51-405: Donald Louis Carcieri ( / k ər ˈ tʃ ɪr i / kər- CHEER -ee ; Italian: [karˈtʃɛːri] ; born December 16, 1942) is an American politician and corporate executive who served as the 73rd Governor of Rhode Island from January 2003 to January 2011. Carcieri has worked as a manufacturing company executive, aid relief worker, bank executive, and teacher. He is the latest member of
102-433: A get-out-the-vote phone campaign for Conservative Party of New York candidate Douglas Hoffman in the contentious 2009 House of Representatives campaign for New York's 23rd District . After pro-same-sex-marriage Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race, Hoffman lost to Democrat Bill Owens , who also opposed gay marriage, by a 2.3% margin. State senators said that this congressional race affected
153-427: A campaign disclosure report after a state supreme court ruling on its release. On April 8, 2009, NOM began a "2 Million for Marriage" (2M4M) initiative with the intention of organizing two million activists nationwide. When NOM used the abbreviation "2M4M" for their "2 Million for Marriage" campaign, the media noted that in personal ads, "2M4M" is code for two men seeking a third male sexual partner. NOM did not secure
204-669: A college scholarship. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in International Relations. Carcieri started his career as a high school math teacher, working in Newport, Rhode Island , and Concord, Massachusetts . He later became a banker and businessman, working his way up the ranks to become an executive vice president at Old Stone Bank. In 1981, Carcieri and his family moved to Kingston, Jamaica , where he worked for Catholic Relief Services . Two years later, he returned to Rhode Island and became an executive at
255-446: A dramatic storm-cloud background, voiced opposition to same-sex marriage . The Human Rights Campaign , a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) lobbying group and political action committee, described the ad saying that, in it, "actors make disproven claims about marriage for lesbian and gay couples." New York Times columnist Frank Rich described the "Gathering Storm" advertisement as "an Internet camp classic", and it
306-523: A letter (at his instruction) stating Mellencamp's support for same-sex marriage and asking that NOM stop using his music. NOM filed a lawsuit in US district court, on free speech grounds, seeking the right to run ads in the Rhode Island governor's race without complying with that state's campaign finance laws, including both campaign financing contribution limits and reporting requirements. In October 2010
357-525: A message for GOProud on marriage: If you try to elect pro-gay-marriage Republicans, we will Dede Scozzafava them." In addition, Maggie Gallagher has used the phrase "the Dede effect" to describe Republican lawmakers' fear of alienating their constituents by voting for same-sex marriage legislation. In 2010, NOM staged a 23-city tour holding rallies against same-sex marriage. The rallies attracted supporters and pro-gay marriage protesters. At many stops along
408-607: A reporter for the Washington Independent , said he uncovered a 2009 donation to NOM—$ 1.43 million from the Knights of Columbus —that reporter Luke Johnson later said was apparently not reported to the IRS by NOM. In 2010, two donors provided $ 6 million, two-thirds of the total donations for the year. On its 2012 tax return, NOM reported a roughly $ 2 million deficit. Three donors contributed nearly two-thirds of
459-473: A storm which dumped about 10–12 inches of snow on the state at the time of the evening commute. It became known as the "December Debacle." On that day, Carcieri was in the Middle East and could not be contacted until the storm was over. As a result of the timing of the storm and of conflicts between various state agencies about who was responsible for emergency management during Carcieri's absence, there
510-615: A video spot. The Christian Science Monitor described the spot as listing a "litany of grievances" as an "ominous score" plays, with a potentially embarrassing error for a campaign based on education: misspelling marriage as marraige . During the 2016 North Carolina gubernatorial election , NOM released an ad criticizing Democratic candidate Roy Cooper for his support for allowing transgender individuals access to bathrooms that reflect their gender identity. The ad claimed that doing so would give sexual predators easy access to children and other potential victims. NOM spent over $ 112,000 on
561-593: Is a member of the National Organization for Marriage which advocates for marriage to be legally defined as a union of one man and one woman. In November 2009, Carcieri vetoed H 5294 which, if enacted, would allow domestic partners to oversee and care for a same-sex partner's funeral arrangements. The bill's impetus was motivated by an event when the State refused to release the body of a man to his 17 year same-sex partner. In his veto message, Carcieri made
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#1732773400076612-642: Is not entitled to influence legislation or political campaigns. The Firefighters' Defense Fund, which existed to fund a successful sexual harassment lawsuit by firemen who claim they were forced to participate in a gay pride parade, was a NOM Education Fund project. The group also operates state-based political action committees such as National Organization for Marriage PAC New York founded in June 2009, and National Organization for Marriage California PAC founded in February 2009. The state PACs receive funding from
663-495: Is one of 19 states that elects its governor and lieutenant governor separately rather than on a single party ticket; Carcieri faced his own Lieutenant Governor, Democrat Charles J. Fogarty , who was prevented, by term limits, from running again for the Lieutenant Governor position. One of the most controversial events of Carcieri's governorship occurred on December 13, 2007, when the state of Rhode Island experienced
714-1065: The Deseret News , a newspaper owned by the LDS Church. NOM has been involved in ballot measures, legislative elections, judicial elections, and issue advertising in various states. NOM was involved in the successful Proposition 8 campaign in California in 2008, as well as a similar successful campaign in Maine one year later. They were also involved in unsuccessful efforts to pass an amendment eliminating same-sex marriage in Massachusetts in 2007. NOM participated in efforts to block same-sex marriage in New Jersey, and has unsuccessfully attempted to block same-sex marriage legalization in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and
765-542: The Cookson Group . He eventually became Joint Managing Director for Cookson and CEO of the company's Cookson America subsidiary. At the request of Carcieri, Cookson established their U.S. headquarters in an unused building in downtown Providence. As of 2006 he had 4 children and 13 grandchildren. He ran for Governor of Rhode Island in 2002. In the Republican primary election, he defeated James Bennett, who had won
816-548: The Republican Party to have served as Governor of Rhode Island. Carcieri was born and raised in East Greenwich, Rhode Island , the son of Marguerite E. (née Anderson) and Nicola J. Carcieri, a football and basketball coach at East Greenwich High School . His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of Swedish descent. Carcieri played baseball, basketball, and football while in high school and received
867-496: The District of Columbia. On June 16, 2009, NOM announced the formation of NOM PAC New York, a political action committee with a goal of providing $ 500,000 to fund primary challenges against any Republican New York state senator who votes for gay marriage. NOM stated that they were "also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests." In 2010, NOM
918-458: The Internet, causing some to accuse NOM of hypocrisy, NOM issued a press release stating that Prejean had appeared with NOM as a private citizen and not as a spokesperson. In the wake of the revelation that Prejean had made masturbation videos, NOM removed reference to the video from the front page of their website. On May 28, 2009, NOM rolled out an advertising campaign in New York, including
969-479: The New York State Senate's December 2, 2009 vote against same-sex marriage legislation; all 30 Republican state senators voted "no". Following her unsuccessful campaign, Scozzafava acknowledged that her name had begun being used as a verb: "scozzafavaed". When the gay Republican organization GOProud had a booth at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference , Brown commented, "[W]e have
1020-481: The amendment. NOM was first formed to support the passage of California Proposition 8 in 2008, which amended the state Constitution to discontinue same-sex marriage ceremonies. The amendment defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. NOM contributed $ 1.8 million to the Proposition 8 effort, and has been described as being "instrumental" in the success of the initiative. Proposition 8
1071-452: The citizens of this state." List of governors of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the U.S. state 's Army National Guard and Air National Guard . The current governor is Dan McKee . Rhode Island was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was admitted as a state on May 29, 1790. Before it declared its independence, Rhode Island
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#17327734000761122-608: The defendants to bring their case before the United States Supreme Court. On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled the defendants in the case lacked standing to appeal earlier rulings in Federal Court. As a consequence, Walker's opinion striking down the law as unconstitutional stands as the final decision in the case. NOM addressed the Supreme Court's ruling on its website, asking
1173-438: The domain name and other net resources that use the "2M4M" term. Christopher Ambler, a consultant in rapid web development who characterizes himself as a "happily married straight guy", purchased the domain "2M4M.org" and branded it as "Two Men For Marriage," running material counter to NOM's 2M4M aims. The 2M4M campaign used an advertisement, "Gathering Storm", in which actors, primarily Mormons from Arizona, standing against
1224-544: The endorsement of the state Republican Party. He went on to defeat Democrat Myrth York , 55% to 45% in the general election. On February 20, 2003, The Station nightclub in West Warwick , Rhode Island, was engulfed in a catastrophic fire which claimed 100 lives. The fire, which was one of the worst such tragedies in American history, was widely covered by the national press, which gave Carcieri's public statements on
1275-643: The event nationwide coverage. Eventually the Governor declared a moratorium on pyrotechnics for crowds under 300 people. In 2005, both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana . Carcieri vetoed the bill, but the legislature overrode Carcieri by a large margin. Carcieri and the Democratic -dominated General Assembly have been at odds on a number of issues: enacting separation of powers,
1326-540: The following statement: "This bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage, which is not the preferred way to approach this issue." In January 2010, the Legislature voted to override the veto. In the fiscal year 2010, the state of Rhode Island was facing a budget shortfall of $ 528 million. In an effort to shed $ 67.8 million, Carcieri imposed 12 furlough days. The first unpaid day
1377-559: The four Republicans who voted for the bill to legalize it, and erected signs in the districts of those senators, warning "You're Next". Wealthy same-sex marriage supporters vowed to finance the targeted senators. NOM supported four "Let the People Vote" rallies later in July of the same year, with the stated purpose of having the voters decide the issue versus the bill passed by the state's legislature. NOM provided more than $ 300,000 to
1428-563: The legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States . It was formed in 2007 specifically to pass California Proposition 8 , a state prohibition of same-sex marriage. The group has opposed civil union legislation and gay adoption , and has fought against allowing transgender individuals to use bathrooms that accord with their gender identity. Brian S. Brown has served as the group's president since 2010. NOM's founding board of directors consisted of: In April 2009, Holland
1479-453: The main 501(c)(4) NOM arm. NOM claims it has a wide base of grassroots support, however the majority of its funding comes from a very few anonymous sources making large donations. In NOM's IRS filing for 2009, three donations of $ 2.4 million, $ 1.2 million and $ 1.1 million made up 68% of NOM's contributions and grants income of a little over $ 7.1 million, and just five donations made up 75%. In 2010, Jesse Zwick, then
1530-419: The nation "show its displeasure" with the ruling, adding that "the Supreme Court ripped the legs out from under the institution of marriage." In 2009, NOM was the primary contributor to Stand For Marriage Maine, the organization that led the successful campaign for Question 1 in Maine, a voter referendum that repealed the law passed by the legislature to allow same-sex marriages in the state. Voters passed
1581-481: The organization's $ 9.3 million in donations. Gay rights activist Fred Karger said in 2010 that NOM is connected to LDS Church , with large private donations coming from Mormon sources. Gallagher responded by denying any connection "except that a Mormon serves on NOM's board." Former board member Matthew S. Holland is a Mormon as is his replacement Orson Scott Card , and Catholic board member Robert P. George has served since August 2010 as an editorial advisor to
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1632-468: The passage of Illinois's Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, SB 1716. On November 2, 2010, NOM ran a bus tour through Iowa campaigning for removal of three Iowa Supreme Court justices then up for a retention vote, following the court's unanimous decision in Varnum v. Brien ; the retention vote was "the most controversial...and one of the closest" races on the ballot. All three justices lost
1683-509: The president and Eastman chairman of the board. As of 2011, law professor Robert P. George was chairman emeritus. As of 2011, Gallagher was still a board member and worked on specific projects for the group. The group operates two nonprofit arms: a 501(c)(4) political advocacy group called National Organization for Marriage Inc., established in January 2008, and a 501(c)(3) called NOM Education Fund established in July 2008. The latter arm
1734-436: The referendum 53%–47% out of 567,057 votes cast. Out of the initial $ 343,000 in contributions, NOM provided some $ 160,000. NOM contributed over $ 1.6 million to Stand For Marriage Maine; by reports as of October 2009, NOM had contributed 63% of that group's funding. NOM has brought a number of lawsuits to prevent being required to release the names of its donors funding Stand For Marriage Maine. In 2015, NOM released
1785-531: The retention vote, the first time any judge had lost that vote since Iowa initiated the retention system in 1962. NOM actively opposed legalization of same-sex marriage in New York in 2011. The group sponsored a rally in the Bronx in May 2011 with state Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. , a Democrat. After same-sex marriage was legalized in the state by the legislature in June 2011, NOM pledged to spend $ 2 million to defeat
1836-413: The ruling, targeting Walker's sexuality and accusing him of "substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers." NOM President, Brian Snow, also expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, stating "With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians" Walker did however place a temporary injunction on same-sex marriages to allow
1887-419: The same ticket. National Organization for Marriage Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The National Organization for Marriage ( NOM ) is an American non-profit political organization established to work against
1938-631: The state in the event of his absence. Eventually a judge required Carcieri to release documents indicating his orders on the chain of command in such situations. On March 27, 2008, Carcieri signed an Executive Order requiring state agencies and vendors to verify the legal status of all employees and directing the Rhode Island State Police and the Department of Corrections to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure federal immigration laws are enforced. Carcieri
1989-525: The suit was dismissed; the court called the filing "disorganized, vague and poorly constructed" and gave the group one week to refile the lawsuit. NOM appealed to federal court, who ruled against them. NOM has opposed civil union recognition, calling it "a direct threat to marriage and the religious liberties" and stating that "civil union statutes across the country have been used to sue business owners and professionals who run their practices by their deeply held religious beliefs." It has campaigned against
2040-462: The surviving members of Peter, Paul and Mary , discovered that NOM had been using their recording of " This Land is Your Land " rallies in this tour, they sent a letter to Brown requesting that NOM cease using their recording, stating that NOM's philosophy was "directly contrary to the advocacy position" held by the group. Similarly, after John Mellencamp was informed that NOM had used his song " Pink Houses " at one of their events, his publicist wrote
2091-419: The term to be two years beginning from the first Tuesday in the January after the election. Terms were lengthened to four years in 1992, but governors were now limited to succeeding themselves only once. A former governor can run again after a four year break. Should the office of governor be vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. The governor and the lieutenant governor are not officially elected on
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2142-674: The tour, NOM supporters were outnumbered by counter-protesters supporting same-sex marriage; in Atlanta, LGBT rights supporters outnumbered opponents of same-sex marriage by a ratio of ten to one. The tour ended with a rally at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., while pro-gay marriage activists held a simultaneous event at the Freedom Plaza . After Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey ,
2193-503: The treatment of state workers, and whether children of illegal immigrants should have access to the state childcare health care plan. Carcieri often warned against increasing the size of the state's welfare programs as unaffordable and unsustainable and that the state suffers economically from a history of corruption. Carcieri has had a history of confrontations with the heavily Democratic state legislature, community activists, and organized labor. Carcieri won re-election in 2006. Rhode Island
2244-485: Was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain . The state initially continued operating under the provisions of its 1663 charter , which simply said that the governor and deputy-governor would be elected from time to time. The 1842 constitution formalized the terms for governor and lieutenant governor to be one year, beginning on the first Tuesday of May after the election. Amendment XVI, taking effect in 1911, changed
2295-429: Was inadequate snow clearance on major highways, causing gridlock long into the night and stranding several buses of schoolchildren in snowbanks for a number of hours. Widely criticized for blocking the Lieutenant Governor from taking charge in his absence, Carcieri admitted that his administration did "a poor job of communications" during the storm. However, he refused to answer questions concerning who would be in charge of
2346-488: Was involved in successful efforts to oust three Iowa Supreme Court judges who had concurred in a decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage there. In 2009, Peter Montgomery of the progressive organization People for the American Way stated: "You have to take [NOM] seriously [...] They've raised a tremendous amount of money that they're funneling into various states." One of the group's first public acts
2397-457: Was parodied by Stephen Colbert , the website Funny or Die , and in the Futurama episode " Proposition Infinity ". On April 30, 2009, NOM and beauty pageant winner Carrie Prejean launched another ad campaign against gay marriage, called "No Offense". In the ad, they object to being characterized as "outright bigots" because of their stance. After semi-nude photos of Prejean were posted on
2448-619: Was passed by voters 52% to 48%, and involved an estimated $ 83M by both sides of the issue. The amendment was in force until United States district court Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned it in August 2010, in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger , ruling that it violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution . NOM chairman Maggie Gallagher expressed her disagreement with
2499-408: Was replaced on the board by Orson Scott Card (science fiction novelist and faculty member, Southern Virginia University ), who then resigned in July 2013 after calling the battle against legalization of same-sex marriage in the US "moot" following a Supreme Court decision. In September 2011, law professor John C. Eastman replaced Gallagher as the chairman of the board. As of 2021, Brown remains
2550-542: Was to campaign in support of a proposed 2007 Massachusetts constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage by restricting marriage to "the union of one man and one woman", in response to the Massachusetts court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in that state. The NOM-supported amendment failed to pass. The campaign included a billboard comparing representative Angelo Puppolo to Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold after he changed his position to oppose
2601-573: Was to occur on Friday, September 5, 2009. The unions representing state workers were able to, in the 11th hour, have a restraining order issued by Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg with a full court hearing on the matter to occur on September 12. Almost immediately Carcieri issued a press release noting he now has no other option but layoffs. He further went on to say "It should greatly disturb every state employee and every Rhode Islander that labor leaders are willing to sacrifice people’s jobs so they can maintain their stranglehold on
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