To Gina Raimondo and all state political leaders

To the Editor:

On Feb. 11, 2016, Governor Raimondo signed the highway and bridge repair legislation into law which would require tolls to be paid by truckers traveling on Rhode Island highways. The governor with many other of our political leaders including Senate Finance Chairman Daniel DaPonte defended the proposed new tolls on 18-wheelers by stressing the urgency in repairing Rhode Island’s highways and bridges.

The gist of the argument in favor of the legislation would have the people of this state believing that the monies collected from the tolls would be spent on repairing existing highways. The truth of the matter is that we now know some of the money will be used to support far cat corporations such as Citizens Bank, with the backing and support of the governor.

Citizens Bank, in a deal with state and local officials to relocate their corporate offices to the residential area of Greenville Avenue in Johnston, has been promised monies from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the Narragansett Bay Commission. Both entities funded by the taxpayers of Rhode Island will be contributing monies for the relocation. In fact, Governor Raimondo agreed to pay $3 million of taxpayer monies to build new entrance and exit ramps off of Route 295 in Johnston for the sole accommodation of Citizens Bank to their proposed new facility. Apparently that is $3 million which was represented for use of repairing existing highways which is now being allocated to help defray the cost to Citizens Bank to build the new highway ramps.

The question which begs to be answered is why the taxpayers must have their tax dollars used for a company that now boasts that it is one of the largest retail U.S. bank-holding companies with nearly $170 billion in assets when our state announces a $49.5 million shortfall for fiscal year 2017.

In addition, we are in strong agreement with Grow Smart Rhode Island who so eloquently stated, when commenting on the proposed Citizens relocation to Greenville Avenue in Johnston. “We object … to the decision by the Raimondo Administration to commit public resources to help facilitate the type of move that undermines Rhode Island’s progress in incentivizing the revitalization of its cities and town centers while protecting and preserving its remaining farmland and forestland,” Grow Smart said in a news release. “It also seems to deviate from the Administration’s own strong commitment to smart growth policy initiatives that we have praised repeatedly.”

The deception and lies from the Polisena and Raimondo administrations continues on at the obvious expense of the citizens of the town of Johnston and this state. Claire Motecalvo

Johnston Homeowners & Neighbors Association