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November 19, 2008

Coincidence or Nepotism? Senator Steve Alves' Job-A-Rama

Monique Chartier

[Yesterday, the Governor settled an ethics complaint about the hiring of his niece-in-law. My post below first appeared on June 1, shortly after the ethics complaint was filed.]

Under my post "I Am Your Father's Brother's Nephew's Cousin's Former Roommate" about Turn To 10's Bill Rappleye "uncovering" the hiring of the Governor's niece-in-law, commenter Citizen Critic asks for a link to the article about family members of state Senator Stephen D. Alves (D-West Warwick) employed in the public sector. There is no link to provide because this information has not appeared in print or pixel.

Listed below, compiled from public records, are the relatives of Senator Alves currently or formerly employed by Rhode Island state or local government.

Name Public Employer
Kathy Vinton Town of West Warwick (School Dept)
Sally Rainville Town of West Warwick (Deceased 2007)
Donna Paliotta Town of West Warwick (School Dept)
Sharon Raiche State of Rhode Island (Judiciary - moved from Dept of Labor & Training)
David Raiche Town of West Warwick (Retired 2007)
William "Chuckie" Alves, Jr. State of Rhode Island (DOT)
Diane Alves State of Rhode Island
Ann Alves Town of West Warwick (Retired)
William "Buddy" Alves Lincoln Park (Greeter)
Alicia Paliotta Town of West Warwick (School Dept)
Peggy Sinnot Alves Town of West Warwick
Steve Alves, Jr. Town of West Warwick
James Alves Town of Exeter
Deborah Tellier Town of West Warwick
Kevin Tellier Town of West Warwick
Lolita Alves Town of West Warwick
Comments

I'm sure EVERY one of them was the most qualified for the job and all show up and do their job to the fullest of their ability during the designated work day.

/sarcasm

Posted by: Greg at June 1, 2008 10:27 AM

Rhode Island has two parallel welfare systems.

One for friends and relatives of Democrat officials ("First Class Welfare").

And one for the general public ("Coach Welfare").

The taxpayers cover the fare.

Posted by: Tom W at June 1, 2008 11:09 AM

First class welfare in RI offers these benefits unavailable to coach welfare:

No time limit - lifetime "employment";

Higher cash value;

Pension.

Not having to share a row with the bleeding heart poverty pimps at the Poverty Institute.

Posted by: Tom W at June 1, 2008 11:17 AM

Wow, that's a real eye opener.

It looks like the whole family is feeding at the public trough.

As promised, I put a link to this thread on the AlvesSucks.com website. Go here to check it out:

http://www.AlvesSucks.com

Now, go the next logical step.

Do a study of nepotism in the entire RI General Assembly and for the RI Judiciary. Now that would be an incredible/ blockbuster piece of investigative journalism!! Show how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Posted by: Citizen Critic at June 1, 2008 12:40 PM

You missed the DiMasi's, but I guess it depends what you consider a relative. Although, to be fair, WW is a small town. I'm pretty sure we're all related to the Alves family in one way or another.

Posted by: Mario at June 1, 2008 12:46 PM

Alves is not well liked, by most people
in W Warwick. If the GOP would put a
moderate Republican against Alves,He or She would win by a landside (unlike the
Kook GOP Loons, who have run against Alves in the past)
The Blue Collar Folks,in W Warwick are not going to vote for a "far right-wing kook"

Posted by: John at June 1, 2008 1:54 PM

Be careful... You may get sued for speaking out about this.

Or... Have your property damaged, receive threatening phone calls, be assaulted, or better yet have 'Poppa' show up at your doorstep or chase you down the road blowing his horn and swearing at you like a maniac.

Alves may not be well liked, but they line up around the block to kiss his royal ass.

Posted by: Screwed By the 'Family' at June 1, 2008 2:15 PM

Let's see, John, the last person to run against Steve Alves was John Clarke. From the interview that Anchor Rising's Andrew Morse did with him two years ago, Mr. Clarke supported voter initiative, separation-of-powers and a reduction in state spending for the fourth highest taxed state in the country.

Whew! Yeah, what a far right wing kook.

Too bad we don't have more just like him.

http://www.anchorrising.com/barnacles/003222.html

Posted by: Monique at June 1, 2008 5:43 PM

Is there one of these on the "Lynch" mob?

Posted by: John at June 1, 2008 9:55 PM

How many legs did Alves threaten to break to fill that family payroll?

Posted by: rhody at June 1, 2008 9:59 PM

Great job and I agree "Other Mobs " would be interesting .

Posted by: leprechaun at June 2, 2008 8:07 AM

I'm surprised Bill Rappleye's report made it past the editors at Channel 10.

The professional approach would have been to ask whether the Governor should continue to employ a non-blood relative whose hiring, under new current law, would be deemed as unethical.

Rappleye's questioning begs the question of whether he is just ignorant about the way the law works (that newly amended law doesn't affect hires prior to the law being amended) or whether he was intentionally failing to present both sides of an issue.

Disclosing partial facts in an effort to make a story more incidiary is not what journalism is about. Not good journalism, anyway.

The list of Alves' relatives being paid with the taxpayers' dollars is amazing. I'd also be interested in knowing how much of Alves' personal compensation comes from helping "line up" business with pension funds from cities and towns that he can directly affect financially through his position in the legislative leadership.

Posted by: Anthony at June 3, 2008 11:14 AM

"I'd also be interested in knowing how much of Alves' personal compensation comes from helping "line up" business with pension funds from cities and towns that he can directly affect financially through his position in the legislative leadership."

... so you're saying that the Duie Pyle tax break/Johnston pension fund brouhaha might not have been just an isolated incident and a big misunderstanding?

Posted by: Monique at June 3, 2008 10:49 PM

If you have any doubts about whether Alves is on the level or not, you need to go to this following website now:

http://www.AlvesSucks.com

Yes, it is a real website. Read all the articles, and decide yourself.

And, make sure to tell your friends about the website too!

Posted by: Citizen Critic at June 4, 2008 3:33 PM

Careful, CC - there are legbreakers in Idaho, too, and I'd bet Alves knows them.

Posted by: rhody at June 5, 2008 2:41 PM

Monique,
Where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

Sometimes the proof isn't always in tracking those cities that received additional state funding after they gave Alves their pension contract. It might also be determined by looking at the reduction in funding to those cities that awarded their pension management contracts to other firms. And there are enough local officials (on the Democrat side) out there who feel that their towns may have been penalized for doing so. Maybe it's reality or maybe it's just some local officials looking to place blame.

Either way, it's worth asking the questions.

Posted by: Anthony at June 6, 2008 3:54 PM

When will Senate bill 3014, bill 7495 be passed?


To the senate


My name is Elisha Asselin . I live in the town of Johnston along with a majority of other concerned family members, friends etc. located in other areas of RI. Who are as i am registered voters and we are more directly writhing in regards to this Senate bill 3014, bill 7495. This bill was recently vetoed and i have a hard time understanding why. RI is the only state who can violate your parole and probation before even if your found not guilty. I have loved ones and family who are going to serve time because they were arrested and found innocent. Just because they were arrested for no reason they violated their parole or probation and now they have to serve their suspended sentence. I don't think it is fair to innocent people. RI is wasting allot of tax money keeping innocent people in jail. Its about $30,000 per person to house and feed These inmates. I think it is a wast of the tax payers money.
I thought people are innocent until pr oven guilty. It seems the other way around in RI. Many people don't know this is going on and it has hurt many family's, friends, children, and loved ones. This need to stop. Please help the Senate bill 3014, bill 7495 pass so innocent people are not put in jail for no reason.
Thank you for you time and everyone hopes soon that this will be a change in RI.




. .


Thank You Sincerely Elisha Asselin

Posted by: Elisha Asselin at October 7, 2008 9:13 PM

When will Senate bill 3014, bill 7495 be passed?


To the senate


My name is Elisha Asselin . I live in the town of Johnston along with a majority of other concerned family members, friends etc. located in other areas of RI. Who are as i am registered voters and we are more directly writhing in regards to this Senate bill 3014, bill 7495. This bill was recently vetoed and i have a hard time understanding why. RI is the only state who can violate your parole and probation before even if your found not guilty. I have loved ones and family who are going to serve time because they were arrested and found innocent. Just because they were arrested for no reason they violated their parole or probation and now they have to serve their suspended sentence. I don't think it is fair to innocent people. RI is wasting allot of tax money keeping innocent people in jail. Its about $30,000 per person to house and feed These inmates. I think it is a wast of the tax payers money.
I thought people are innocent until pr oven guilty. It seems the other way around in RI. Many people don't know this is going on and it has hurt many family's, friends, children, and loved ones. This need to stop. Please help the Senate bill 3014, bill 7495 pass so innocent people are not put in jail for no reason.
Thank you for you time and everyone hopes soon that this will be a change in RI.




. .


Thank You Sincerely Elisha Asselin

Posted by: Elisha Asselin at October 7, 2008 9:14 PM

It's funny how the "ethics com" picks and chooses. In E Prov, it's a pink eyed village. We have a school com chair who has gotten two daughters and a son in law, plus countless other friends and relatives employed over her many years on the school com. When a citizen went to file a complaint, he was told there wasn't a problem. Hmmmm!

What about Bill Irons, and the other cast of characters who are ruining this state, and the AG and ethics com turn a blind eye.

Posted by: kathy at November 20, 2008 7:47 PM