Rhode Island voters to decide 7 ballot questions

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island voters on Tuesday will make decisions on seven statewide ballot questions, two members of Congress and many contested seats in the state’s General Assembly.

The ballot questions include a casino proposal in Tiverton, a constitutional amendment to give an ethics commission authority to investigate and sanction state lawmakers, and five bond measures totaling $227.5 million. The state estimates the total cost after two decades of interest will be nearly $365 million.

A look at what’s at stake:

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TIVERTON CASINO

Question 1 on the statewide ballot asks voters to allow a new casino to be built in Tiverton, on the Massachusetts border. The measure would allow Lincoln-based casino operator Twin River to transfer its license for Newport Grand to a new Tiverton casino. In addition to statewide support, the proposal must also get the support of voters in Tiverton, where the town has its own question on the casino proposal.

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ETHICS AUTHORITY

Question 2 asks voters to approve a constitutional amendment giving the Rhode Island Ethics Commission the power to investigate state lawmakers and sanction them when they act improperly. It would restore oversight the commission once had over lawmakers, but which was lost in a 2009 court ruling.

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VETERANS HOME

Question 3 asks for $27 million to finish constructing a new Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. A 2012 voter-approved bond measure allowed the state to borrow $94 million for the same project, but the state only borrowed $33.5 million because it got an infusion of federal support. Now, however, it says it needs to authorize $27 million to finish the work, which began last year, because of the rising cost of materials and labor and a change in federal guidelines.

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HIGHER EDUCATION

Question 4 asks for $45.5 million for higher education construction projects centered at the University of Rhode Island. Of that, $25.5 million would be used to renovate and expand the 1928-built Bliss Hall, at the university’s engineering college, in South Kingstown. The remaining $20 million would be to create a university-affiliated innovation campus. The aim is to make it a high-tech hub where private companies and academics can collaborate on research.

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PORT INFRASTRUCTURE

The most expensive bond measure is Question 5, which calls for $70 million to expand two major ports. The Port of Davisville, at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, would get $50 million to repair and modernize old piers used for automobile imports and other heavy cargo. The other $20 million would be used to buy up to 25 acres of land on the Providence waterfront to expand the Port of Providence.

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GREEN ECONOMY

Question 6 asks for $35 million for environment and recreation, including $10 million to design and construct bikeways such as the Blackstone Bikeway and the South County Bikeway; $5 million to clean up former industrial sites; $5 million to help towns and cities develop recreational facilities; and other initiatives to preserve open space and farmland, improve historic properties and prevent stormwater pollution.

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Question 7 asks for $50 million for housing and urban revitalization. Of that, $40 million would enable the state Housing Resources Commission to build new homes that are affordable for families with low or moderate incomes. Another $10 million would be used to improve blighted residential and commercial properties and public spaces.

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CONGRESS

Rhode Island’s two members of Congress are both seeking re-election. Democratic U.S. Rep. David Cicilline is seeking his fourth term representing the easternmost portion of the state. GOP challenger H. Russell Taub is running to unseat him.

Democratic U.S. Rep. James Langevin is seeking a ninth term. Langevin is running against GOP candidate Rhue Reis and independents Jeffrey Johnson and Salvatore Caiozzo.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Every state lawmaker is up for re-election and many of the seats are contested. Among the most important races for who controls the State House is in Cranston, where Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello is trying to fight off a challenge from GOP attorney Steven Frias.

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LOCAL RACES

Voters will choose mayors and members of town councils and school boards. There are also local measures, including a $40 million bond question in Providence and 34 charter ballot questions in Westerly.