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April 21, 2008

RIPTA board chooses Batting as new chairman

PROVIDENCE -- The state transit agency board elected Robert D. Batting, a retired business executive, as its new chairman today.

Batting said the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority faces enormous financial challenges, particularly because it is threatened with the loss of up to $14 million in revenue from the state's RIte Care insurance program for the disadvantaged. The federal government said the state Department of Human Services has been improperly using Medicaid money to pay for monthly bus passes for as many as 18,000 poor Rhode Islanders served by Rite Care.

Carcieri appointed Batting to the board in 2003. He was elected chairman, but later voted out of office. His election today reflected Governor Carcieri's securing, after years of trying, a majority of the seats on the RIPTA board for his own appointees.

Batting, who lives in Barrington, was president and CEO of Kenney Manufacturing Co., in Warwick, a group vice president of Textron and vice president and general manager of Brown & Sharpe in North Kingstown.

Batting replaced Thomas Deller, who remains on the board.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 4:45 PM | Permalink

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