A Fundraiser Email. An Ill-Timed Typo. When Does the Failure to Endorse a Long Time Mayoral Candidate Become the Real Issue?
What started as a typo on a campaign fundraising event announcement, quickly evolved into a real time analysis of the headwinds the Donald R Grebien Reelection effort is facing.
A mailer, generated by the Don Grebien Campaign:
Standard campaign issue “stuff”, right? Not. So. Fast. Anything more than a cursory glance will evidence that the return email address is Kristen@SethMagaziner.com. Cue the screeching tires sound effects ….
At that moment, as any Rhode Island political observer will tell you, the conspiracy theories begin to run rampant. Has Seth Magaziner endorsed Grebien? Is Seth Magaziner, or any of his campaign staff engaged in “bundling” campaign donations? What does this mean?
As is so often the case, the actual answer is far simpler. The Magaziner Campaign, on a stunning only-in-Rhode Island early Summer Friday afternoon, responded promptly:
From the Seth Magaziner Reelection Campaign:
“Kristin Murphy has multiple clients, including Congressman Magaziner, among others. It appears she made a simple error while drafting an email, and included the wrong email address”
My follow-up: Per our discussion, the Congressman has not endorsed Mayor Grebien. Will he be issuing an endorsement in the Pawtucket Mayoral Campaign? And for the record, is Congressman Magaziner engaged in any fundraising efforts for Mayor Grebien?
From the Campaign: “Congressman Magaziner in not currently engaged in any fundraising efforts for anyone besides House Democrats. He has not issued any state level endorsement in any races at this time.”
Simple enough? Not so fast …
Why hasn’t a sitting Democratic United States Congressman endorsed a 7 Term? 8 Term? Mayor for Life? The endorsement-silence from the Grebien Campaign, post campaign kickoff has been deafening. And while we expect electorally impaired Governor Dan McKee to roll out an endorsement, seemingly on demand, the longtime “Blackstone Valley Boys” alumni have kept their distance.
The reasons are many: According to USL Statistics, attendance at the “Soccer Stadium” are down nearly 2,000 attendees, per game, yearly from 2025 to 2026. Who really knows how many of those tickets are paid, arm’s length transactions? A recent announcement highlighted a school attendance for soccer tickets contest. Sure, they are paid for, but by whom? … Recent real estate development announcements in the area, a key determinant in paying for TIFF Financing, required the use of Tax Stabilization Agreements, for “Market Rate” rents … Huh? Around Pawtucket, water cooler tales are rife with accusations of yet even more raids on Pawtucket School Committee Capital Accounts to keep the troubled city afloat … Food lines grow longer and longer at the Heaven’s Sent Elisha Project Food Distros … Teacher layoffs loom large … and that’s just the beginning.
Massive cracks are appearing around the foundation of Rhode Island’s last true political machine. The air of inevitability that typically surrounds a Grebien campaign is gone. Grebien himself is increasingly isolated, particularly in City Hall, with only stalwart City Attorney Frank Milos left after a near 100% turnover this year. His hand-picked School Committee is imploding, with last year’s darling Omar Reyes on a revenge tour, seemingly striking out at anyone, anywhere. And there’s that 1261 Endorsement …
See you outside at the Cantinho Bar & Grill!
“Everyone is completely convinced that your uncle is to be re-elected. I can tell you that if there were the slightest doubt of the outcome tonight, this room and the sidewalk outside would not be crawling with people. Oh, the faithful would report, to be sure: they always do. But the scavengers—and they are rather more numerous, dear boy, than you might think—would not. They take no chances, you see. They report en masse only when the sure thing is at hand. They do not begin to circle until the footsteps stagger and the body starts to sink upon the sand. They are rarely wrong, and, dear boy, they are here in force tonight.”
― The Last Hurrah
Coming up Soon? Just who is Kristin Murphy?
