Courtesy of: http://www.projo.com
BY SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
Journal State House Bureau
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams and Governor Carcieri have both called into question a pro-casino advertisement that ran this week.
Williams and other justices raised concerns about the full-page color ad by Harrah's Entertainment and the Narragansett Indian Tribe, saying it might be misconstrued as an official court communication or that the judges took a position on the casino question.
When Governor Carcieri's office was asked about the ad, his spokesman went further calling it "blatantly false advertising."
The ad, purchased in The Providence Sunday Journal, has a large photo of the state's main courthouse and in big bold letters says: "The Supreme Court Agrees: The People Have the Right to Vote."
However, that's not quite true.
The court declined last week to rule on the constitutionality of a November ballot question asking voters to approve a West Warwick casino. Sidestepping the issue, the court said Carcieri, who brought forth the challenge, had no standing to do so.
The justices said in their decision that "we take no position on either the merits or the wisdom of the question presented to the voting public."
The court did say the amendment "must be voted upon by the people" but never said there is a "right" to a vote.
The ad was disturbing enough to Williams and several other justices that Williams asked his director of community outreach and public relations, Craig N. Berke, to contact the casino supporters.
"He was concerned, in his capacity as the administrative head of the judiciary, about the perception that that ad might give the public," Berke said.
"At first blush, the ad might look like it was even from the Supreme Court itself," he said noting the large photo of the Licht Judicial Complex stripped across the top of the page. It's not until a reader gets to the bottom of the page, Berke said, that they see "Paid for by Rhode Islanders for Jobs and Tax Relief." The group is financed by Harrah's to lobby for the casino.
Berke also said the ad "might give the perception that the Supreme Court is taking a position on the question" which it is not.
Narragansett Indian Tribe Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said "that wasn't the intent" of the ad. After Berke made some inquiries, Thomas said he called back "to make sure there were no misunderstandings."
"What we meant to say obviously is the issue is a constitutional amendment that has to go before the public," Thomas said. "Obviously, somebody must have taken it in a way that we didn't intend. It's just an ad."
Having to do it over again, Thomas said he would change the ad.
"Oh no, we wouldn't run it the same way. Certainly we want to make sure that there's no misunderstanding," Thomas said.
The governor's spokesman, Jeff Neal, however didn't write it off as a misunderstanding.
"They said something that wasn't true and they got caught red-handed by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. If Harrah's can't tell the truth about our Supreme Court, what can they tell the truth about?," Neal said. "The fact that the Supreme Court had to ask Harrah's to stop making these false claims shows how far the casino proponents will go to make money off the people of Rhode Island."
"They will say anything to get a casino, regardless of whether it's true or false," Neal added. "Rhode Islanders should remember this episode every time they see a Harrah's advertisement."
Jonathan M. Romano, spokesman for Rhode Islanders for Jobs and Tax Relief, did not respond to Carcieri's comments about the ad, but said: "Unlike the governor, we are pleased with the court's decision."
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