R.I. earns D+ for ‘integrity,’ places fifth highest in U.S.

RHODE ISLAND RECEIVED a grade of D+ in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation from The Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C. / COURTESY THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY
RHODE ISLAND RECEIVED a grade of D+ in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation from The Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C. / COURTESY THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island received a D+ in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation , which, surprisingly, was the fifth-best score in the nation.
Conducted by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit digital news organization, states were assessed on such things as public access to information; political finance; executive, judicial and legislative accountability; state budget processes; internal auditing and more. A total of 245 questions were researched to come up with the grades and rankings.
“Rhode Island has suffered from an inferiority complex dating back to Colonial times, when Massachusetts minister Cotton Mather called it the ‘sewer of New England’ and Connecticut tried to absorb the upstart colony. So it felt like just another blow this summer, when the former state House speaker [Gordon D. Fox] landed in prison after pleading guilty to corruption-related charges,” wrote Mike Stanton in his report about Rhode Island for the center.
Fox’s role in the 38 Studios debacle also was mentioned, as he pushed through an economic development loan program in 2010 without revealing that $75 million was earmarked for former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s failed video game company.
And, it stated that secrecy has “long been a problem in Rhode Island,” particularly during closed-door sessions when the budget is being drafted.
Rhode Island’s lowest score was in the electoral oversight subcategory with an F, and its highest score came in ethics enforcement agencies at C+.
Despite its poor grade and negative publicity involving Fox and 38 Studios, the Ocean State fared better than the majority of states.
No states received A or B grades, and Alaska was the highest-ranked state at a C, followed by California and Connecticut, which each received a C-. Hawaii was fourth with a D+, just edging Rhode Island in its overall score by 1 point.
Thirty-four states received D grades, and 11 states received F grades, with Michigan ranking last on the list.

Rhode Island’s grade slipped from 2012, when it earned a C on the report, but Stanton said the two scores are not directly comparable due to changes made to improve and update the questions and methodology.

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