Charles Fogarty

Latest Articles

The upside of hope in Rhode Island

Nine individuals who are bullish and optimistic amid the state's current tough times
Everywhere one turns these days, there's seemingly more bad news about Rhode Island: the unemployment rate, one of the highest in the nation, tops 10 percent — and the state's running out of unemployment assistance.
By IAN DONNIS | January 29, 2009

Chafee for governor?

Running as an independent, he could thumb his nose at the worst of both parties
For now, Lincoln Chafee has the luxury of discussing his political future as a riddle wrapped up in an enigma.
By IAN DONNIS | April 10, 2008

The battle of the smallest state

The Rhode Island wields a rare impact as Clinton and Obama go head to head
Clinton bathed in the intense affection of an adoring crowd, her every statement punctuated by wild applause, chants, and a rising sea of blue signs touting her campaign.
By IAN DONNIS | February 29, 2008

Patrick Lynch goes for broke

In gunning for Governor, the term-limited AG has little to lose
One small basketball photo lurks inconspicuously on a far wall in the spacious South Main Street office of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.
By IAN DONNIS | January 23, 2008

Isn’t there a better term than ‘girlfriend’?

Guys and dolls
What do Rhode Island state Senator Maryellen Goodwin, Shaha Riza, Miledis Hilario, and Karla Jensen have in common?
By BRIAN C. JONES | May 30, 2007

How will speaker Murphy use his power?

A brain drain, looming deficits, and other challenges await solutions
It was no big surprise when House Speaker William J. Murphy recently presented his wife, Stacey, with a bunch of roses — as thanks, he said, for the nights he had missed dinner while working late at the State House.
By IAN DONNIS | January 10, 2007

Polichicks took ’06 campaign by storm

Talking politics
Known by their friends as Emily Dietsch and Elizabeth Strout, the Polichicks have garnered quick recognition among bloggers, reporters, and political types.
By MIRIAM ALTMAN | December 13, 2006

Thanksgiving thoughts on a few of those with reasons to be thankful

Reflections
With so much deprivation in the world, there’s something perverse about the Red Sox paying more than $51 million just for the right to negotiate with 26-year-old Japanese pitching standout Daisuke Matsuzaka.
By IAN DONNIS | November 21, 2006

Déjà vu all over again for RI GOP

Carcieri faces failure in having fostered a real two-party system
Lincoln Chafee should be the next head of the Rhode Island Republican Party.
By IAN DONNIS | November 15, 2006

Whitehouse rides the Democratic tide; Fogarty falls short

Talking politics
For Sheldon Whitehouse, claiming the US Senate seat held by two Chafees over 30 years came down to being the right man in the right place at the right time.
By IAN DONNIS | November 08, 2006

Campaign winners and sinners

A pre-election dissection of the tasty, the terrible, and the in-between
It’s almost all over but the counting.
By IAN DONNIS | November 01, 2006

Providence endorsements

Whitehouse for US Senate; Fogarty for governor; Kennedy and Langevin for Congress; lynch for attorney general; “yes” for the casino
The Providence Phoenix enthusiastically endorses Sheldon Whitehouse.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | November 01, 2006

The battle of Rhode Island

Fogarty and Carcieri sharpen their competing visions for the state
Heading into the home stretch of the 2006 gubernatorial race, Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty has cause for hope and reason for concern.
By IAN DONNIS | October 18, 2006

Can fogarty win with a message of change?

Talking politics
The challenge facing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charles Fogarty was neatly encapsulated during an October 6 televised debate when panelist Karen Adams, invoking an expression used by a favorite relative, rhetorically asked, “Why upset the apple cart?”
By IAN DONNIS | October 11, 2006

Casino battle royale

A look at who’s who in the high-stakes faceoff over question one
The casino battle has been raging for so long that it often seems like a permanent part of the Rhode Island landscape.
By IAN DONNIS | October 11, 2006

The politics of tragedy

Will anger over the station plea bargain enable Harsch to topple Lynch?
It was perfectly understandable that Bill Harsch was reluctant to answer the question.
By IAN DONNIS | October 04, 2006

Is Rhode Island still a state for sale?

The shoe yet to drop is the extent of private sector responsibility
As the star witness of federal prosecutors, former state senator John Celona of North Providence has sang chapter and verse about his arrogant, shameless, and corrupt dealings while having worked for an affiliate of Roger Williams Medical Center.
By IAN DONNIS | September 27, 2006

The other campaign

Fogarty sets his sights on ousting Carcieri
Yes, there will also be a gubernatorial race in Rhode Island this year.
By IAN DONNIS | September 20, 2006

Down to the wire

Will Chafee or Laffey emerge victorious? Plus, Rhode Island’s other top primary races
So will Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey prove the ascending dragon-slayer who knocks off US Senator Lincoln Chafee, a favorite target of conservatives everywhere, or will the herky-jerky heir to one of the best brand names in Ocean State politics repel his challenger and live to fight another day?
By IAN DONNIS | September 06, 2006

Champions of the status quo

Protecting incumbents takes precedence over a reform that could diminish the influence of money in Rhode Island politics
Although the flameout in April of Matt Brown’s US Senate bid was the most prominent example, he’s hardly been the only Rhode Island candidate to run into a campaign finance-related hassle this year.
By IAN DONNIS | July 26, 2006

Campaign seeks health-care contributions from big employers

Fair Share
Managers at the Wal-Mart on Post Road in Warwick didn’t really appreciate it when demonstrators clad in mock haz-mat suits recently marched into the place
By IAN DONNIS | June 14, 2006

Does Rhode Island need tax cuts for the rich?

The budget resolution will be something of a bellwether for the state
A lot more than just the minutiae of $6.6 billion in state spending will be on the line when the General Assembly soon presents its response to Governor Donald L. Carcieri’s latest budget.
By IAN DONNIS | June 14, 2006

Depena leaving RI Democratic Party post for city job

Talking politics
After attracting mixed reviews during two-and-a-half years in the job, Depena is leaving to take a position next month as executive director of the moribund Providence Human Relations Commission.
By IAN DONNIS | June 14, 2006

HIV safety net in jeopardy

Management gaffes and rising costs imperil support services for Rhode Island’s federally funded program
The 4000 Rhode Islanders living with HIV were on the mind of Dr. David Gifford when he went to Governor Donald L. Carcieri, and then the House Finance Committee, in late 2005 and early this year, with hat in hand.
By BETH SCHWARTZAPFEL | May 11, 2006

Fogarty storms into the gubernatorial fray

Talking Politics
The formal unveiling of Charles Fogarty’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign on Monday should put to rest questions about whether the two-term lieutenant governor has the personality to mount a competitive challenge to GOP governor Donald L. Carcieri.
By IAN DONNIS | March 08, 2006

Rhode Island’s great communicator

Is Carcieri RI's Barry Goldwater?
The Governor's message mastery is a prime asset — and a leading challenge for democrats — in the 2006 campaign
By IAN DONNIS | January 13, 2006