Donald Carcieri
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Don Carcieri
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2003 |
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| Lieutenant | Charles J. Fogarty (2003 - 2007) Elizabeth H. Roberts (2007 - present) |
| Preceded by | Lincoln C. Almond |
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| Born | December 16, 1942 East Greenwich, Rhode Island |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Suzanne Carcieri |
| Residence | East Greenwich, Rhode Island |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Profession | Teacher, Banker |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Portrait | |
Donald L. "Don" Carcieri (born December 16, 1942) is the Governor of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Carcieri has had a varied vocational background, having worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid relief worker, bank executive and teacher.[1] He is an opponent of same sex marriage and has joined the National Organization for Marriage.[2]
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[edit] Personal background
Carcieri grew up in an Italian neighborhood. He played baseball, basketball, and football while in high school and received a college scholarship. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in International Relations. Carcieri started his career as a high school math teacher, working in Newport, Rhode Island and Concord, Massachusetts. He later became a banker and businessman, working his way up the ranks to become an executive vice president at Old Stone Bank.[3]
In 1981, Carcieri and his family moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where the future governor worked for Catholic Relief Services. Two years later, he returned to Rhode Island and became an executive at the Cookson Group. He eventually became CEO of the company's subsidiary, Cookson America. He also worked as Joint Managing Director for Cookson and helped the corporation's sales to rise from $30 million to $3 billion per year. At the request of Carcieri, Cookson established their US headquarters in an unused building in downtown Providence[1].
[edit] Governorship
In 2002, Carcieri won the Republican primary over the endorsed candidate and went on to defeat Democrat Myrth York, 55% to 45% in the general election.
[edit] The Station Night Club Fire
On February 20, 2003, The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island was engulfed in a catastrophic fire which claimed 100 lives. The fire, which was one of the worst such tragedies in American history, was widely covered by the national press, which gave Carcieri's public statements on the event nationwide coverage. Eventually the Governor declared a moratorium on pyrotechnics for crowds under 300 people.
[edit] Legalization of marijuana for medical purposes
In 2005, both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana. Carcieri vetoed the bill, but the legislature overrode Carcieri by a large margin.[4] Governor Carcieri and the Democratic-dominated General Assembly have been at odds on a number of issues – enacting separation of powers, the treatment of state workers, and whether children of illegal immigrants should have access to the state childcare health care plan. Carcieri often warns against increasing the size of the state's welfare programs as unaffordable and unsustainable and that the state suffers economically from a history of corruption. Carcieri has had a history of confrontations with the heavily Democratic state legislature, community activists, and organized labor.
[edit] Re-election
Carcieri won re-election in 2006 and spoke of continuing to take on individuals tied to the "old system", though he has never specified what this system is. Rhode Island is one of 19 states that elects its governor and lieutenant governor separately rather than on a single party ticket; Carcieri faced his own Lieutenant Governor, Democrat Charles J. Fogarty, who was prevented, by term limits, from running again for the Lieutenant Governor position.
[edit] The 2007 Snowstorm
One of the most controversial events of Carcieri's governorship occurred on December 13, 2007 when the state of Rhode Island experienced a storm which dumped about 10-12 inches of snow on the state at the time of the evening commute. On that day, Governor Carcieri was in the Middle East and could not be contacted until the storm was over. As a result of the timing of the storm and of conflicts between various State agencies about who was responsible for emergency management during Carcieri's absence, there was inadequate snow clearance on major arteries, causing gridlock long into the night and stranding several buses of schoolchildren in snowbanks for a number of hours. Widely criticized for blocking the Lieutenant-Governor from taking charge in his absence,[5] Carcieri admitted that his administration did "a poor job of communications"[6] during the storm. However, he refused to answer questions concerning who would be in charge of the state in the event of his absence. Eventually a judge required Carcieri to release documents indicating his orders on the chain of command in such situations.[7]
On March 27, 2008, Governor Carcieri signed an Executive Order requiring state agencies and vendors to verify the legal status of all employees and directing the Rhode Island State Police and the Department of Corrections to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure federal immigration laws are enforced.
[edit] Electoral History
| Rhode Island Gubernatorial Election 2002 | |||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Donald Carcieri | 173,545 | 54.8 | ||
| Democratic | Myrth York | 143,750 | 45.2 | ||
| Rhode Island Gubernatorial Election 2006 | |||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Donald Carcieri (Incumbent) | 197,013 | 50.9 | -3.9 | |
| Democratic | Charles J. Fogarty | 189,099 | 48.9 | ||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ RI Gov.: Out of the Spotlight, Fogarty Threatening Carcieri Lauren Phillips, CQ Politics, July 5, 2006
- ^ RI Governor Joins Anti-Gay Group Carlos Santoscoy, April 8, 2009
- ^ Governor Donald L. CarcieriState of Rhode Island Office of the Governor
- ^ R.I. MS Patient Applies to Use MarijuanaR.I. MS Patient Applies to Use Marijuana Fox News with AP, April 5, 2006
- ^ Providence Journal online 3/3/09, accessed June 25, 2009 http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/03/governor-ordere.html
- ^ Providence Journal online, 12/17/08, "Carcieri: 'Poor job of communications' during snowstorm", accessed June 25, 2009 http://newsblog.projo.com/archives/2007/12/carcieri_poor_j.html
- ^ Complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union vs. Governor Carcieri, http://www.riaclu.org/documents/GovAPRAcomplaint001.pdf
[edit] External links
- Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri state news site
- Biography at the National Governors Association
- Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Follow the Money - Donald L Carcieri
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Lincoln C. Almond |
Governor of Rhode Island 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
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