a mortgage broker? Wouldn't you go to family, friends, other business associates and beg borrow and steal to save the property? Last I looked, they aint makin' anymore waterfront property, right?

    But here is the killer - During the same time period that the delinquent candidate lost his home, failed to pay his taxes and mortgage, and utilities, and destroyed his credit, he loaned himself $40,000 to run for office. The question is why? This behavior defies all logical aspects of fiscal discipline, accountability, responsibility, and frankly, adulthood.

    This behavior shows the complete dysfunctional continuity of his past behavior including the law suits and the above noted court records of his lies during his 9 years of child support litigation.

    Look, everyone of us has some form of baggage, but when you have a C-130 cargo plane full of baggage, you may think twice about running for office. Just sayin', i could be wrong!

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Cat2222,

    The Head of the Republican Party in Warwick make 2 reckless accusations without checking if either was valid. The first was me allegedly buying an ad in the Beacon and not paying for it. This was proven false because I DID pay for it, and did so within 30 days. The second is that "Corrente for Mayor" campaign headquarters wrongfully doesn't pay rent. Bankers Mortgage Corporation (the mortgage company that I own) does NOT CHARGE "Corrente for Mayor". Since both entities ARE ME, I don't have to charge "me" rent. The Board of Elections agreed with this as well and issued no fine, and found absolutely NO WRONGDOING!. So there were 2 false accusations, both were proven to be completely without merit. Dirty politics! Add that to the lies printed by some of these others, and you have to wonder, if I did ANY of that stuff, why didn't the City of Warwick (or the Registry of Motor Vehicles, or Family Court) prosecute me? And how does Rob Cote have documents that are not available to the public? His exact statement is "As you are aware, transcripts from family court litigation are not available to the general public" Where is he getting these so-called court documents, and is it even legal? Or is he just making up lies?

    Fake news. Fake sources. Fake people. Fake names.

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Cat, I know you're not going to fall for the make-believe mayor's spin, but for the benefit of others, here is how his latest statements fall apart under scrutiny:

    "I DID pay for [the ad], and did so within 30 days."

    The actual question raised by the GOP chairman was why the make-believe mayor did not pay for the political ad up front [as required by the Beacon's own policies], during the same reporting period when it was published. And, as he has just admitted, the make-believe mayor did not pay for the ad during the fourth quarter of 2017, when he placed the ad.

    These facts are all proven in the following article, which reported: "As for payment of the ad, he said he initially wrote a check from his mortgage company, but when he realized he made a mistake, at his request, the Beacon refunded the money and he wrote a check from his campaign account."

    http://warwickonline.com/stories/city-gop-files-complaint-on-corrente-candidate-argues-no-wrong-doing,132451?#comments

    "The second is that 'Corrente for Mayor' campaign headquarters wrongfully doesn't pay rent. Bankers Mortgage Corporation (the mortgage company that I own) does NOT CHARGE 'Corrente for Mayor.'"

    The actual question raised was whether the make-believe mayor pays rent at all to the same person who previously paid the property taxes on his residence. Per the GOP chairman's complaint to the Board of Elections: "Mr. Corrente does not report any expenses related to operating a campaign headquarters."

    Also, getting "free" office space from a corporation is, under state campaign finance law, the same as a campaign contribution and should be reported.

    "The Board of Elections agreed with this as well and issued no fine, and found absolutely NO WRONGDOING!"

    There is no record on the Board of Elections meeting web page [which includes minutes from meetings that would describe such decisions] of any vote being taken on the make-believe mayor's campaign finance activities. Without such proof, this remains, as many of the other claims by the make-believe mayor, another highly doubtful assertion by him.

    "[I]f I did ANY of that stuff, why didn't the City of Warwick (or the Registry of Motor Vehicles, or Family Court) prosecute me?

    It was not the responsibility of these parties to pay the make-believe mayor's property taxes, car registration fees, or child support payments -- these were his responsibilities, and in all cases it has been shown that he failed to uphold them. What the make-believe mayor is saying, essentially, is that he needs the threat of "prosecution" to meet his basic financial responsibilities.

    We can be certain that Warwick's honest, taxpaying, responsible voters will soon reject his candidacy again.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    So we're supposed to vote for a guy who, wormed out of paying but $10 a week for his own kids in the 1990's, then in the 2000's lost his house to foreclosure, then in the 2010's wouldnt pay his own Warwick taxes multiple years, and let his car registration lapse, only to have his tax bill paid by other figures while claiming he loaned his own campaign 40000.

    Is it me?

    No

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear WwkVoter,

    Not one of those disgusting accusations are true.

    Rick

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WwkVoter, maybe you're asking the same question I am after reading the make-believe mayor's last comment -- Where's his proof?

    Factual, verifiable, and public information has been provided multiple times on this website that supports everything you said about him. In response, has the make-believe mayor posted anything to disprove it?

    No, he has not. He has demanded that people just believe him. He has attacked other commenters for using screen names. He has called these facts "fake." And he has put together strings of rhetorical questions that add up to more nonsense. That is a lot of effort put into not actually answering these legitimate questions about a declared candidate for office who, presumably, wants voters to trust him.

    By contrast, your efforts, along with those of so many other commenters who have provided these facts about him, have been helpful in informing honest, taxpaying voters about him and showing him that he will not get away with using this website unchallenged.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Raven, Also interesting that he only questioned *how* Rob got the court transcript. His communication style is somehow evasive, yet transparent, at the same time.

    Scal's analogy of the too small blanket to the bogus plan to "buy out pensioners" (at a likely cost of millions EACH) is great. These ridiculous ideas simply do.not.work. At all. Same for paying residents to move here. Really? And he is supposedly in a real estate business. Just about every home that goes up for sale, has a new owner within a few short months. No need to raise our taxes a lot to pay homebuyers in Warwick that we already have!

    Also, the idea that removing homes for the airport expansion somehow will "cost hundreds of millions" in lost taxes is also specious, because residential property cost a NET LOSS between services (school is $14,000 per child per year!) and the taxes paid (average around $3500 per year, or 1/4 of a school pupil, plus other services like trash pickup, road maint, police, fire, and everything else.

    Corrente is, as we have established with facts, unethical and completely unprepared to run anything. His own life, unpaid tax issues, others paying his taxes, petitioning to reduce child support, publishing bogus "statistics" and even sticking to them when actual census data is cited, has become a never ending loop.

    But I as a voter GREATLY appreciate that no one is letting him get away with it. Not even former Mayor Avedisian as seen here, in his characteristically gentlemanly way:

    https://youtu.be/ZgCpY73J4eg

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    and for those with less time, here's Scott Avedisian right to the point on corrente:

    https://youtu.be/ZgCpY73J4eg?t=50s

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    Thanks again for the insightful comments, WwkVoter. Those are the kinds of facts that the make-believe mayor is completely unable to dispute with anything close to legitimate proof.

    One thing I've noticed, as you may have, is that the make-believe mayor routinely ignores comments that prove his defects as a candidate and only engages commenters when he wants to simply repeat his disproven claims [as seen in prior comments on this page].

    It's a mystery, to be honest, how he thinks this helps him -- witness his earlier comment to Cat where he misrepresents the Board of Elections complaint about him. Clearly, he thought Cat did not know the actual facts and tried to push his dishonest version of events.

    Here's hoping that it won't be too much longer before the make-believe mayor finally realizes that he has no support on this website for his false claims. Today marks exactly one month until his candidacy is again rejected by honest, responsible, taxpaying voters on Primary Day.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Raven, the registration deadline is in one month, I think the actual primary is two months on Sept 12...

    Have a happy National Anti-Boredom Month everyone.

    - WwkVotor (NOT a Mayor)

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    OK everyone,

    Its time for all of us to come clean. We (the rational intelligent studious residents) have been making all of this stuff up about Mayor Dumbness. Here is how we did it:

    1. I (Thecaptain) went to the tax department at city hall at night and got into the computer system and I manipulated it with false information on all of the tax payments and interest charges that were incurred on Corrente's automobile. I then was able to engineer a program which would allow me to access the data base from my cell phone so that I could continually manipulate the data every quarter that taxes were due. I'm sorry, but it was a blast.

    2. Crikeeraven got a job at the lender that held the mortgage on Corrente's property at 177 Grand View Dr. and every month that Corrente made his mortgage payment, Crikee would abscond the money and go to the casino to gamble. Hence, after a period of 2+ years, the bank finally caught up to Crikeee but since he blew all of the money on booze and strippers, they had no choice but to reposses the house and sell it to Redstick Aquasitions.

    3. Scal had the best scheme. He found a way to disguise himself as one of the gals in the tax payment office and when Corrente would come in to pay his taxes, Scal would take the checks, bring them to Stop & Shop, cash them and then make notations in the tax roll office that the payment wasnt made. He then contacted the Warwick Beacon and took out a bogus add listing Corrente's property as going for tax sale. The end result was that WwkVoter and Scal conspired to buy the tax lien under a fake name of Clayton Shackelton, and then with all of the money that Scal, Crikee, WwkVoter and my self benefited from our scam, we bought the Gateway plaza and then rented Corrente an office for his campaign.

    Huge conspiracy but it worked wonderfully to stop him from being elected.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    "I always pay my bills on time"

    -The Tax Delinquents Mayor Rick Corrente

    A simple look at the lying, fake, tax delinquents car tax history suggests a different story. Just how big of a liar is Rick Corrente?

    Rick Corrente 2009 Car Taxes (Left to right line by line):

    Due 7/15/09 Paid 7/23/09

    Due 10/15/09 Paid 11/10/09

    Due 1/15/10 Paid 2/17/10

    Due 4/15/10 Paid 8/11/10

    (If you're keeping score at home thats 0 for 4 paying his bills ON TIME)

    Rick Corrente 2010 Car Taxes

    Due 7/15/10 NOT PAID

    Due 10/15/10 NOT PAID

    Due 1/5/11 NOT PAID

    Due 4/15/11 NOT PAID

    To update: He is now 0 for 8 paying his car taxes in a row. How will 2011 turn out....?

    2011 CAR TAXES

    Due 7/15/11 NOT PAID

    Due 10/15/11 NOT PAID

    Due 1/5/12 NOT PAID

    Due 4/15/12 NOT PAID

    PAST DUE TAXES WERE FINALLY PAID IN FULL ON 1/25/12 WHEN THE CAR COULD NO LONGER BE REGISTERED. Corrente always asks "How could I register my car if my taxes are past due?" He couldn't. Which is the only reason the city got ANY MONEY out of him. He is now 0 for his last 12 attempts at paying car taxes on time, even though he says he's "always pays his bills on time".

    Then in 2013 miraculously, Rick Correntes car disappears from the tax rolls in Warwick. We have asked Corrente multiple times: WHERE WAS YOUR CAR REGISTERED FROM 2013-2015 WHILE YOU WERE CHEATING THE CITY OF OF CAR TAX PAYMENTS?

    This is just car taxes. It doesn't even touch his delinquent taxes or water/sewer bills for 177 Grand View, that were eventually paid by another person at tax sale. Rick Corrente has avoided paying his fair share of taxes for years, but he will not be able to avoid the accountability that comes with such disgraceful, pathetic behavior. Rick Corrente says he "always pays his bills on time". Well I just gave 12 examples to readers that prove THAT IS A LIE!!! Just like he's lying about his delinquent taxes, his backroom deals to avoid paying rent and property taxes, and just like he's a liar when he tells voters "I only ever owed 1 penny late". He is a "grifter" which is a nicer way of saying deadbeat, who believes he shouldn't have to pay his taxes like the rest of us. Rick Corrente avoids reality 364 days a year, so he can pretend he is taxpayer advocate. Voters will take him right back to reality this primary season.

    Somebody please copy and paste this into every comment Corrente makes from now til election day. This along with his "I can only afford $10 a week in child support" performance in court give you a window into why he and his campaign are a giant failure. He can use the word fake 1,000 times. It doesn't make these VERIFIED, FACTUAL STATEMENTS UNTRUE.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WwkVoter, you're correct. The primary is Sept. 12. I admit to trying to speed up time so we can decisively reject the make-believe mayor again.

    Thecaptain, I applaud your creativity [and sarcasm]. Hilarious.

    And Scal, keep sharing that verified public information about the make-believe mayor.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    What is amazing to me Captain is how desperate the tax delinquent Corrente is getting. He has claimed we're all here working for Avedisian (and apparently now Solomon.)

    What is so funny to me Rob is that literally NOBODY has ever accused you of leading the Avedisian fan club (except of course that dummy Corrente) EVER. Even on the surface it is LAUGHABLE!!!

    Rob (Captain) and I disagree about plenty on here in the comments section. Its usually civil, but some of these issues we strongly disagree on, and we do have heated back and forths with one another. That should really tell voters what a reckless, erratic buffoon Rick Corrente is. He is such a terrible candidate that he has taken 2 people in Rob and I who possibly disagree more than agree, and he has 100% united us against his terrible, flailing campaign. Corrente sure does bring people together...its just in opppsition of his brutally dishonest, failing campaign.

    Thursday, July 12, 2018 Report this

  • DannyHall82

    This is action packed and very entertaining....almost like watch Live PD.

    Richard,

    I wish you would give David Testa the credit he deserves and all the effort he puts in, as much as it hurt not being elected I was proud to have lost to Mr. Testa. Mr. Testa doesn't just wing it he collects data and numbers to show facts.....You can keep saying we've given the school committee 1 Billion over 10 years but over 80% of that has gone to pay and benefits. we could eliminate 20 administrators and round the numbers up to saving $2.5 million a year and that still wouldn't make a dent.

    Friday, July 13, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Mr Hall, I used to have back and forths with Mr Testa in the comments on here, before he was elected to the SC. I would argue with him that the administration needed to make cuts before going back to closing schools and laying off teachers. During that back and forth Mr Testa laid out a very detailed explanation about how the admin side had been reduced quite a bit in past years, and that although its a good sound bite from me, it is not reality. Being stubborn I didn't want to hear that at first. I began to look into just that. I was wrong, he was right. The reason I highlight the fact that these back and forths were before he was elected is because to me it supports your point. Mr Testa is the same person on the SC as he was off the SC, and he works just as hard on numbers and better solutions, as he did then (if not more). His story hasn't changed just because he was elected, I wish we could say that about more of our elected officials. Shame on Rick Corrente for talking down to any elected official. He's never offered a valid solution or idea in his life.

    Friday, July 13, 2018 Report this

  • Flo5582

    Oh look, there’s Mr.Hall offering his 2 cents! Exactly 2 cents in fact. I knew it was a matter of time until he piped in, as if his opinion on any candidate means much more than that 2 cents he’s worth. And always with a comment at the preface, to make himself seem witty....predictable at best.

    Friday, July 13, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear DannyHall,

    You said "I wish you would give David Testa the credit he deserves."

    I'm confused as to why you would say that. Please read my comments in the article titled ""School budget remains imbalanced despite severe cuts approved". I have a great respect for his opinions and intellect although I find myself disagreeing with him more often than not. Danny, if you have any ideas, I would like to hear about them. I also respect where you are coming from. What would you do to "Cut Taxes - Cut Spending"?

    Happy Summer DannyHall.

    Happy Summer everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Report this

  • Scal1024

    Almost 4 years and over $40,000 later and Rick Corrente is still soliciting ideas to "cut taxes, cut spending". How can this be? He has said on numerous occasions he doesn't reveal any spending he would cut because he would then be attacked (by me) for it. Thats right folks! A candidate for Mayor of Warwick who is afraid of being criticized by 1 person over his campaign platform. Is that courage? That sounds gutless to me. That sounds like playing politics plain and simple. Why can't Rick Corrente level with voters and tell them the truth? You either know how to "cut taxes, cut spending" or you don't. After almost 4 years and over $40,000 if he had some magical plan to "cut taxes, cut spending", wouldn't voters have heard it by now? Nice try from "The Tax Delinquents Mayor" but once again he fails at every level.

    Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Report this