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

Friday, January 21, 2011

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

 

Who’s Hot

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David Graziano and Johnathan Berard -> In news delivered first to GoLocalProv, these two young leaders were named President and Vice President of the Rhode Island Young Democrats. Graziano previously served as the organization’s Membership Director and Berard made a name for himself during election season when he ran Chris Blazejewski’s successful campaign for State Rep. Congrats to two men who will undoubtedly make news in the months to come.

Meghan Grady -> Remember when she rocked her Republican counterpart on Newsmakers awhile back? Well the outgoing President of the Young Dems continued her move up the political ladder by joining the Mayor's Substance Abuse Council in Providence. Grady was an early supporter of Mayor Taveras and it was only a matter of a time for her to end up in City Hall.

Ocean State Policy Research Institute -> Whether you agree with their findings or not, OSPRI made huge headlines this week by suggesting that $4.6 billion has been lost in the state thanks to the large number of people leaving the state. There is some debate as whether the figures are completely accurate, but here’s hoping they have at least started a long-awaited conversation.

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Alan Hassenfeld -> The state’s most famous toy man and philanthropist was among those who backed up OSPRI’s findings. But he’s “Hot” this week because of rumors circulating that he may be another challenger to Senator Whitehouse in 2012. He no commented Ian Donnis at WRNI, but one former gubernatorial candidate told me he doesn’t see Hassenfeld throwing his name into the hat. “He could win. But he has too much going on,” the source said.

Stan Israel -> The 66-year-old decided to call it quits this week after spending over 25 years leading with the District 1199 New England of the Service Employees International Union. Nobody has helped achieve more for the state’s health care workers and GoLocalProv wishes him the best.

Steve Brown -> Rhode Island’s ACLU Executive Director correctly took new Attorney General Peter Kilmartin to task for his support of the Secure Communities Initiative. The bottom line, as Brown wrote in a blog post, is that S-Comm will undermine, rather than promote, public safety in neighborhoods.

Johnston -> Kudos to the town of Johnston for finally getting serious about going after illegal pensions. It’s long overdue, but if they get it right, they’re going to save a lot of money. Other cities and towns should keep a close eye on what happens.

Warren Zoning Board -> Double kudos to the little-known Warren Zoning Board, which refused to allow someone to open up a gun shop next to a residential neighborhood on, of all places, Child Street. I’m all for new business, but does it have to involve guns?


Who’s Not

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Roberto DaSilva -> Talk about self-interests. This State Rep is proposing a law that will bring harsher penalties to those who murder state or local elected officials. Get over yourself, Representative. And shame on the four Reps who cosponsored this ridiculous legislation.

John J. Tassoni Jr -> In the same week, Senator Tassoni proposed a bill that would force landscapers to register with the state and a bill that would make the same-sex marriage debate go out to the public as opposed to just the General Assembly. Which basically means in the same week, the Senator found a way to make enemies of the little kid who cuts my lawn during the summer and every supporter of gay marriage in the state.

Mob Nicknames -> An extremely rough week for anyone named “Baby Shacks” or “The Saint.” It’s probably about time Mafia figures skip over the nicknames and just go by their regular names. If everyone knows you as “The Butcher,” it can’t help you in court.

John Robitaille -> Talk about being desperate to stay in the news. The candidate who nearly snuck up and won the Governor’s race has announced plans to run again in 2014. Am I the only person who thinks he ought to find a job for a little while before giving it another shot?

Laurence Ehrhardt -> Pulled the all-time laughable argument that wind turbines could cause seizures and the Journal rightfully slapped him with a big Pants on Fire for his efforts. Is he really serious? Jersey Shore might cause me to go into convulsions. Wind turbines, not so much.

Pot -> Both Co-Op’s on the East Side of Providence are excited about pot’s potential in Rhode Island. The discussion was a hot radio topic all week, but the truth is, Bill Lynch’s bid in Pawtucket went all for naught and it’s hard to believe the state is going to “legalize it” in the near future.
 

 

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