Corrente won't be running again

By JOHN HOWELL
Posted 2/14/19

By JOHN HOWELL Richard Corrente will no longer be standing at various corners throughout the city waving to passing motorists. He may be waving, as he is friendly, but he won't be doing it to win votes. In a phone call Tuesday evening, Corrente declared

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Corrente won't be running again

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Richard Corrente will no longer be standing at various corners throughout the city waving to passing motorists. He may be waving, as he is friendly, but he won’t be doing it to win votes.

In a phone call Tuesday evening, Corrente declared he wouldn’t be running for office again. He was the Democratic candidate for mayor in 2014 and 2016 and lost in a primary to Joseph Solomon last year. In an interview Wednesday at his company, Bankers Mortgage Corporation at Gateway Shopping Plaza, Corrente expanded on his announcement and gave the newspaper a letter highlighting his political career and underscoring his commitment to continue to speak out on Warwick issues.

Corrente traced his interest in running for office to 2000, “when I witnessed things in Warwick go from bad to worse.” He cites annual tax increases and school department scandals, including the theft of supplies and equipment by a director and the investigation into how the department handled allegations Gorton Junior High teacher Mario Atoyian had drawn sexually explicit pictures on the arms of two female students.

“I have always been a person who fought to right a wrong. I asked myself [and others], ‘If not now, when? If not me, who?’ I decided that it had to be me to right that wrong. I decided to fight against the people in Warwick government that seemed to only care about their own agendas such as Mayor Avedisian, School Committee members Bethany Furtado, Jennifer Ahearn and Rosemary Healey, and finally Chief-of-Staff Mark Carroulo [sic],” Corrente writes.

While he never won elective office, Corrente referred to himself as the “Taxpayers’ Mayor” and in the interview and letter said his campaign spurred the City Council to trim then-Mayor Avedisian’s budget and approve a no tax increase budget.

“I ran for Mayor to promote The Corrente Plan, not the other way around. The message has always been much more important than the man. My critics, bless their relentless attacks, only helped me promote it every time they attacked part of the plan without being able to think of a better idea,” he writes.

Corrente maintains that unless the city initiates pension reforms and takes steps to keep and bring businesses that Warwick is headed for bankruptcy. He contends that Avedisian gave away too much to Warwick firefighters and didn’t clarify contract revisions that are now being contested.

Although they were opponents in the 2018 Democratic primary, Corrente is complimentary of Mayor Solomon for applying himself to the job and his emphasis on business.

“Joe Solomon hasn’t taken a day off,” Corrente said.

He is also complimentary of his appointments, starting with the selection of City Planner William DePasquale as his chief of staff.

But they’re not all bouquets for Solomon.

He questions how the assessed valuation on property Solomon bought 29 years ago can be less today than what he paid for it.

Corrente said he had the backing of the non-political voter.

“They all vote for me. If you were a political insider you hate me. There’s no middle ground,” he said.

One of his most rewarding experiences on the campaign trail was last July when he took a break from the heat of the day to walk the shoreline at Oakland Beach and smoke a cigar. He said he encountered a man who said he was living out of his van. They talked, and Corrente didn’t think much of it until primary day when he was standing outside the polls in the rain. The same man saw him and made a point of saying he and his wife had just voted for him. They hugged.

As for what lesson he would take from campaigning, Corrente said, “I learned that there are people who care about the taxpayer and people who care for the political insiders.”

From his description, Corrente is an outsider. He said he was told he could not attend Democratic City Committee meetings, as he was not an elected official or a member of a ward committee.

Corrente feels the outcomes to his bid for office would have been different had there been a better voter turnout. “I’d like to see a law that everyone is required to vote,” he said. He said voting is not simply a “right, it’s an obligation.”

“The budget hearings of 2017 were the absolute best days of my campaign,” Corrente writes. “Avedisian tried to get the City Council to rubber-stamp 29 new tax-increasing amendments just like always. But this courageous council had heard loud and clear from MY taxpayers and the message was “Cut Taxes – Cut Spending” and this Council told Avedisian “No!” for the first time this century. In fact, they said “No!” 29 times in a row, and each vote was unanimous!”

Corrente ends his letter with a “happy Valentines,” and “Dr. Patch Adams has said, ‘The most radical act a person can commit is to be happy.’ I’ve decided to leave politics. My campaign and its conclusion make me “happy.” I applaud those who are in the new and improved Warwick government. Their efforts should make the word ‘happy’ something we hear more often.”

Comments

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  • Justanidiot

    say it aint so master mayer. the taxed payers count on you to represent our interest in the mayers corner office. if dis means you is running fer governor, yay. we needs a man like you in the office after the debacle of the man who occupies it now.

    nows that you isn't mayer anymore, you can spend more time writing comments here showing off yer intelectual prowess and powers of obviousness

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Justanidiot,

    Of all the comments I received over the past years, I enjoyed yours the most. Your "unique" style makes people smile while at the same time, you leave them thinking. Keep on commenting old friend. I will too. Justanidiot; you are anything but.

    Happy Valentines DAY Justanidiot.

    Happy Valentines DAY everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Here is just another example of Corrente's inability to make factual comments consistently.

    First Corrente made statements that "Warwick firefighters are paid exactly the same average pay as around the country. ($46,000)"

    Then is this link http://cranstononline.com/stories/281k-in-vacation-sick-pay-goes-to-5,110783 he says: " As far as the taxpayers getting their money's worth, Warwick Firefighters are paid twice what their counterparts in New York City are paid and 3 times what Jacksonville Florida pays their firefighters.

    Now he says: "He contends that Avedisian gave away too much to Warwick firefighters and didn’t clarify contract revisions that are now being contested."

    So what is his point? Today I pander, tomorrow I play Monday morning quarter back, and yesterday I was asleep.

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Readers,

    Cote is lying...again.

    I didn't just say what the incomes of the firefighters were. I said "according to "salary.com" the incomes are..."

    And as far as Avedisian giving away too much, that was in terms of vague and easily misread contract terms Avedisian gave, that ANYONE could interpret to their benefit. The firefighters did! So would I! The new Mayor, City Council and union leaders are making the language much clearer, to everyone's benefit.

    Cote did make me lose a bet however. I bet WwkVoter would be the first to complain, criticize, cry, and condemn. I lost a dollar.

    Happy Valentines DAY everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Two things:

    Cote is not lying

    Corrente is not the mayor

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Wwkvoter, The next thing we will hear from Corrente is "I sued my lender AND WON!" I guess if winning is losing your water front property overlooking scenic Greenwich Bay, I guess he won !

    Then he will say - "I campaigned for 700 days straight (and never got 2 minutes of air time from radio or major media) and 14700 people voted for me. I got second place".

    Then he will say - " I paid my taxes late and Warwick GOT MORE MONEY BECAUSE I WAS LATE".

    Then he will say - " The city council listened to me and said no 29 times"!

    Then he will say " - "Donna Travis deserves a statue of her at the entrance to Oakland Beach". I would agree if the statue also had a second statue of a tutor holding a book, teaching her how to read.

    Must I go on?

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    One other note. I remember the first night I met Corrente and we went to the Gov. Francis Inn with some other outspoken folks in the city. We listen to him tell us that he could befriend the unions and convince them to make all kinds of concessions for the best interest of the taxpayer. We all told him on that night that he was out of his mind and had no clue. We told him that there was no way the unions would concede to any cuts whatsoever. He told us how he could do it and we laughed (for months). Guess our crystal ball was right.

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Mr Cote, There is no such thing as a "taxpayer's mayor", but if there ever was one of those... you'd be it wayyyyy before him.

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    LOL

    Thursday, February 14, 2019 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    master mayer, iam an justanidiot bot from russia. me and my bot friends are the only ones to vote for youse. we expect our check from you or you will find out what a red dawn really means

    Friday, February 15, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Readers,

    This is fun.

    Anytime I have made a statement about the firefighters income I have always referred to the source of the information such as "according to Salary.com". I have never claimed the information to be my own. I have always said that the contracts were poorly written and blamed the Avedisian administration for it, NOT the firefighters!

    I did say, and I will stand behind my comments:

    1. I DID sue my lender in Federal Court and I DID WIN! Cote has seen these public documents. I showed them to him.

    2. I DID campaign for 700 days in a row. (over 1,000 in total). No one else ever came close to that commitment.

    3. I DID receive over 14,000 votes. That's more than ANY previous Avedisian opponent. Cote has never received one.

    4. I DID receive a court-order directing my lender to pay my taxes and they DID pay them late so Warwick DID receive MORE tax revenue. I showed it to Cote at that time. He lies when he says I didn't.

    5. I DID say (in 2014) that the unions would make concessions. Cote DID laugh at that time, and since then the unions HAVE made concessions! Cote doesn't give them credit for this but I DID. Several times.

    6. I DID say that Donna (and Bill) Travis deserve a statue. Her list of credits are PAGES long! Almost as long as Cote's list of people who wish he would move out of Warwick. Please also read the article "Donna Travis Deserves a Statue". I was the author.

    7. Cote DID say "Must I go on?". We all know he has the "right to remain silent" but we all know that he doesn't have the ability. Cote has NEVER had the guts to run for ANY office. Never. Not even for a Ward member. He doesn't have the courage, the stamina, the self-confidence, the intelligence, the ability, or the perseverance to do anything but cry, complain, criticize and condemn. He has NEVER done anything positive. Cote has lied, made up stories of me "driving an un-registered car FOR THREE YEARS", falsely accused me of not paying over $8,000 in real estate taxes on my 4-unit, (I was NEVER late), stolen my signs, failed in his business, been arrested for pouring gas down a drain, another time arrested for making harassment phone calls, not filed his corp. annual report to the Sec. of State resulting in ELEVEN notices of revocation, lied about moving out of Warwick in 2012, and he came to my office, flipped me off, and then he ran away. Cote is a piece of...(EVERYONE knows). And he thinks he can cast stones at me and MY record? There are at least 14,000 taxpayers/voters who disagree. Last night at the bar of Tullamore Tavern on West Shore Rd. I sat next to a guy that shook my hand. He said he was a Warwick Firefighter. He was one of the 14,000.

    Happy St. Patricks everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Friday, February 15, 2019 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Corrente "if only he had used his skills for good" (such as... as a fiction writer!)

    Friday, February 15, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    I guess this deserves a surgical dissection:

    1. Corrente never showed me any documents as I have not been in his company for over 4 years

    2. Standing on the corner and waving like an escapee from Butler does NOT constitute campaigning

    3. Cote never ran for office, is not forced to do so, and has no intention of taking a headache political position that pays less than what he earns annually

    4. See statement #1

    5. What concessions have the unions made since 2014? Can you list them? Can you state the documents? Of course not because they have not. But I do challenge you to itemize the concessions since 2014.

    6. Umm - Laughable

    7. Running for office has nothing to do with guts. I have never done anything positive except for being personally responsible for saving the Warwick taxpayers $10.5 million in car tax reductions. My efforts and my efforts alone. If you would like to see the numbers that were supplied to me by the tax assessor, just let me know. I (alone again) uncovered as of now, over $1 million in STOLEN monies by the WFD which will surely lead to restitution, tighter contracts, more savings for the taxpayer. (all that while you waved on the sidewalk like a drunk version of Gilbert Godfrey)

    Never charged on either one of the bogus "arrests" which was the result of abuse of power by the city of Warwick.

    Removed and discarded 9 of your signs within the law as they were on traffic control boxes on city and state property.

    And failed in business? Hmm, lets look at that one. Bought a house at the high in 2004, paid it off in cash in 2009 (unlike yourself who filed for foreclosure and whose home was sold at tax sale and who squatted on the property until being forcibly removed by law enforcement) , zero debt, private school and college paid in full, zero loans, lots of expensive toys and another one on the way, and turning down projects because of being overloaded with work. Guess you are right. Maybe I should run for Mayor and take a 50% pay cut just to satisfy you.

    By the way, I also was not the defendant in 16 civil suits, all which resulted in humiliating losses. So keep trying tax cheat. I consider your mentally challenged banter entertainment.

    Friday, February 15, 2019 Report this

  • Mike02886

    Who ever yall' prayed to for this wonderful news thank them for us. You expect a child to call themselves a doctor or a ballplayer but a grown adult making up his own terminology is sad. You DONT give yourself a nickname or title , you earn them.

    Friday, February 15, 2019 Report this

  • CAMP2020

    Mr. Corrente your discription of my Mr. Cote is accurate. The entire city wants him to see him take a long walk off a short cliff. If he did fall off a cliff, how many people would line the streets at his funeral?

    Saturday, February 16, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear TheKing,

    Thank you TheKing. I guess "King" really is more important than just a "Captain".

    One thing I am respectfully unclear about however. You ask "How many people would line the streets at his (Rob Cote) funeral?"

    Are you referring to "how many would attend just to make sure he's gone" or are you referring to the "inevitable celebration parade afterwards"?

    Happy St. Patricks TheKing.

    Happy St. Patricks everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Saturday, February 16, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    You guys should premier your act at the comedy connection.

    Saturday, February 16, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    You guys should premier your act at the comedy connection.

    Saturday, February 16, 2019 Report this

  • Mike02886

    Why wasn't this run in the Obituaries?

    A political career that went no where passed away today.......

    Monday, February 18, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Mike02886,

    Cote (the comment before yours) can say that again!

    Mike,

    Maybe you're right. Maybe there should be an obit. I would suggest you add Avedisian and the others to it that are no longer effecting Warwick taxpayers.

    Happy St. Patricks everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Monday, February 18, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Hey Jimmy and mayor dumbness

    https://www.wpri.com/target-12/mayor-confirms-federal-inquiries-underway-at-warwick-city-hall/1791993823

    Monday, February 18, 2019 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear readers,

    Rob Cote (AKA Thecaptain) directs us (on Feb. 18, 2019) to watch a Newswatch12 report that his complaint to the FBI has apparently caused. I listened and watched and I learned a few things.

    1. No one from the FBI (or any other organization) has contacted Mayor Solomon, according to him.

    2. No one from the FBI (or any other organization) has contacted former Mayor Avedisian, according to him.

    3. The firefighters Union seems to have nothing to hide and their union president states he will fully cooperate if asked. (apparently, he hasn't been asked yet.)

    So here is what we DO KNOW. There is federal inquiry under way. We don't have ANY particulars. We will all learn the truth soon. And whatever happens will be because of Rob Cote, of 74 Janet Court, Warwick R.I. He will either take the credit or the blame.

    Happy St. Patricks everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor ----- Tuesday, Feb. 10 12:30 PM.

    Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Mayor Dumbness,

    You make lots of assumptions. Maybe you should immediately tune into 630 wpro. Once again you make ZERO sense.

    Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Two things. Cote didn't lie about the fact that the FBI was investigating and there is indeed an ongoing investigation. The Mayor stated he is not able to discuss it so we will just have to wait and see what comes from the investigation. Now we sit back and let the officials do their job.

    Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Hey Jimmy,

    For your listening pleasure !!

    https://www.spreaker.com/user/wpro/cote-podcast-citizen

    Tuesday, February 19, 2019 Report this