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WATCH: Feroce Claims Moira Walsh Unfit to Vote on Budget, Walsh Responds

1/18/2018

In an interview with Dan Yorke Wednesday, Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate, Giovanni Feroce spoke out against the lack of financial literacy within the general assembly, specifically calling out Rep. Moira Walsh.

"You want controversy, I’ll give you controversy right out of this show. We think it’s good that a waitress is voting on a 9 and a half billion dollar budget," Feroce remarked. "That is crazy. That is crazy to me."

Watch Feroce's full interview below

Video (Courtesy Dan Yorke State of Mind)

On Thursday, Moira Walsh responded to WBOB, offering her thoughts on Feroce's comments and assumptions, and took a slight jab at his own financial failures.

"I am disappointed that Mr. Feroce would make such an assumption about my financial literacy with so little information to back it up," said Walsh. "I would never assume that a stranger whom I have never met made poor financial decisions even if a quick Google search provides plenty of evidence to suggest it."

"I’d encourage Mr. Feroce to try living on a limited income and sticking to a budget before dismissing half the electorate as incapable of making large financial decisions. I’d also encourage him to refrain from passing judgement on people he’s never met," Walsh continued.

Feroce's comments on financial literacy are somewhat incongruous, says WBOB editor Kevin Aherne, citing his recent business failures. Aherne wrote an editorial about the current Gubernatorial field published to 990WBOB in early January, in which he described Feroce's business acumen.

"If Don John Trump's business acumen (or lack thereof) serves as a basis for his electability, former CEO Giovanni Feroce stands a chance.

Except he doesn't.

While he may have played a role in the successes of Alex + Ani, Feroce ruined his legacy with the triumphant failure of his next venture, BENRUS, a watch company that focused on the branding of iconic watches without producing any iconic watches. That company's story ended with Feroce's ousting, followed by lawsuits, liens, and a restraining order.

While it's hard to knock Feroce's hustle. Hustle doesn't win games, points do -- and Gio just got shut out."