Critical Piece of Governor Chafee's Vision for Making Government an Efficient, Effective, Responsible Steward of Taxpayer Dollars
Providence, RI – Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced that Peter M. Marino will serve as the first Director of the newly created Rhode Island Office of Management and Budget. Marino, who has extensive experience in public finance, previously served as Rhode Island Senate Fiscal Advisor. In that role, he was responsible for the staffing, supervision, and overall operation of the Senate Fiscal Advisory Office, which assists Senate leadership in negotiating and developing the state's annual operating and capital budget.
"The Office of Management and Budget is an important component of my efforts to make government work for the people of Rhode Island," Governor Chafee said. "Rhode Islanders want to know that their hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and resourcefully. The OMB will be proactive in ensuring the most efficient and effective delivery of services, as well as develop long-term strategies for wise investments and identifying solutions to challenges before they become crises."
"Peter Marino has worked on public finance issues in Rhode Island for decades, and he has a thorough understanding of how our state government functions," Governor Chafee continued. "He will bring a broad range of knowledge and expertise to this position, and he shares my commitment to providing the best possible services to Rhode Islanders in the most cost-effective manner."
"I appreciate the confidence the Governor has shown in me in selecting me to lead this important office," Marino said. "Throughout his career in public service, the Governor has been a careful steward of taxpayer dollars, and I look forward to continuing that mission at OMB. This office will provide the necessary strategic planning to make government more efficient and affordable for Rhode Island taxpayers. We will also look beyond today's and tomorrow's problems to make sure that the state is investing its resources wisely in future years."
President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed said, "Peter Marino is a talented and dedicated professional who has served the Senate with distinction. He always ensured that members of the chamber had the information they needed to make informed decisions on fiscal matters. Peter has demonstrated leadership on Senate priorities and advised the chamber during the most challenging fiscal times. We in the Senate are sad to see him go, but we know that the people of Rhode Island will continue to be well-served by Peter's budgetary expertise in this new capacity."
"Peter Marino is the right choice, at the right time, to take the helm of the newly-created Office of Management and Budget," said John Simmons, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. "He brings a unique mix of practical experience from his time at the State Budget and Senate Fiscal Offices, and research and quantitative analysis through his work at RIPEC. It is this background that enables him to see the broader picture of the interrelationship between budgeting and performance, and he will continue to be a great asset to the State of Rhode Island."
Before joining the Senate Fiscal Advisory Office, Marino served as Director of Research and Policy at RDW Group, a Providence-based communications and advertising firm; Director of Policy and Municipal Affairs at the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), a private, nonpartisan think tank that provides fiscal and policy analysis Rhode Island's business leadership; and Senior Budget Analyst in the Rhode Island State Budget Office.
Marino currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy, and previously served as an Adjunct Professor at Rhode Island College. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a Bachelor's in Science from James Madison University.
Governor Chafee called for the creation of the Office of Management and Budget, which will include the current Budget Office within the current Department of Administration, in his FY2013 budget proposal. The new office will continue to be responsible for the development and oversight of the Governor's budget plan, but will also oversee the performance management program and a new federal grants management unit. The goal of this new office's strategic long-term planning is to establish a comprehensive public finance and management system for Rhode Island that manages a data-driven budget process, monitors state departments' and agencies' performance, maximizes the application for and use of federal grants and ensures accountability and transparency to Rhode Island citizens regarding the use of public funds. This new office will also assume responsibilities from the Governor's Office of Economic Reinvestment and Recovery for the oversight of remaining federal stimulus funds, as this office is being phased-out in FY 2013.