A testy dispute between Gov. Daniel J. McKee and Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has spilled into the open in recent months, but some observers say it’s not unusual for tensions to develop between top elected officials – even from the same political party – and shouldn’t have any lasting effects on the government’s operation.
John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, says it could even be a good thing for the cause of open government.
Neronha, who recently started his final four-year term as attorney general, sought an additional $2 million in his office’s next fiscal budget to hire more prosecutors to handle a backlog of 14,000 cases. Some of the money was intended for defending state agencies and funding more health care and environmental work. He also requested $350,000 to form a cold-case unit.
McKee shot down those requests, releasing a $13.8 billion fiscal 2024 budget proposal in January that level-funded the R.I. Office of Attorney General.
Since then, Neronha – who, like McKee, is a Democrat – has not shied away from expressing his displeasure with the governor’s decision, turning to social media and news outlets to wage a public relations battle and persuade legislative leaders to boost his allocation.
Typically in Rhode Island – where Democrats control most of the political seats – disputes over budgets are usually hashed out behind closed doors, Marion says.
“The tension between the offices is not unprecedented in any way,” he said. “What’s new here is an AG who is suddenly aggressive in his use of Twitter to call out the governor for not supporting his budget plans.”
Marion says the kerfuffle is pulling off the veil – at least partially – from what has traditionally been an “internal process” of assembling a multi-billion dollar state budget. “The public is now getting to see some of the real thinking” behind how budget decisions are made, he said.
Early signs of discord came in January when Neronha declined to represent the McKee administration in a legal battle over whether the governor had the power to order the removal of a homeless encampment on the Statehouse lawn. McKee was forced to hire outside counsel, at a reported cost of $70,000.
More recently, Neronha has said publicly that because of his department’s high workload and inadequate funding, the attorney general’s office may have to decline to represent the state in some lawsuits brought against it, leaving individual agencies to fight their own legal battles.
Furthermore, Neronha has also publicly acknowledged that he and McKee are not on speaking terms, although McKee has maintained that the two have a cordial relationship.
“We have no issue with Neronha’s office,” McKee spokesperson Matthew Sheaff told PBN. “Our office has worked daily with the AG’s office.”
Neronha underwent back surgery on May 5 and wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Marion isn’t concerned that the political struggle could end up throwing a wrench into the state’s governmental works and prove costly for taxpayers. “Ideally, the two are able to work it out in the end,” Marion said.
Indeed, the relationship between Neronha and McKee may sound dysfunctional, but it’s not unusual, according to Joseph Cammarano, a political science professor at Providence College.
“It’s common for a state governor and AG not to talk because they’re independently elected,“ Cammarano said. “What you’re seeing is Neronha not accepting the [budget rejection] served up by the governor.”
Kudos to Neronha. HOPEfully, he’ll run against McKee in the next gubernatorial race and beat McKee.