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

Friday, September 05, 2014

Russ Moore, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

 

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

Hot:

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Sabina Matos

Sabina Matos: The Ward-15 Providence councilwoman who flirted with running for Mayor earlier this year looks to be playing kingmaker in the crucial elections this year. Matos is backing Michael Solomon for Providence Mayor, and Gina Raimondo for Governor, both of which are the presumed favorites.

Chick Fil A: The iconic chicken sandwich restaurant is finally opening in Rhode Island over on route 2 in Warwick. Despite it's socially conservative reputation in a liberal state, there were people lined up days before waiting to eat there.

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CVS: They're not one of my favorite companies given their efforts to stifle pharmacy freedom of choice several years ago, but it's undeniable that the organization is getting some good press for their decision to discontinue sales of cigarettes, which is ultimately a good thing.

Ken Block: For months, one of Allan Fung's biggest arguments against his rival was that Block cost Robitaille the election. So it was a huge boon to the Block campaign to score the former Republican Gubernatorial candidate's endorsement on Tuesday.

Del's Lemonade: Rhode Island's famous lemonade producer was named the state's "Most Significant" chain restaurant by Thrillist on Labor Day. As if Rhode Islanders and tourists needed another reason to buy the iconic lemonade on a hot day.

11th Greatest: The Huffington Post basically just reaffirmed what Rhode Islanders have always known--that we're one of the greatest "foodie" cities in America. Their reason, however, that we've got the best donut shops around, was interesting.

NOT:

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Clay Pell

Clay Pell: It turns out that the guy who has been going around telling everyone that he's the only "real" Democrat in the race, was really a registered Republican for many years in Republican, which was first reported by RI Future.org. And on top of it, when asked when he switched over to become a Democrat, he avoided the question that he apparently couldn't answer. That's a serious credibility issue.

Don Carcieri: In a week in which Republican Gubernatorial candidates Ken Block and Allan Fung traded high profile Republican endorsements in John Robitaille and Mitt Romney respectively, nobody in the media or anywhere else is asking about who former Governor Carcieri is endorsing. That's because nobody wants his endorsement.

Anastasia Williams: The Providence State Representative hired  Frank Corbishley, who was forced to resign from PROCAP in 2011 after a multi-month investigation by GoLocalProv, as the interim director of the John Hope Settlement House. And she's refusing to answer any questions about the hiring.

Gatehouse Media: Thus far, the Providence Journal's new owner has been as bad as advertised in firing several experienced journalists including iconic columnist Bob Kerr. It was surprising, but the media landscape got worse for Rhode Island with the Gatehouse purchase.

Ralph Mollis: According to a Providence Journal report, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini is considering sanctioning the Secretary of State and Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate for allegedly stalling a hearing into unregistered lobbying over the 38 studios deal. This isn't the kind of press Mollis was hoping for in the days leading up to the primary election.

Tolls: With the exception of Ken Block and Angel Taveras, none of the gubernatorial candidates would rule out tolls on route 95 when asked this week. It was most surprising to hear Fung leave the door open, considering how he's argued that Block's proposal to reform unemployment would hurt the tourism industry.

 

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