King: state GOP is too weak to make change at the legislature

Republican treasurer candidate Kerry King says he believes a constitutional convention is needed to put Rhode Island and its state government on the path to a brighter future. The changes need to be made this way, he says, since the state Republican Party is unlikely to wield enough General Assembly influence to make necessary reforms.

King shared his view during a taping this morning of WPRI/WNAC-TV’s Newsmakers (which can be viewed by clicking the preceding link). He elaborated afterward in an interview with me:

Republicans as a minority party cannot control that General Assembly. If by some coincidence that party becomes the majority party, then obviously we have a philosophical change and a lot of different things can happen. I personally believe that it’s such a tall order to expect that there’s going to be that kind of turnover that the only way to rebuild the state of Rhode Island is by constitutional amendment.

We need to have something that says, you know, Rhode Island is not working today. It’s not working economically, it’s not working when it comes to our school systems, it’s not working in a whole lot of ways. And we need to turn this place upside down, take a good hard look at who we are, take a good hard look at the structure of government — and make this a place where businesses want to come, where we can grow jobs, where we have new economic engines. And let’s put this place back on track, and become a leader again.

King says he favors constitutional amendments to:

—  limit the amount of sales, property and income taxes that can be imposed by the General Assembly;

— create one union contract for all government employees;

— downsize the House to 39 members; downsize the Senate to about 15 members, and make that chamber full-time, with higher salaries to attract “the best and the brightest”; and term limit legislators in both chambers;

— and eliminate cost of living adjustments  for public employees except those voted annually by the General Assembly.

King has focused his campaign against Democrat Gina Raimondo by lambasting public employee unions, and what he calls their excessive control of the State House.

Since King’s critique presupposes that Governor Carcieri has been unable to diminish that influence during two terms as governor, I asked how he would do so as treasurer. King responded by saying he would focus more closely on the topic as the state’s chief financial officer.

Other highlights:

— King calls the state EDC’s $75 million loan guarantee to Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios video game company a bet, but he sees it as a bet worth taking.

— Asked about critics’ claims that Deepwater Wind’s power-purchase agreement violates separation of powers, King says he does not yet have a stand on the issue, but is developing one.