Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in RI Politics?

Friday, July 04, 2014

Dan Lawlor, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

 

Every Friday, Dan Lawlor breaks down who's rising and who's falling in the world of Rhode Island politics. Check out who made the lists this week.

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Leah Williams Metts makes the Hot list this week.

Hot

Independence Day: As Langston Hughes wrote, "O, let America be America again—The land that never has been yet—And yet must be—the land where every man is free."

Leah Williams Metts: Leah Williams Metts, a key community organizer behind the grand re-opening of the pool at the Davey Lopes Recreation Center, told Providence Monthly, "I cannot wait to see the kids swimming… last year it was very depressing; it was just concrete, and the kids were just getting wet with a hose at the side of an empty pool… and now we have water.” Kudos to the GoLocal team for breaking this story, and good work to President Michael Solomon and the City Council in seeing this project through!

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Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. The New England Association of Chiefs of Police (NEACOP) honored Providence with the Department of the Year Award for Community Policing. The Police Chief noted, "This award is credit and acknowledgment of the daily efforts of the men and women of the PPD and also the many ongoing and strong partnerships we have in the community." This is a big accomplishment considering the city has 76 fewer officers than five years ago.

John Marion/Common Cause: Fresh off victory with Governor Chafee signing the bill to ban the Master Lever, Marion moved on to remind us, "Ever wonder how much candidates are spending on political ads? Starting July 1st the FCC requires that contracts be posted online. Go to the FCC website, enter the call numbers (WJAR, WPRI, etc.), hit enter, and then click on the sixth icon from the left. You'll get all the contracts for the candidates. Enjoy!

Cristina Garmendia/Opportunity Space RI: Opportunity SpaceRI is a joint project of Central Falls, Cumberland, Pawtucket, and Providence to maintain an online database of over 2000 public properties, a one stop listing for developers and citizens. Garmendia notes, "Through better access to information, we bring together government, developers, investors, community groups, and citizens to enable smarter decision-making and strategic investments." Area foundations and municipalities partnered for this project.

Tony Affigne/Green Party of RI - Greens and environmentalists across the Northeast continue to demand more public hearings on the proposed expansion of the 61 year old Algonquin natural gas pipeline, which has a compressor station in Burrillville, RI, Eco RI reports. Affigne tells GoLocal, local leaders will join the Greens in protest, "When people realize that Rhode Island bears the risk and the cost, but enjoys few of the pipeline’s benefits..."

Stan Kapelewski/Street Sights Newspaper- In 1998, 471 families accessed homeless shelter services. In 2008, 953 families did. Street Sights give a voice to poets, writers and commentators among the homeless and their allies- and through donations or advertising you can support this vital volunteer work. 

Not

Joseph Paolino, Jr. The former Providence Mayor, Ambassador to Malta, and current real estate developer has gone all out for expanded gambling in Newport. One would hope someone with so much would be a bit more innovative in ways to improve the state.

Dr. Susan Lusi: Lusi has a big job. That said, the facilities, particularly in the South and West End (let alone Mt. Pleasant High School) are a mess. The district needs to work with the public to create real pressure on the state to lift the moratorium to fund renovations or improvements. Simply put, students should not attend schools with a giant auditorium curtain labeled "Asbestos"- as they still do at Gilbert Stuart Middle School.

Bad for Democracy: Is it really an election without a choice? In a state with over 8% jobless, 47 General Assembly members will return to office without any opponent in the fall (even, shockingly, Democratic Representative John Carnevale who was facing sexual assault charges in 2012 until the woman involved died).

25: As GoLocal reported, "Rhode Island ranks 25th out of 30 states in beach water quality, according to a new report for the National Resources Defense Council." In 2011, we ranked 16th. What happened?

9% - Among 11th graders in Providence, 9% were proficient in the NECAP Science Assessment, 48% were proficient in writing, and 61% were proficient in reading, and 14% were proficient in math. With the freedom given by the moratorium, now is a great time to listen, reflect, and fund innovative techniques to give students tutoring and well-planned supports to succeed.

Art Teacher Decline - Sources in the city's art world note, from 2002 to 2014, the number of art, music, and dance teachers in the Providence Schools fell from 155 to 65 (from one teacher for every 178 students to one for every 330 students). We can do better for our kids.

 

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