Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in RI Politics?
Friday, July 08, 2011
Who’s Hot
Gordon Fox -> Kudos to Speaker Fox for a job well done this session. He faced some difficult decisions, particularly with his support of the civil unions bill, but he showed true leadership and real political savvy as the year went on. Chances are the state will never again see the days of a Speaker that has supreme power over the state, but Fox proved he can still set the agenda better than anyone.
Hugh Clement -> Congrats to the new interim Police Chief. Here’s hoping this popular veteran gets the job permanently. It would be the right move for the city and certainly the right move for the Department, which could use one of its own running the show now more than ever.
Lauren Nocera, Alex Moore and Aaron Regunberg -> The new faces of the Providence Democratic Party. They’re the Wild Colonial crowd compared with the Rosario Society crowd. It will be interesting to see what direction they take the city in, but don’t be surprised if the city committee looks a lot different four years from now.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCharles Lombardi -> Kudos to the North Providence Mayor for standing up to his Council and vetoing the budget. Lombardi has had his plans set in stone for months now and he has been praised time and time again. There is no reason for the Council to propose changes that simply don’t make that much sense.
Veteran Cops -> The young cops in the city of Providence caught a huge break last week when the vets were willing to support a new contract that kept 78 newbies employed. It was the right move by the old timers and they deserve credit for putting their brothers in the Department first.
Angel Taveras -> What’s a bigger challenge: Cleaning up the mess he was handed in the city or diaper duty? Congrats to Mayor Taveras on big news this week.
Matt Jerzyk -> He’s one of the most polarizing names to the inside baseball crowd in Rhode Island politics, but Jerzyk deserves as much credit as anyone for helping the city weather its fiscal storm. Providence got unprecedented support at the General Assembly this year and he’s part of the reason. Kudos to Matt for a job well done.
Maria Cimini -> One of only 50 state legislators in the entire country heading to a very selective leadership program at the University of Virginia. Cimini was relatively quiet in her freshman year on Smith Hill, but she’s a true progressive and someone who can rise fast. Congrats to her on this fine achievement.
Scott Slater and Josh Miller -> As the General Assembly slashed funding for the people who need it the most, Slater and Miller managed to get a bill passed that will allow low-income Rhode Islanders to pay what they can afford to prevent shutoffs and pay down utility debts. It’s a feel-good law that makes sense. Great job!
Grace Diaz and Harold Metts -> It won’t be easy to enforce, but these lawmakers deserve credit for coming up with a plan to restrict the sale of rolling papers to minors. Let’s face it: Everyone knows what people do with rolling papers. This is a good measure that keeps kids safer.
Who’s Not
Lt. Governor Roberts -> Maybe she’s already planning that run for Governor in 2014, but where was Elizabeth Roberts in the final days of the General Assembly session? What happened to the health insurance exchange program and why wasn’t she fighting everyday to get the bill passed? Every one questions the Governor’s relevance, but it’s time to look at Lt. Gov. Roberts as well.
Governor Chafee -> He did the right thing by signing civil unions into law, but how could he not veto the voter id bill, which will undoubtedly waste money and probably not be very effective? It’s a shame that he let this one slide and you have to wonder if it will hurt his progressive credibility moving forward.
Allan Fung -> What’s the Cranston Mayor thinking swearing at a school board member? Mayor Fung should be paving the way for a school that is going to help hundreds of low-income Providence and Cranston children and instead he’s verbally assaulting someone on the school committee. Keep your eye on the ball, Mayor.
Ralph Mollis -> Another supporter of the voter id bill. Isn’t he supposed to be a Democrat? Because voter suppression isn’t typically the tactic Democrats like to use come election time. Will folks remember this when he comes knocking for support for a run at Lt. Gov. in a few years?
Leo Medina -> Well, he might deserve credit for trying, but being a fake lawyer will get you in serious trouble. Rep. Medina seems like a good guy with the right goals in mind, but this makes no sense. And it will probably cost him his seat in 2012.
Binding Arbitration -> It’s not so much the idea of the bill, it’s the timing. The state simply can’t afford it right now and it’s a shame some legislators wanted to jam it through at the end. Kudos to Speaker Fox for killing it for now and revisiting later.
