Projo Politics Blog

PROVIDENCE - Facing legal challenges to at least three of the five General Assembly candidates appointed by state GOP chairman Giovanni Cicione last week, state Republicans today filed an appeal with the state board of elections.

State law allows party chairmen to appoint candidates within 24 hours after the candidate filing deadline. Under the aegis of that law, Cicione last Thursday notified the Secretary of State that he was appointing three Republicans in Providence, a fourth in West Warwick, and a fifth in Pawtucket.

This morning, however, Laurence K. Flynn, chairman of the Providence Board of Elections advised the party that the appointment letter was not properly filed. While the GOP sent a letter containing the names to the Secretary of State, Flynn said state law requires the declarations be filed directly with the local canvassing board.

Cicione said today that the GOP was following advice from Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis' office.

But with another deadline only 24 hours away -- for candidates to pick up their nominating papers -- and anticipated objections from West Warwick and Pawtucket to his appointees, Cicione said the GOP will seek clarification by filing an appeal with the state Board of Elections today. If they don't respond by late this afternoon, Cicione said, the GOP will go to the Supreme Court and ask for an injunction.

In a telephone interview, he said the party was assured the Secretary of State's office would "issue the nominating papers at whatever point the candidate issue is resolved.'' But Cicione said it is not clear to him the Secretary of State has the authority to waive the deadline, and he fears that waiting until the other legal issues play out could leave the Republican candidates open to another round of challenges.

The Republican candidates include: John J. Clarke, seeking the seat held by Senate Finance Chairman Stephen Alves, D-West Warwick; GOP operative Lammis Vargis challenging longtime Sen. John McBurney, D-Pawtucket; Elaina Goldstein running again for the Providence senate seat held by Rhoda Perry, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.

In addition: Kofua Kulah was appointed by Cicione to challenge Democratic Sen. Paul V. Jabour for his 5th District seat, representing Federal Hill; and Damien Baldino to run against the winner of the Democratic primary between Rep. Steven Smith and challenger John Carnevale. Providence has not sent a Republican to the Assembly since 1994.

-- Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau

The governor's office is in for a busy week.

In an unusual move late Friday afternoon, the Senate transmitted a whopping 201 bills -- its entire roster of legislation approved in the final days of the session -- to Governor Carcieri's desk for his signature.

Typically, lawmakers transmit their legislation piecemeal in the days after the session. But Senate spokesman Greg Pare today denied that there was anything abnormal about this year's bulk move.

The goal, he said, is always to get all the bills to the governor by the July 4th holiday.

Now the clock is ticking. The governor has until the end of this week to decide which, if any, bills he wants to veto.

John Robitaille, Carcieri's communications director said "The governor's office is capable of reviewing this number of bills within the veto deadline, considering that they are carefully followed during the session. This is mainly a final review."

That may be a good thing because when they finish with the Senate bills, they'll have another pile to tackle. The House is expected to transmit an additional 200 bills to the governor by the end of the day today, according to a spokesman.

-- Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

BOSTON -- This could make for one odd family reunion: Barack Obama is a distant cousin of actor Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie.

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society found some remarkable family connections for the three presidential candidates -- Democratic rivals Obama and Clinton, and Republican John McCain.

Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins. McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush.

Genealogist Christopher Child said that while the candidates often focus on pointing out differences between them, their ancestry shows they are more alike than they think.

"It shows that lots of different people can be related, people you wouldn't necessarily expect," Child said.

-- The Associated Press

>> Continue reading: Candidates are distant relatives to the stars, president

Providence lawyer Angel Taveras’ phone did not stop ringing this afternoon in the wake of John Edwards' departure from the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Taveras, Edwards Rhode Island campaign chairman, took calls from supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the last two major candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Despite the personal lobbying from such pols as former Providence Mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr., a major Clinton supporter in the state, and Joseph Fernandez, the Providence city solicitor and a key Obama backer, Taveras said that he is not going to endorse either candidate until he has chance to speak personally with Edwards.

``I am very proud of the campaign John Edwards ran,’’ said Taveras. ``Poverty is something not very many people talked about. John made it a part of the national campaign and the national conversation.’’

``I haven’t had chance to speak to John yet,’’ said Taveras. ``After I speak with him we’ll see where we go from there.’’

-- Journal staff writer Scott MacKay

Valerie Plame Wilson, the former CIA agent whose leaked identity to the media led to political controversy and the conviction of a high-ranking Bush administration official on perjury and obstruction of justice charges, will signs copies of her book and speak at Brown University on Dec. 4.

The talk starts at 8 p.m. in Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 101. She will sign copies of Fair Game: My life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, after the lecture.

The free lecture is open to the public on a space-available basis. Brown students, faculty, and staff will have priority seating until 7:45 p.m. Doors will open to the public at that time.

Plame's husband, retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, spoke at Brown in 2005.