On Wednesday, Rhode Island House Republicans skipped the RI Legislative Leadership Luncheon, an annual event hosted by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
Alleging a pro-Democrat bias among chamber leadership, the state representatives announced their plans to decline invitations to the event in a March 4 press release.
The GPCC aims to promote businesses’ interests through events and government advocacy, according to its website. Its annual luncheon — which drew approximately 600 attendees this year — is one of several events it hosts in an attempt to connect legislators and business leaders.
The GPCC invited several members of the R.I. General Assembly to this year’s luncheon, which took place at the R.I. Convention Center in Providence. A bipartisan group of lawmakers were invited to participate in the luncheon’s panel segment hosted by GPCC President Laurie White. The segment aimed to provide an opportunity for legislators to “respond to questions regarding the many critical issues facing the business community today,” according to the GPCC’s event announcement.
In an email to The Herald, Representative Marie Hopkins (R-Warwick) explained that House Republican leadership also advised its members to decline invitations to the lunch.
The GPCC “has shifted its focus toward cultivating cozy relationships with legislative leaders,” wrote House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale (R-Coventry, Foster, Glocester) in an email to The Herald.
Representative Brian Newberry (R-Burrillville, North Smithfield) described the luncheon as a “dog and pony show” in an interview with The Herald.
“In my opinion, the chamber has completely lost its way,” Newberry said. “The chamber is supposed to … advocate for business interests, but the reality is it just caters to Democratic leadership.”
Chippendale wrote that he would like the GPCC to focus more on addressing policy problems that prevent new business growth, such as “burdensome regulations and red tape.” He also advocated against high taxes, claiming that they increase the cost of running a business.
White called the House Republicans’ decision to skip the rally “unfortunate.”
“We run the event for the chamber membership to encourage them to engage in the legislative process,” White explained in a statement sent to The Herald. She added that she has “worked closely” with Chippendale’s chief of staff “over the years” to “fully understand and feature the GOP’s priority policy topics.”
Chippendale hopes the House Republicans’ planned absence will force the GPCC to “consider ways in which they can more effectively improve business policies in our state,” he wrote.
Before the event, House Republicans also proposed adding an “audience-driven Q&A section” to the luncheon, Chippendale wrote. This year’s event featured a Q&A segment that consisted of several questions from White, each directed at a specific panelist.
The proposal to add an audience-driven Q&A segment has garnered support from across the political aisle.
“Next year, why don’t we have an opportunity for the audience to ask these questions?” asked House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D-Warwick), unprompted, near the end of the panel segment. “I want the people who come here to have the opportunity to participate,” he said.
Senator Louis DiPalma MS’89 (D-Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton), one of the luncheon’s panelists, said he supports the proposal if it will “improve and provide additional value for the business community to engage with legislators.”
“We have to be able to listen to what the public is saying,” DiPalma said in an interview with The Herald. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Both Chippendale and Newberry have participated as panelists at the luncheon in previous years and Chippendale was invited to return to the panel this year. According to Chippendale, the House Republican caucus will consider attending the luncheon next year.
Despite the House Republicans’ absence this year, there remained a Republican presence on the luncheon’s stage.
R.I. Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz (R-North Smithfield, Burrillville, Glocester) participated in the luncheon as a panelist.
“I attend and participate because I believe the event has value in bringing together business leaders and elected legislators to engage on the issues impacting our state,” de la Cruz wrote in an email to The Herald.
But de la Cruz said, “I respect their decision to do as they see fit for their caucus.”
Lev Kotler-Berkowitz is a sophomore senior staff writer covering city and state politics. He is from the Boston area and is concentrating in Political Science and Economics. In his free time, Lev can be found playing baseball or running around with his dog.
