Representative Julie Casimiro: Governor McKee is no friend to RIPTA

"For two years running, Governor McKee has left RIPTA in the lurch... Now, he’s... casting himself as a champion of a public transit agency he habitually underfunds..."

Governor McKee (left)

Rhode Island Representative Julie Casimiro (Democrat, District 31, North Kingstown, Exeter) chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Children and Families. She wrote the following op-ed:

Last week, Governor Daniel McKee sent a letter to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) Board of Directors that is one of the most hypocritical public statements I have seen during my time in the State House.

In this letter, the governor says he recommended an additional $15 million in state funds to help fund RIPTA this year and that his administration provided $15 million in federal pandemic relief funds for RIPTA last year.

The facts say otherwise. Governor McKee’s proposed budget this year included zero dollars of additional funding for RIPTA. The $15 million that RIPTA is receiving was added by the legislature, not the governor. If Governor McKee thought it was important, he should have included it in his budget.

Furthermore, in the 27 amendments the governor submitted to his budget during this year’s legislative session, not a single one addressed funding for RIPTA.

Last year was a similar story in revisionist political history. The governor actually allocated $10 million in pandemic funds in his proposed budget. The General Assembly added an additional $5 million to avoid service cuts, bringing us to the $15 million total he now attempts to take complete credit for.

As a member of the General Assembly, I’m proud that we’ve stood up for RIPTA when our governor has not, and that the funding we provided this year is not from one-time funds and will continue to provide revenue for RIPTA in future years. I’m particularly proud that, as part of this year’s funding, the legislature included protections to ensure that the RIde Anywhere program, which provides door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities, cannot be cut.

For two years running, Governor McKee has left RIPTA in the lurch and relied on the General Assembly to find the money to keep this important lifeline running. Now, he’s taking credit for our accomplishments and casting himself as a champion of a public transit agency he habitually underfunds.

In his letter, the governor also says he has a duty to every taxpayer footing the bill for RIPTA. I only wish he had similar discipline across all the departments he oversees.

As we learned last week, taxpayers have already spent $6.8 million to keep tow trucks idling on the Washington Bridge, up from the $2 million originally budgeted by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). That’s $440,000 a month or $21,000 per tow. RIDOT now projects that the cost will be at least $16.8 million by the time the bridge is completed!

Is this the most efficient way to ensure the bridge stays clear at the lowest cost to the taxpayers? My experience as a member of the House Oversight Committee tells me that under this administration, it’s unlikely that the question was ever seriously asked.

Don’t forget that Governor McKee also gave his cabinet members pay raises this year, including RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, who oversaw the Washington Bridge debacle and the ballooning cost to fix it.

Don’t get me started on other state agencies, especially the ongoing fiscal mismanagement at the Rhode Island Department of Education. More to come on that one!

RIPTA is a lifeline for so many Rhode Islanders. Yes, there has been mismanagement and waste in the past, but unlike so many state agencies, RIPTA has already made tangible improvements to bring down its administrative and operating costs. If Governor McKee is looking to save taxpayer money, he has many more agencies under his control that could use the scrutiny.

I suggest the governor do just that, rather than continue to attempt to rewrite some very recent, very public history.