By VINAYA SAKSENA

LINCOLN – The debate between State Senate President Joseph Montalbano and his challenger, Edward O’Neill, found the two candidates for the District 17 Senate seat focusing on the results of the incumbent’s years in office, and their differing opinions on whether or not that has been a good thing.

Issues of economics and fiscal health of the state came up in various forms throughout the debate at Lincoln Middle School on Thursday night, with the fate of Twin River casino, immigration-related concerns and the local business climate all getting air time. O’Neill, an independent, attempted to set the tone early on, focusing on the economic crisis that had hit Rhode Island before talk began of a recession in other parts of the United States, questioning the leadership of the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, including Montalbano.
“I think what you need to do is look at” the current situation in Rhode Island, O’Neill said. “The fact is we’ve got 8.8 percent unemployment. So you’ve got to ask yourself, something’s got to be wrong here.”
For his part, Montalbano said he had played a significant role in bringing jobs to Rhode Island, citing his involvement in passing the Jobs Growth Act, which he said had created 1,000 new jobs in the state. He also noted major efforts to renovate old mill buildings in Pawtucket and get them back on the tax rolls, as well as Fidelity Investments opening what he said was Rhode Island’s largest office building in Smithfield.
“The historic tax credit program, which was my program … was the most effective economic development tool in the state of Rhode Island,” Montalbano said, noting millions of dollars added to the tax rolls in the form of the aforementioned mill revitalizations projects and the Lonsdale Millhouse in Lincoln. District 17 includes North Providence (Montalbano’s hometown), a portion of Lincoln (where O’Neill resides), as well as the Fairlawn section of Pawtucket.
The aforementioned comments were made in response to a question posed by one of the debate’s panelists, Marcia Green, editor of The Valley Breeze, who cited a perception of an anti-business climate in Rhode Island as a possible contributing factor to the state’s economic woes. She also questioned the candidates on what they might do with regard to a failed bill that would have required employers in the state to use the federal e-Verify system to determine a prospective employee’s immigration status before hiring them. Montalbano, however, took issue with Green’s characterization of what caused the bill’s failure.
“First of all, I don’t agree with the assessment that Senator (Teresa) Paiva Weed killed the bill,” Montalbano said. “I do my best to assist my colleagues with their legislation. I seldom, if ever, leave my imprint on any bills unless it (affects my district).”
Montalbano added that several senators who originally supported the E-Verify bill backed away from it after they learned some of the details of enacting it. O’Neill, however, cited the incident as another example of the General Assembly’s current membership not supporting the will of its constituents.
“I think this is another example of thwarting the will of the people and the will of the legislature,” O’Neill said. “Unfortunately, the bill did not receive a vote.”
Co-moderator Joseph LaPlante later raised the issue of finding a new owner for the Twin River facility. Both candidates said the financial state of the casino would have to be watched, but O’Neill said he was wary of the state becoming involved in any rescue of the venue.
“Twin River is woven into the fabric of our financial structure,” O’Neill said. “However, I think we should be the option of last resort. I think private industry tends to do a good job of running business.”
“The state of Rhode Island collects all of the money that is wagered at Twin River,” Montalbano noted. “Whether they go bankrupt or not, the interest of the state and the town of Lincoln is protected.”