We, the undersigned, hereby declare that Daniel James McKee, Governor of the state of Rhode Island, is unfit for the job of Governor of Rhode Island and has been derilect in his duties for the following reasons:

 

1) As Governor, Dan McKee is expected to hold government agencies accountable for protecting the citizens of this state. The Department of Transportation has neglected to properly maintain the Washington Bridge which jeopardized the safety of those traveling across the bridge. Despite this clear and gross negligence by RIDOT, the Governor has continued to support RIDOT and has taken no action to hold the Director of RIDOT accountable.

 

2) As a result of this gross negligence by RIDOT and failure of Governor Dan McKee to hold them accountable, the economy of Rhode Island is suffering as citizens on the eastern side of the bridge shift purchases to businesses in Massachusetts resulting in lost income for the state of Rhode Island and advancement of our economy.

 

3) Furthermore, this negligence has had a negative impact on the lives of those who rely on the bridge to commute to work on a regular basis. As a result of this emergency bridge closure, many citizens have been forced to make significantly longer commutes to work or miss work due to limitations on when commutes can be made. Accordingly, this results in reduced income for impacted citizens which makes their lives more difficult and leads to reduced spending by these families further impacting the delicate Rhode Island economy.

 

4) In addition to the impacts stated above, due to longer commutes, citizens are putting more wear on their vehicles which will cause greater expenses in the future for vehicle maintenance. Additionally, the added commute time results in increased gas consumption creating higher gas bills for citizens and further reducing discretionary spending.

 

5) As a result of this gross negligence by RIDOT, the federal government has initiated a probe into what led to this failure and whether or not fraud was involved.  

 

Governor McKee swore an oath to "support, protect and defend the constitution of the United States, and the constitution and laws of the State of Rhode Island" which includes holding state agencies accountable for fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to them.

 

Accordingly, Governor McKee took an oath that in this situation means holding RIDOT accountable for this failure of leadership. By failing to hold RIDOT accountable, Governor McKee inherently assumes responsibility for their actions and must be held accountable.

 

Due to Governor McKee's failure to uphold his oath of office, we the undersigned hereby call for his resignation from the office of Governor of the state of Rhode Island.

 

Furthermore, we the undersigned, call on the elected officials of the Rhode Island Legislature to hold the Governor accountable should he choose to not resign his office. We call on the Rhode Island Legislature to launch impeachment proceedings against Governor McKee should he fail to resign his office or immediately begin to fulfill his oath of office.