Speaker Fox, opponent Binder square off

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - House Speaker Gordon Fox defended his record against tough criticism from independent challenger Mark Binder in a televised debate Friday as the powerful 10-term Democrat seeks to hold onto his East Side seat.

Fox and Binder engaged in an energetic and often testy exchange during a half-hour taping of WPRI 12's Newsmakers. The Democratic incumbent argued he's improved Rhode Island by passing laws including an education funding formula and an overhaul of the pension system, while his opponent criticized him for the 38 Studios deal and late-night legislating.

Speaking directly to voters, Fox said: "I believe through my record of providing leadership to tackle real problems in your lives and my life and this whole state of Rhode Island's lives, I deserve to be closely looked at and I believe I deserve your vote for re-election to this seat."

"Gordon Fox has been there for 20 years," Binder said. "He's responsible for the 38 Studios disaster. He says he's from the district. He says he represents our values. But how does 38 Studios serve our district? How does blocking [a cap on] payday lending, which would have helped the poorest people in our district, benefit our district or serve or values?"

Binder reiterated an attack he launched this week on the speaker's ethics, accusing Fox of accepting donations in return for legislative favors. "He took money before voting, he took money after voting, and he took money while working on legislation," Binder said. "I think voters can make their own decision."

Fox hit back by accusing Binder of making scurrilous accusations. "To sit here and throw this mud against the wall ... is reckless and libelous," he said. Fox also suggested the fundraising culture on Smith Hill is an issue and said the state should study the possibility of publicly financed elections.

Fox rejected Binder's suggestion that the speaker knew when the House approved a $125 million loan guarantee program in June 2010 that $75 million of the money would go to 38 Studios within weeks, but Binder argued the speaker controls the flow of legislation and must have known why the bill was suddenly plucked from obscurity to pass.

Binder also put Fox on the defensive for the openly gay speaker's failure to call a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage since he got the job in February 2010. Fox pledged to do so next year and said Binder didn't understand the actual process of passing legislation.

Binder, for his part, declined to take a position on a number of issues, saying he wasn't sure what legislation would help improve Rhode Island's economy and declining to say whether he would have voted for or against last year's pension overhaul. "At this point I'm going to abstain," he said.

Fox used that answer to try and draw a contrast with his opponent. "That's the difference, Mark, between you and me," he said. "I don't have the luxury of abstaining. ... It's about solving problems."

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim

Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi's Notes blog. Follow him on Twitter: @tednesi