Three weeks ago a letter went out to OCG members containing a petition for Voter Initiative and a return post card to volunteer to collect signatures this fall. As a founding member of the Voter Initiative Alliance, OCG along with other members of this coalition have set a goal to collect a minimum of 20,000 signatures of Rhode Island voters asking the General Assembly to Let The People Decide on a ballot question for voter initiative in Rhode Island. So far the response has been stupendous.

If you have already sent in your petition and postcard, THANK YOU. If not, this is a reminder to you to join the groundswell for voter initiative by signing the petition, and, if you can, to get additional signatures beyond your own. Please return the petition by September 7.

Also, we need volunteers to collect signatures this fall when the petition drive officially kicks off. If you can help with that, get your return postcard in the mail, and we will assign you to a team. The more signatures we can collect the more impact we will make on our legislators. We need to let them know the people mean business. Keep those cards and petitions coming. Plus if you need more petitions, call 732-0433, and we will get them to you post haste.

Thanks to OCG board member, Mary Langhorn, for single handedly doing this voter initiative mailing to over 2000 members. Mary wants Voter Initiative pretty badly, and we hope you do, too. (Sandra Thompson) [return]

Valerie Forti and Lisa Blais can speak more than an hour about The Education Partnership’s program to restore balance to teacher contracts – without referring to a note or other speech prompter. They did it at a recent OCG board meeting, and did it again Saturday morning (August 6) at the Rhode Island Shoreline Coalition’s annual meeting. Some 350+ listeners were glued to their seats under a great white tent at the Shelter Harbor Golf Club as Valerie and Lisa shocked them with the details of Rhode Island teacher contracts. Biggest shocker of all, however, was the simple fact that the long-time secrecy of teacher contracts has been ended! Ten of the state’s 36 contracts are now on line, and others will soon follow. So, the clouds are clearing on that dark corner of R.I. fiscal events. The Education Partnership web site should be a must-read on every responsible Rhode Islander’s list: www.edpartnership.org

However, just as shocking as the Partnership story was data revealed by Tom Coyne, who introduced Valerie and Lisa. Coyne runs RIPolicyAnalysis.org, a local think tank operation. He dropped a long list of statistical bombs that demonstrate Rhode Islanders pay more and get less for their tax dollars than virtually any state in the union. Another web site that should be must reading. (Did you miss the “RIP” pun?) [return]

350 people heard the Education Parnership story at RISC's meeting.

Harry Staley smiled mischievously as he announced he was opening the Rhode Island Shoreline Coalition’s third annual meeting in two years. With 350 RISC members sitting under a huge white tent at the new Shelter Island Golf Club he was proud to reveal RISC’s membership pushing 4,000 with a goal by next election of 5,000. The meeting featured a full agenda: Bob Arruda spoke on Voter Initiative; Tom Coyne described Rhode Island’s sad conditions regarding a) social safety net; b) roads and bridges; and c) schools; and Valerie Forti and Lisa Blais described how The Education Partnership studies local teacher contracts.

Harry Staley and Bob Arruda have teamed up to promote Voter Initiative. [return]

As opening speaker at the RISC annual meeting in Westerly, OCG Chairman Bob Arruda gave his audience straight talk about the work facing RISC and OCG and other members of the Voter Initiative Alliance. “We need your signatures, your workers and your dollars,” Arruda told them. He explained the voter initiative movement’s role in the rise of democratic governments around the world, and in the 24 states that have it in this country. Keep an eye on the brand new and soon to be upgraded web site: VoterInitiative.org [return]

When Sandra Thompson was asked to send in a gardening picture to illustrate this issue’s “Personalitiy of the Month” column she didn’t miss a trick. She put on a “Voter Initiative Alliance” T-shirt for the photo taken by husband Paul.

Sandra Thompson confesses to being a ‘political junkie’. As she says, “I love politics. I listen to the talk shows and follow the issues.” Gardening is another passion of this East Greenwich lady. She handles phone calls (as a volunteer) from troubled gardeners through URI’s “Master Gardener” program – solving a whole range of issues involving flowers, food, grass or whatever people ask. And on top of all that, she works with Channel 12’s “Call For Action” program with reporter Susan Hogan. Here, she sits on a hot line phone handling citizen complaints about troubles they are having with products or services – many of which issues are broadcast by the station.

In the middle of all this, she and husband Paul find time to travel, or visit their two children. Sandra was at one time a school teacher working in both English and Drama.

Most of all, Sandra wants any program she’s involved with to succeed. When asked for a gardening picture for this story, you can see what she showed up with: a Voter Initiative T-shirt! Husband Paul shot the photo. [return]

Here’s Jerry Cook (Vice president, Portsmouth Concerned Citizens) at a clam boil at Glen Park in Portsmouth on August 7th. He’s got Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey on one side, and Rep. John Loughlin III on the other. Jerry did more than eat clams. . . he picked up 40 signatures for Voter Initiative during the event. (Photo by Hal Meyer.) [return]