By Will Collette
The Staley family’s family business, the RI Statewide Coalition, is undergoing some major changes. A new RISC Executive Director is replacing Harriet Lloyd, daughter of RISC founder and Shelter Harbor
Lloyd will become RISC President, and according to news
reports, will focus primarily on fund-raising. She will replace James Beale who
is leaving the organization.
RISC also plans to move from its long-time headquarters
office in Charlestown to a new location,
reportedly in Warwick .
RISC is a kissing cousin of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance, sharing key leaders and board members throughout both organizations’ histories.
When the CCA needed help to push back a proposal by town
Democrats for a $1000 Homestead Tax Credit, they turned to RISC to organize last December’s “riot of the rich” – a group of out-of-state millionaire
homeowners who provided political cover for CCA Council members Boss Tom Gentz and Deputy Dan Slattery, and their close
ally, Councilor Lisa DiBello , to
vote down the proposal.
But if RISC moves up north, and the drive to Charlestown becomes “way
far” for them, the CCA may not be able to count on them in their struggles
ahead.
RISC and its 501(c)(3) “charity,” the RISC Foundation, was
founded in 2003 as an anti-tax, anti-Narragansett Indian group. They have
expanded their portfolio slightly to include broad attacks on public workers. In most respects, RISC is an older version of the Tea Party.
According to RISC reported filed with the Internal Revenue Service, most of the RISC Foundation’s income, which is used to fund RISC’s operations,
comes from large out-of-state donations.