The Rhode Island Republican Party praised officials from all the agencies involved in bringing former Speaker Gordon Fox to justiceon Tuesday, including the FBI and the Rhode Island State Police.
"I'm glad that Gordon Fox has been brought to justice," said Mark Smiley, RIGOP chairman. "For too long Rhode Island has been plagued by a corrupt political atmosphere at all levels of government, and today marks the end of a corrupt chapter in our history. Let us remember that this is just a chapter, however, in a book of corruption, with Democratic incumbents as the main characters. We still have officials that have violated the public's trust - Representative Almeida of South Providence, who is accused of misusing campaign finances much like Gordon Fox is, the mayor of Woonsocket who used her office to hire her own family as employees of the city, and much more. These communities deserve better, and we must work diligently to make that a reality."
"It's sad that this type of story of corruption and greed plays out every few months in Rhode Island," added Luis Vargas, Executive Director of the RIGOP. "We need a renewed commitment to ethics at all levels of government, and until that happens there will hardly be any 'hope' for our Ocean State's future.
