02.10.2014
The start of the new legislative session sparked raises of up to 22 percent for more than two dozen General Assembly staffers, a high-level promotion and the hiring of another former state lawmaker.
Promotions: Lawyer Frederic Marzilli was promoted to director of the bill-drafting office known as Legislative Counsel. The move bumped his salary up from $90,458 to $121,566 a year. He replaces John O’Connor, who was given a new title — “senior legal counsel to the Speaker” — at the same $116,890 salary he had before.
The Senate promoted Lauretta Converse from “fiscal analyst II” to “deputy fiscal adviser.” With the new title, she got a raise from $61,795 to $92,749.
Hiring: the House hired Louis Mansolillo as the new, $45,006 year-round clerk for the House Corporations and House Oversight committees. A House spokesman confirmed that Mansolillo is married to House Majority Whip Stephen Ucci’s sister, Susan.
The House also put former Rep. Richard Morrison, D-Bristol, on the payroll, as a $42,266-a-year lawyer in the legislative counsel office. (As previously noted in Political Scene, the House hired former Rep. Timothy Williamson, D-West Warwick, as a part-time, $24,000-a-year legal adviser to the House Judiciary Committee.)
Raises: 27 staffers got raises “as part of the reorganization of staff, which takes place at the end of each year,” according to legislative spokesman Larry Berman. “These adjustments are based on new titles, meritorious service and additional duties.”
The House gave an 11-percent raise to Thomas Falcone, the executive director of the legislative business office known as the Joint Committee on Legislative Services. His pay went from $112,623 to $125,053 a year.
A 15-percent raise went to John Conti, along with a change in his title from “deputy chief of staff” to “senior deputy chief of staff.” The raise bumped his salary from $90,755 to $104,759 a year. Conti, who doubles as the director of House operations, also works one weekend night each week as a maitre d’ at Camille’s restaurant on Federal Hill.
Legislative aide Kyle Fellela, the son of Rep. Deborah Fellela, D-Johnston, got a 22-percent raise that boosted his salary from $37,184 to $45,287. He also got a new job title: assistant program director, Capitol TV.
Others who got raises included: Ruth Allen, secretary (Senate), from $41,177 to $43,582; Keith Anderson, legislative assistant (House), $33,415 to $37,434; Veronica Autiello, administrative assistant (Senate), $48,841 to $50,449; Maria Beretta, law revision analyst, $44,843 to $48,400; Michael Civittolo, assistant director of law revision, $54,589 to $60,253; Lisa Cloutier, legal counsel (Senate), $40,907 to $43,757; Debra Cook, secretary (Senate), $34,392 to $37,235; and James DeCastro Jr., legislative aide (House), $23,457 to $28,914.
More: Diane Depina, secretary (House), $36,185 to $39,100; JoAnn DiLeone, secretary (House), from $49,278 to $52,051; Jose DosAnjos, TV technician, $36,273 to $40,409; Robert Kalaskowski, policy analyst (Senate), $60,247 to $68,718; Tracey Knox, secretary (Senate), $38,909 to $41,055; Karyn Lowe, policy analyst (Senate), $53,605 to $60,760; Sarah Martino, secretary (House), from $44,330 to $47,946;Nicole McCarty, legal counsel, $33,027 to $40,579; Robin McCauley, secretary, legislative counsel, $43,587 to $46,515; and Robert Nadeau, law revision analyst, $52,926 to $55,818;
More: Gregory Pare, Senate communications director, $74,221 to $77,664; Victor Parrillo, operations projects coordinator (House), $42,395 to $47,551; Joseph Santilli, legislative assistant (Senate), $24,231 to $26,274; Kristin Silvia, deputy chief of staff (Senate), $107,150 to $111,178; Neicy Taveras, secretary (Senate) $33,442 to $35,462; and Robin Whitehead, secretary, legislative counsel, $40,763 to $45,925.
GOP names director for Hispanic outreach
In an open bid for the state’s Hispanic vote, the state Republican Party has namedLuis A. Vargas as its new “director of strategic initiatives.”
In that new unpaid role, Vargas will be “in charge of spearheading the RIGOP’s new Hispanic engagement initiative called “Oportunidad para Todos” — Opportunity for All — according to the state GOP.
“Previous elections have underscored that the Latino electorate is growing, and winning elections requires us to compete for every voter, often in places where we haven’t been in a long time,” Vargas is quoted as saying in a statement issued by the party.
“The Republican Party is long overdue for a resurgence in the Ocean State, and I am happy to be part of the team that’s going to make a difference. For far too long, Democrats have taken Hispanics for granted, and it’s time voters know that they can have a seat at the table,” he said.
According the RIGOP, Vargas is completing a degree in legal studies and political science at Roger Williams University, with plans to begin law school this fall. He has lived in Rhode Island for 18 years since moving here from Puerto Rico and is an active member of Iglesia Bautista El Calvario, a church in Providence.
Robitaille won’t make GOP governor pick yet
John Robitaille, the state GOP’s 2010 nominee for governor, poses this question on his Facebook page: “Fung or Block?”
Referring to this year’s Republican gubernatorial contenders — Cranston MayorAllan Fung and software entrepreneur Ken Block, Robitaille says: “The short answer is that I haven’t decided and probably won’t until each of these candidates have had a chance not only to present their entire platforms but to demonstrate they have both the courage and the skills to lead this state out of the death spiral that has caused most people to lose all hope of recovery and prosperity.”
Robitaille goes on to say: “Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn what happened in the past; who voted for whom; who donated to whom; and the never ending GOP insider politics. … This is about our future; not about the past.”
Robitaille was a top aide to then-Gov. Donald Carcieri before launching his own campaign for governor. He placed second with 33.6 percent of the vote, behindGovernor Chafee, who won with 36.1 percent in the crowded race.
Political veteran Jerzyk gets another House gig
Matthew Jerzyk’s political portfolio continues to grow.
Jerzyk, who held a number of titles in Providence City Hall, including deputy city solicitor, has been named legal counsel for the House Labor Committee. He replaces Joseph Abbate, who is now a magistrate in the state’s Traffic Tribunal.
Jerzyk also serves as legal counsel to the House Small Business Committee, a job he’s had since last year. He is being paid $2,500 a month for his work on the two committees, a House spokesman said.
Jerzyk is also city solicitor in Central Falls and consulting on Providence City Council President Michael Solomon’s campaign for mayor and former state General Treasurer Frank Caprio’s bid to regain his former job as treasurer.
Campaign news
-- General Treasurer Gina Raimondo has hired Andrew Childs, the field director for U.S. Rep. David Cicilline’s tough, but ultimately successful 2012 reelection campaign to run the ground game for her campaign for governor.
As Cicilline’s field director, he oversaw a “Get Out The Vote operation with over 160,000 door knocks in the final four days before the general election and over 320,000 phone calls over the course of the campaign,” according to Raimondo campaign manager Eric Hyers, who also ran the Cicilline campaign. “Andrew is great at targeting and number-crunching and has a proven track record of leading effective grassroots operations,” he said.
-- Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee has hired CJ Macklin to manage his campaign to become lieutenant governor.
Macklin spent the past year as communications director for the Northeast Charter School Network (NECSN), a nonprofit organization that advocates for “high-quality public school options in New York and Connecticut.”
-- Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has hired Ernest J. Carlucci, a former deputy district director for Rep. David Cicilline, as his new chief of staff. Carlucci initially left Cicilline’s staff for a job with Local 1033 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Carlucci replaces Michael Morrissey, according to Kilmartin spokeswoman Amy Kempe.
Bipartisan backing for Foxboro Super Bowl
On this issue, there is no political divide: both Governor Chafee, a Democrat, and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a Republican who would like to succeed him, would like to see the next Super Bowl played in Rhode Island’s backyard.
A Fung press release suggested that Chafee create a “host committee” of business and government leaders to help New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in his effort to bring the Super Bowl to Foxboro.
While the game would be played in Massachusetts, Fung said Rhode Island could serve as the “host city,” just as New York played host for last week’s Super Bowl in New Jersey.
Chafee spokeswoman Faye Zuckerman said Chafee “plans to discuss the effort to bring the Super Bowl to New England with the other New England governors when he is at the National Governor’s Association meeting in Washington, D.C., at the end of February.
“They will talk about how they can help the Patriots make a solid presentation … in May when the owners meet to decide Super Bowl sites,” she said.
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