Rhode Island Higher Education Facilities Bonds, Question 4 (2014)
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The Rhode Island Higher Education Facilities Bonds, Question 4 was on the November 4, 2014 ballot in Rhode Island as a bond issue, where it was approved. The measure authorized the issuance of up to $125 million in bonds to construct a new College of Engineering building and undertake supporting renovations.[1]
Election results
Below are the official, certified election results:
| Rhode Island Question 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 186,616 | 63.6% | ||
| No | 107,016 | 36.4% | ||
Election results via: Rhode Island Board of Elections
Text of measure
Ballot title
The official ballot text was as follows:[1]
| “ |  [2]
|
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary appeared as follows:[1]
| “ |
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed one hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000) to construct a new College of Engineering building and undertake supporting renovation. The new building will anchor the northwest corner of the Engineering Quadrangle on the Kingston Campus and provide contemporary and state-of-the-art instructional and research facilities. As part of this project, outdated engineering buildings will be taken out of service and razed.[2] |
” |
Support
The group Engineering Rhode Island's Future formed to support Question 4.[3]
Supporters
- Engineering Rhode Island's Future[3]
- Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce[4]
- Andrew Aitkin, retired vice president at New England Power Co.[5]
- Rep. Nicholas Mattiello (D-15), speaker of the house[5]
- Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-13), president of the state senate[5]
Arguments
- Andrew Aitkin, retired vice president at New England Power Co., provided the following reason as to why voters should approve Question 4: "Nothing can do more to improve the Rhode Island economy than this bond authorization. URI [University of Rhode Island] engineering is the real deal. Don’t let this opportunity get away from you.”[5]
- The University of Connecticut, one of URI’s primary competitors, was moving forward with a new engineering and science complex, set to open during the 2016-17 academic year.[5]
- At the time of the measure's approval, URI's engineering facilities had not been updated in over 50 years.[5]
- The URI project would directly generate nearly 1,500 construction-related and professional service jobs during a three-year period.[3]
HB 7133 "Yes" votes
The following members of the Rhode Island General Assembly voted in favor of placing this measure on the ballot.[6][7]
- Note: A yes vote on HB 7133 merely referred the question to voters and did not necessarily mean these legislators approved of the stipulations laid out in Question 4.
House
The following representatives voted in favor of HB 7133:
- Marvin Abney (D-73)
- Mia Ackerman (D-45)
- Edith Ajello (D-1)
- Joseph Almeida (D-12)
- Gregg Amore (D-65)
- Samuel Azzinaro (D-37)
- David Bennett (D-20)
- Christopher Blazejewski (D-2)
- Dennis Canario (D-71)
- John Carnevale (D-13)
- Stephen Casey (D-50)
- Maria Cimini (D-7)
- Elaine Coderre (D-60)
- Arthur Corvese (D-55)
- Gregory Costantino (D-44)
- Robert Craven (D-32)
- John DeSimone (D-5)
- Grace Diaz (D-11)
- John Edwards (D-70)
- Deborah Fellela (D-43)
- Frank Ferri (D-22)
- Linda Finn (D-72)
- Gordon Fox (D-4)
- Raymond Gallison, Jr. (D-69)
- Scott Guthrie (D-28)
- Arthur Handy (D-18)
- Raymond Hull (D-6)
- Robert Jacquard (D-17)
- Raymond Johnston Jr. (D-61)
- Katherine Kazarian (D-63)
- Cale Keable (D-47)
- Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-38)
- Donald Lally, Jr. (D-33)
- Charlene Lima (D-14)
- Jan Malik (D-67)
- Kenneth Marshall (D-68)
- Peter Martin (D-75)
- Joseph McNamara (D-19)
- Helio Melo (D-64)
- Mary Messier (D-62)
- Michael Morin (D-49)
- Eileen Naughton (D-21)
- Jared Nunes (D-25)
- William O'Brien (D-54)
- Jeremiah O'Grady (D-46)
- J. Patrick O'Neill (D-59)
- Thomas Palangio (D-3)
- Peter Palumbo (D-16)
- Robert Phillips (D-51)
- Deborah Ruggiero (D-74)
- William San Bento, Jr. (D-58)
- Patricia Serpa (D-27)
- K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-23)
- Agostinho Silva (D-56)
- Scott Slater (D-10)
- Lisa Tomasso (D-29)
- Joseph Trillo (R-24)
- Stephen Ucci (D-42)
- Larry Valencia (D-39)
- Donna Walsh (D-36)
- Anastasia Williams (D-9)
- Thomas Winfield (D-53)
- Nicholas Mattiello (D-15)
Senate
The following state senators voted in favor of HB 7133:
- Maryellen Goodwin (D-1)
- Juan Pichardo (D-2)
- Gayle Goldin (D-3)
- Dominick Ruggerio (D-4)
- Paul Jabour (D-4)
- Harold Metts (D-6)
- James Doyle (D-8)
- Adam Satchell (D-9)
- Walter Felag (D-10)
- Christopher Ottiano (R-11)
- Louis DiPalma (D-12)
- M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-13)
- Daniel Da Ponte (D-14)
- Donna Nesselbush (D-15)
- Elizabeth Crowley (D-16)
- William Conley (D-18)
- Ryan Pearson (D-19)
- Roger Picard (D-20)
- Steve Archambault (D-22)
- Paul Fogarty (D-23)
- Frank Lombardo III (D-25)
- Frank Lombardi (D-26)
- Hanna Gallo (D-27)
- Joshua Miller (D-28)
- Michael McCaffrey (D-29)
- William Walaska (D-30)
- Erin Lynch (D-31)
- David Bates (R-32)
- Catherine Cool Rumsey (D-34)
- James Sheehan (D-36)
- V. Susan Sosnowski (D-37)
- Dennis Algiere (R-38)
Campaign contributions
Total campaign cash  as of December 2, 2014 | |
 Support:
|
$480,800 |
 Opposition:
|
$0 |
As of December 2, 2014, one campaign organization supporting Question 4 had received an aggregate total of $480,800 in contributions.[8]
PAC info:
| PAC/Ballot measure group | Amount raised | Amount spent |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Question #4 | $480,800 | $455,504 |
| Total | $480,800 | $455,504 |
Top contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| URI Foundation | $400,000 |
| URI Alumni Association | $40,000 |
Opposition
Arguments
According to a study by the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the four approved bond questions on the 2014 general election ballot could actually cost taxpayers approximately $400 million when interest payments are accounted for. Interest payments on the four bond proposals, which together total $248 million, could cost taxpayers an additional $117 to $150 million over a 20-year period, assuming an estimated interest rate of 4 to 5 percent.[9] The full study can be read here.
HB 7133 "No" votes
The following members of the Rhode Island General Assembly voted against placing this measure on the ballot.[6][7]
- Note: A no vote on HB 7133 meant that a legislator did not want to refer the question to voters and did not necessarily mean these legislators disapproved of the stipulations laid out in Question 4.
House
The following representatives voted against HB 7133:
- Michael Chippendale (R-40)
- Doreen Marie Costa (R-31)
- Spencer Dickinson (D-35)
- Antonio Giarrusso (R-30)
- Joy Hearn (D-66)
- John Lombardi (D-8)
- Karen MacBeth (D-52)
- Michael Marcello (D-41)
- James McLaughlin (D-57)
- Patricia Morgan (R-26)
- Brian Newberry (R-48)
- Teresa Ann Tanzi (D-34)
Senate
The following state senators voted against HB 7133:
- Marc Cote (D-24)
- Dawson Hodgson (R-35)
- Nicholas Kettle (R-21)
- Edward O'Neill (I-17)
- Leonidas Raptakis (D-33)
Media editorial positions
Support
- The Providence Journal said,
| “ | For some time, Rhode Island companies have decried the shortage of engineers. Most would like to fill these well-paying jobs with local graduates. Toray Plastics has pledged an additional $2 million for the engineering school if the bond issue is approved. The family foundation associated with Taco will donate $400,000. The referendum is supported by several other businesses as well, along with the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Voters should join them, and approve this worthwhile investment.[2] | ” |
| —Providence Journal[10] | ||
Path to the ballot
Question 4 was introduced into the Rhode Island Legislature as House Bill 7133. The bill was related to appropriations in general and also included acts authorizing Questions 5, 6 and 7.[11] Therefore, Rhode Island Questions 4, 5, 6 and 7 were all included on the general election ballot following the passage of HB 7133. The bill was approved in the Rhode Island House of Representatives on June 13, 2014, and in the Rhode Island Senate on June 16, 2014. The governor signed the bill on June 19, 2014.[12]
House vote
June 13, 2014 House vote[13]
| Rhode Island HB 7133 House Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 63 | 84.00% | ||
| No | 12 | 16.00% | ||
Senate vote
June 16, 2014 Senate vote[7]
| Rhode Island HB 7133 Senate Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 32 | 86.49% | ||
| No | 5 | 13.51% | ||
See also
External links
Basic information
Support
- Engineering Rhode Island's Future website
- Engineering Rhode Island's Future Facebook page
- Engineering Rhode Island's Future Twitter account
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Rhode Island Voter Information Handbook 2014," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 University of Rhode Island, "URI launches campaign to “Engineer Rhode Island’s Future:” Question 4 bond referendum for new engineering facilities," September 29, 2014
- ↑ Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, "Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce to Support RI Bond Measures," September 19, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 GoLocalProv.com, "Mattiello and Paiva Weed Say Vote Yes on Question 4 for URI," October 20, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 OpenStates.org, "House Vote on HB 7133 (Jun 13, 2014)," accessed October 21, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rhode Island Legislature, "Senate Vote," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Other Filings," accessed December 7, 2014
- ↑ WPRI.com, "Study: Bond questions could cost RI nearly $400M," October 14, 2014
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Yes on Question 4," October 20, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "House Bill 7133," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "HB 7133 Bill History," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "House Vote," accessed September 24, 2014
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