{"id":63680,"date":"2010-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-10-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/question-2-endorsed-by-business-labor-media-and-community-leaders\/"},"modified":"2010-10-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-10-27T00:00:00","slug":"question-2-endorsed-by-business-labor-media-and-community-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2010\/10\/question-2-endorsed-by-business-labor-media-and-community-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Question 2: Endorsed by Business, Labor, Media, and Community Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tBond referendum essential to Rhode Island\u2019s economic revitalization, job growth.<\/p>\n


\n\tKINGSTON, R.I., October 27, 2010 – Question 2, a statewide bond referendum which will provide $61 million for the construction of a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at the 溏心vlog免费B站 and $17 million for the renovation of and an addition to Rhode Island College\u2019s Art Center, has earned endorsements from key Rhode Island business, labor and community organizations, media and individuals.<\/p>\n


\nQuestion 2 has been endorsed by:<\/p>\n


\n\u2022\tRhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association

\n\u2022\tNorth Kingstown Fraternal Order of Police

\n\u2022\tAmerican Association of University Professors \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 Chapter

\n\u2022\tNEA Rhode Island Political Action Committee for Education

\n\u2022\tGreater Providence Chamber of Commerce

\n\u2022\tSouth Kingstown Chamber of Commerce

\n\u2022\tNorthern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce

\n\u2022\tHospital Association of Rhode Island

\n\u2022\tIronworkers Local No. 37

\n\u2022\tLaborers International Union of North America \u2013 Rhode Island Local 1033

\n\u2022\tRhode Island AFL-CIO

\n\u2022\tRhode Island College \u2013 American Federation of Teachers Local 1819

\n\u2022\tRhode Island College Alumni Association

\n\u2022\tRhode Island College Foundation

\n\u2022\tRhode Island Construction and Building Trades Council

\n\u2022\t溏心vlog免费B站 Foundation

\n\u2022\t溏心vlog免费B站 Alumni Association

\n\u2022\t溏心vlog免费B站 Student Senate<\/p>\n


\n\tRhode Island’s business and labor leaders have come together to support Question 2. Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Michael F. Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council wrote about their support in the Providence Journal on Oct. 19:<\/p>\n

“One aspect of the economic-development equation that demands immediate attention is support for higher education and job training. Depending on which ranking you follow, Rhode Island ranks last in the nation (or very close to it) in public investment in our state institutions: the Community College of Rhode Island, the 溏心vlog免费B站 and Rhode Island College. Very few matters being debated right now have that gravitas. On Election Day, we can begin to get out of the rankings basement \u2026 Higher education\u2019s role in developing programs needed for the jobs that the marketplace will demand is critical to our state\u2019s economic future. Investing in our public institutions of higher education in the sciences and the arts will put Rhode Island in a growth mode.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n


\n\tOthers, including Former Commissioner of Higher Education Americo Petrocelli, and Vice President & General Manager at Toray Plastics Scott Van Winter, also contributed opinion pieces to area publications and spoke out about the need for the new facility.<\/p>\n


\nMedia who have endorsed the bond include the Providence Journal, Providence Business News, South County Independent, East Side Monthly, Providence Phoenix, Warwick Beacon, Newport Daily News and RIFuture.org. In addition, one 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate who is a leading national security expert, Anthony Amore, wrote in the national Huffington Post and the Providence Journal about the need and support for Question 2. In his column entitled “Fighting Terrorism in Kingston, Rhode Island,” Amore wrote:<\/p>\n

\n


\n\t“On November 2, voters will be given a unique opportunity. A ballot measure will allow Rhode Islanders to cast their support for the work that 溏心vlog免费B站 is doing to fight terrorism and to aid U.S. soldiers \u2014 who, remember, are still at war \u2014 by voting \u201cYES\u201d on Question 2. Such a vote will approve $61 million for the construction of a new chemistry building to replace Pastore Hall on the campus. It really is the biggest no-brainer on the ballot this year.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n


\n\tIf approved, the referendum is expected to create approximately 1,200 jobs over the next five years in construction, trades, architecture, engineering, management, teaching and research. The American Chemistry Council estimates that chemistry companies in Rhode Island directly employ more than 3,700 people, and indirectly contribute more than 8,700 jobs. For every chemistry industry job in-state, an additional 2.3 jobs are created within the state\u2019s economy. Rhode Island chemistry industry jobs are also good paying, with an average wage of $67,200, generating $252 million in earnings.<\/p>\n


\nSupporters of Question 2 agree that approval of this bond referendum is essential to Rhode Island\u2019s economic revitalization and job growth. The new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at 溏心vlog免费B站 will prepare students with leading edge technology and training that will help them compete and succeed in the job market and will help local businesses looking to hire workers in the health sciences, biotechnology, energy and other high-tech industries.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bond referendum essential to Rhode Island\u2019s economic revitalization, job growth. KINGSTON, R.I., October 27, 2010 – Question 2, a statewide bond referendum which will provide $61 million for the construction of a new Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences at the 溏心vlog免费B站 and $17 million for the renovation of and an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63680\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}