Abuse of Power

“Common Cause calls on Governor McKee to reject all the names on the list for nomination to the Cannabis Control Commission given to him by Speaker Shekarchi."

The state Board of Elections has spent more than $12,000 over the last 10 months defending its decision to charge former gubernatorial candidate Ken Block $410 to fulfill a public-records request. Is the fight a matter of principle and legal precedent for the board, or an act of retaliation against a longtime adversary?

The number of patronage jobs from House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello’s Cranston district has almost tripled during Mattiello’s time as speaker. Patronage jobs are one of the tools that a legislative leader like Mattiello can use to reinforce his own political power at the Statehouse.