Day after win, Chafee gets to work

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - After celebrating a big win Tuesday, Rhode Island's governor-elect, Lincoln Chafee, is now gearing up for the transition to power.

At an afternoon news conference, Chafee said he had no personnel appointments to announce and was only beginning to assemble a transition team. "I just got elected last night," he said. His schedule included a three-hour meeting to focus on a smooth transition from the Carcieri administration.

Chafee's said his wife had told him, "Good morning, governor," when he woke up this morning. But "with that comes the weight of all the challenges in the state," including double-digit unemployment and a state budget deficit estimated at roughly $360 million for next year.

"I like a challenge," he said. "And that's why I ran."

Chafee, the first independent to win the governor's office, garnered just 36 percent of the statewide vote, barely edging out Republican challenger John Robitaille - meaning 64 percent of Rhode Island voters did not vote for Chafee.

"He is, first and foremost, extremely grateful at the support he received from those people who voted for him," said Chafee campaign manager Mike Trainor. "He is looking forward very much to moving ahead with the agenda that he promised the people of Rhode Island; which is to build an administration that is based on openness, honesty, integrity."

• Nesi's Notes: Economy will make or break Gov. Chafee
• Results: See breakdown by city/town

At the press conference, Chafee expressed disappointment that the R.I. Economic Development Corporation had closed just yesterday on its $75 million taxpayer-guaranteed loan to 38 Studios, Curt Schilling's video game company. But he added that he did not think there was anything he could do to block the deal at this point.

Chafee also repeatedly declined to speculate about the future of Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, who has clashed at times with the teacher's unions who supported Chafee's candidacy. He also expressed skepticism about the value of charter schools. "I'd rather focus on the [existing] public school system," he said.

Chafee also discussed his unpopular proposal to levy a new 1 percent sales tax on items that are currently exempt, a policy he estimates would increase state revenue by about $100 million a year. He said the idea was an "overwhelming issue" in the campaign that likely cost him a lot of votes.

Chafee said he was "open to other ideas" for balancing the state budget outside of his sales tax proposal, but that he believed it was the best option available because it would do less harm to economic growth than other solutions.

Chafee said he received a call from the White House on Wednesday and is working to set up a time when he can speak to President Barack Obama, who pointedly declined to endorse his fellow Democrat Frank Caprio because of his friendship with Chafee. That decision led to Caprio's infamous "shove it" comment.

Chafee said he also spoke Tuesday night with House Speaker Gordon Fox but has not yet talked with outgoing Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri or Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed.

Earlier in the day, Trainor said his boss realizes he will have to work to win over the nearly two-thirds of voters who cast ballots for a different gubernatorail candidate on Tuesday.

"The reality of a three-, four-, five-person race is that the person who wins is not going to have 50 percent. And so, Gov-elect Chafee is acutely aware that he has to go out now, and there is two-thirds of the population he has to prove himself to and earn their support and trust," Trainor said.

Trainor said the focus of the Chafee adminstration will be building an economy that will employ Rhode Islanders.

Chafee is a former Republican U.S. Senator who left the party in 2007, a year after losing re-election. His father, John Chafee, served as Rhode Island's governor in the 1960s.

The younger Chafee said he had "very good" memories of his father's tenure. "He was very happy as governor," he said.