Gubernatorial candidate Matt Brown joined GoLocal LIVE's News Editor Kate Nagle to discuss his new economic plan which he released on Thursday.
“Our plan will create an economy in Rhode Island, in which every man or woman who wants a job can have one – and each and every job in the economy pays a living wage and provides a middle-class life. Our plan will put economic power back in the hands of all Rhode Islanders,” Brown says in the plan.
“My plan will cut red tape and create incentives for cities and towns to unlock a housing construction boom, helping our builders and tradesmen build 40,000 new homes in Rhode Island over the next decade. In doing so, we’ll create 9,000 good jobs a year while lowering home prices, solving our affordable housing crisis,” he said.
Brown's plan claims:
“We will build a 100% clean, renewable energy system, creating 11,000 good jobs in the process. We will end corporate handouts while cutting taxes and fees for home-grown small businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy. We will raise the minimum wage to $15-per-hour to ensure all Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families," claims Brown.
“Naysayers will claim this plan is too bold and can’t happen. They will say that doing so is too difficult, or that it is not politically expedient,” he said. “I say we are better than that. We can and will do what we must to make Rhode Island a state full of opportunity again.
"We will make Rhode Island a place where everyone who wants to can stay and make a good life for themselves and their families, our children who have left in search of opportunities elsewhere can come home, and people from around the region and the country choose to make Rhode Island their home,” Brown said. “We can turn around decades of population stagnation and decline in our state and begin to grow again.”
RI Business Rankings
Brown’s economic plan release comes a short time after a GoLocal story on RI’s business rankings.
As GoLocal reported, Rhode Island is certainly not as good a place for business as Governor Gina Raimondo claims and it is not necessarily as bad as CNBC’s ranking (#45), but a comprehensive review of all the major business rankings conducted by the Hassenfeld Institute at Bryant University puts Rhode Island in the bottom third of all the states and unveils that the effort to improve the economy has major weaknesses.
Related Slideshow: GoLocal Statewide Poll - Conducted by Harvard’s Della Volpe - June, 2018
Q4: When it comes to voting, do you consider yourself to be affiliated with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Moderate, or Unaffiliated with a major party?
Q5: Next year, in November of 2018, there will be a statewide general election for Governor and many other state offices. How likely is it that you will vote in this election? Will you definitely be voting, will you probably be voting, are you 50-50...
Definitely be voting.............................. 81%
Probably be voting............................... 19%
All others............................................. 0%
Q20: If the election for Governor were held today and the candidates were: Democrat Gina Raimondo, Republican Allan Fung and Independent Joe Trillo - for whom would you vote?
Q20: If the election for Governor were held today and the candidates were: Democrat Gina Raimondo, Republican Patricia Morgan and Independent Joe Trillo - for whom would you vote?
Q21: If the election for Governor were held today and the candidates were: Democrat Matt Brown, Republican Allan Fung and Independent Joe Trillo - for whom would you vote?
Allan Fung, a Republican..................... 35%
Matt Brown, a Democrat...................... 25%
Joe Trillo, an Independent.................... 14%
Q22: If the election for Governor were held today and the candidates were: Democrat Matt Brown, Republican Patricia Morgan and Independent Joe Trillo - for whom would you vote?
Matt Brown, a Democrat...................... 30%
Patricia Morgan, a Republican............. 20%
Joe Trillo, an Independent.................... 18%
Q23: If the election for the U.S. Senate were held today and the candidates were: [ROTATE] Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse and Republican Robert Nardolillo - for whom would you vote?
Q24: If the election for the U.S. Senate were held today and the candidates were: [ROTATE] Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse and Republican Robert Flanders - for whom would you vote?
Q25: If there was an election today, would you vote to approve or reject issuing $250 million in financing supported general obligation bonds to repair Rhode Island's deteriorating school buildings and bring them up to minimum standards called "warm, safe and dry"?
Q26: The Rhode Island General Assembly is in the process of negotiating a $40 million public financing deal with the Pawtucket Red Sox for a new stadium, hoping to bring a vote before the House and Senate this summer.
In general, do you favor or oppose the use of public funds to help finance a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox?
Q27: The City of Providence and the state of Rhode Island are considering a proposal by New York developer Jason Fane to build a 46-story luxury residence tower in Providence, next to a public riverfront park. The developer will invest $250 to $300 million of his own funds. The project is called the Hope Point Tower, it would be 170-feet taller than the Superman building and would require waiving height restrictions and the use of state tax credits.
In general, do you favor or oppose development of the Hope Point Tower?
Q29: Since it was launched in 2016, UHIP -- the Rhode Island program designed to improve customer service for those who receive federal benefits -- has run into significant problems, including long lines, cost overruns, lost applications, over- and under-charging of patients and families.
Based on what you know at this time, what percent of blame for this do you assign to:
Deloitte, the consulting company who
produced the system........................... 53.3%
Governor Gina Raimondo, who has
been governor since the system
launch in September 2016................... 47.1%
Q30: Presently, there are local groups opposing the development of a natural gas facility in Burrillville, solar projects in Exeter, a LNG facility in Providence and wind projects in North Kingstown.
Some people say that it is important for local groups to play a role in opposition of projects like these that could be dangerous or harmful to citizens;
Others say that local groups have gone too far to the detriment of the state’s long-term energy needs.
Which statement comes closer to your own view?
Local groups play an important role...... 46%
Local groups have gone too far............. 31%
Not sure................................................. 24%
Q32: The next question is about the total income of YOUR HOUSEHOLD for the PAST 12 MONTHS. Please include your income PLUS the income of all members living in your household (including cohabiting partners and armed forces members living at home).
$50,000 or less.................................... 33%
More $50,000 but less than $75,000..... 18%
More $75,000 but less than $100,000... 16%
More $100,000 but less than $150,000. 13%
$150,000 or more................................ 10%
Q33: What particular ethnic group or nationality - such as English, French, Italian, Irish, Latino, Jewish, African American, and so forth - do you consider yourself a part of or feel closest to?