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Gordon Fox
Gordon D. Fox (b. December 21, 1961) is a former Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing District 4 from 1992 to January 6, 2015. He served as Speaker of the House from 2010 to March 22, 2014. He resigned from the position one day after investigators raided his home and office in relation to a criminal investigation.[1] Fox did not seek re-election in 2014.
On March 3, 2015, Fox plead guilty to taking bribes, wire fraud and filing a false tax return. His plea agreement calls for a three-year prison sentence, but the judge has the final decision. As part of his plea agreement, Fox admitted to taking $52,500 in bribes and using over $108,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.[2]
Biography
Fox attended Providence College. He earned his B.A. from Rhode Island College in 1985 and his J.D. from Northeastern University in 1991. His professional experience includes working as an attorney.[3]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Fox served on the following committees:
As Speaker of the House, Fox did not sit on standing committees.
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Fox served on these committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Legislative Services, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Fox served on these committees:
| Rhode Island committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Legislative Services |
Elections
2012
Fox won re-election in the 2012 election for Rhode Island House of Representatives District 4. Fox was unopposed in the September 11 Democratic primary and defeated independent Mark Binder in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Gordon Fox Incumbent |
57.8% | 3,590 | |
| Independent | Mark Binder | 41.8% | 2,595 | |
| Other | Write-in | 0.5% | 30 | |
| Total Votes | 6,215 | |||
2010
Fox won re-election in the 2010 elections. He was unopposed in the September 14 Democratic primary and defeated Republican Erich Sturn in the November 2 general election.[7][8]
| Rhode Island House District 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Gordon Fox (D)
|
3564 | |||
| Erich Sturn (R) | 1094 | |||
2008
In 2008, Fox was re-elected to the Rhode Island House District 4. Fox (D) finished with 4,899 votes while his opponent David Anderson (R) finished with 1,271 votes.[9] Fox raised $112,242 for his campaign fund.[10]
| Rhode Island House District 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Gordon Fox (D)
|
4,899 | |||
| David Anderson (R) | 1,271 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Rhode Island scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 7 to June 23.
- American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills related to civil liberties.
- Environment Council of Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Green Report Card
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business in Rhode Island: 2013-2014 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity: 2014 session freedom index
- Legislators are scored by the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity on their votes "affecting free-market, small-government, or constitutional principles."[11]
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 1 to July 5.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 3 to June 13.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 4 to July 1.
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Noteworthy events
Grants to nonprofit organizations
In 2012, Rhode Island lawmakers issued $1.9 million in legislative grants to nonprofit organizations. These grants were awarded on a nonpartisan basis by House Speaker Gordon Fox and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed and were chosen based on the merits of the organizations' applications and requests by individual lawmakers. Though the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the legislature has the authority to create grants as part of the budget, some critics called these grants wasteful government spending and said the money could be used to influence votes. Lawmakers in support of the grants claimed that they went to community organizations that were struggling to fill fundraising gaps or make up for a lack of resources that may no longer be available at the municipal level. According to an August 2013 report in Go Local Prov News, Fox was among the top 25 lawmakers who sponsored the most in grant funding, obtaining $125,050 for community organizations.[12][13]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "Gordon + Fox + Rhode + Island + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Rhode Island House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Rhode Island General Assembly
- Joint Committees
- Rhode Island state legislative districts
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012 2010 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994
Footnotes
- ↑ www.providencejournal.com, "Gordon Fox resigns as House speaker day after investigators raid home, office," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ NY Times, "Gordon Fox Pleads Guilty in Rhode Island Corruption Case," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Biography of Rep. Gordon Fox," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Candidates in Upcoming Elections, "Rhode Island Secretary of State," accessed July 10, 2012
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide Primary Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 Statewide Primary Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 Statewide General Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Rhode Island House election results, 2008," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Campaign contributions for 2008," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Warwick Online, "Rep. Morgan scores top on 'subjective' House Freedom Index," May 31, 2016
- ↑ Go Local Prov News, "RI Lawmakers Shell Out $1.9M in Controversial Legislative Grants," August 15, 2013
- ↑ Go Local Prov News, "Top 25 RI Legislators Who Got The Most Grants," August 15, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Rhode Island House of Representatives - District 4 1993–January 6, 2015 |
Succeeded by J. Aaron Regunberg (D) |
