Dear KnowingNewport Group,

I understand many of you think elected officials are overly
influenced by money, political action committees and other people
that are simply not you. Common Cause and Operation Clean
Government have made careers out of not being able to get their
friends elected and then complaining about it.

I understand many of you believe that if you had "initiative power"
or "referendum power" you could fix this. However, I want you to
consider a few things:

1. The dirty little lie behind every initiative or referendum is
this: the minority knows more than the majority. Supporters will
never tell you that, but that's what they mean. This is usually not
true. Look at California, less than 2.5% of the population, total
voting yes on recall and then for a candidate, could undo what 50%,
total of the last election, wanted. Are you all that arrogant to
believe you know better than most of the Newport electorate?

2. Referendums are expensive. The city cost will be $14,000 for any
referendum. This is due to the idea that in order to be successful,
due to ballot position (those interested can email me separately and
I'll explain it) on the municipal side, a municipal question brought
forward in this manner must stand alone. Then there's the cost of
running the actual election and the monied do what they do best:
raise money all over again.

3. Historically most of them backfire. If they do not backfire,
they become rise to the silly. Colorado has no stress,
Massachusetts had elimination of the income tax, California has too
many every election (the capital of the United State should be moved
to the moon for one) to list. When I was on the Board of Directors
of MASSPIRG, we did a lot of these. I now realize many of the
proposals we put before the voters of Massachusetts were mistakes or
even worse, had unintended bad consequences.

By the way, if I like what you put out a petition for, I'll help get
1300 signatures (this is the last time it will be 1300, after this
year it will always be 1800 - again, email me separately and I'll
explain it) in 4 days.

If I don't like it,it becomes my duty as a politically involved
person, with some connections, to do everything I can to stop it.
If I, or someone like me, replaces David Carlin as Dem. City Chair,
a forgone conclusion, expect the full weight of the party to fall in
line. (Non-partianship is about keeping ballots clean, it has
nothing to do with real life.)

If I stopped the Tiverton GOP from paying themselves on a ballot
issue through a simple delaying tactic, I think I can stop you.
(Email Sen. Graziano, oh, that's right, it's former Senator Graziano
for further info.) Expect ballot challenges, signature challenges,
hours with the canvassing authority and days in Providence with the
Sec'y of State.

Don't think because you draft a petition everybody will be on your
side. Some of us believe in the majority.