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

Friday, June 10, 2011

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

 

Every week GoLocalProv lets you know who is on the boil and who is cooling off quickly in the world of Rhode Island politics.

Who’s Hot



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Terry Hassett -> The feel-good story of 2011 could easily become the best political story of 2014 if Councilman Hassett (right) chooses to run for Secretary of State (or Lt. Gov, perhaps?) next year. He's in a good position – the right combination of skill, friends and name recognition – making him awfully difficult to beat.
 


Jack Reed -> Two weeks in a row for the state's senior Senator, who played a major role in putting a cap on the amount credit card companies can charge per transaction. It might not be a hot button issue, but Senator Reed just helped to make a huge difference in the lives of Rhode Islanders.



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Michael Solomon -> Kudos to Providence City Council President Solomon for coming out in support of a proven high-performing charter school. Unlike some of his colleagues – the ones who only now want to talk about taxpayer money after they helped nearly bankrupt the city – Solomon understands that firm financial footing in the long term means an educated workforce. Achievement First will do that.



Kevin McBride -> Kudos to Governor Chafee for selecting McBride as the new head of the National Guard. The URI grad is a lifelong Rhode Islander and a true Ocean State success story. He will undoubtedly be a major asset to the state.



Hanna Gallo -> Senator Gallo was pushing for schools to offer more Advanced Placement exams long before GoLocalProv ever uncovered that Rhode Island was one of the lowest performing AP states in the country. AP is one of the easiest measures to help students enter college more fully prepared, and she deserves credit for sponsoring legislation that would expand access to these courses.



Brendan Doherty -> Governor Carcieri may not be running for Senate, but that doesn’t mean he’s staying away from Rhode Island politics. Carcieri is helping Doherty with a fundraiser, a move that will help on two fronts: 1) It will help Doherty generate support nationally; 2) It will help bring the more conservative RI Republicans firmly into the Doherty camp.

 

Who’s Not



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David Cicilline -> The freshman Congressman (left) continues to catch a beating locally and Washington is starting to pay attention. Some of the reports out of D.C. this week weren’t totally correct about Cicilline, but the more people question his credentials, the more the national GOP will consider CD 1 a winnable race. 
 


John Loughlin -> Here’s the downside of leaving everything behind while he serves his country: Now John Loughlin will be coming home to face a candidate that has the support of former Governor Carcieri’s deep pockets. Loughlin is a good candidate for Congress – he might be a better one than Doherty – but playing catch-up is going to be awfully difficult.
 


Bob Watson -> Pot and booze is one thing. Coke is another. The former Minority Leader totally denies using cocaine, but things aren’t looking good for him. Now the question is, can he hold on to his seat next year? Democrats will clearly be targeting him and without much support from the RI GOP, Watson could be in trouble.

 



Charter School Advocates -> As much as Achievement First should be coming the Rhode Island, the charter school advocates are not doing a very good job when it comes to messaging. At last night’s hearing, the opposition was more organized, articulate and thought-provoking than the Achievement First supporters. If the Board of Regents only vote based on public hearings, AF could be facing major problems.

 

Smithfield School Committee -> The headline in the Valley Breeze says it all: “Smithfield School Committee cuts to bare bones on textbooks, classroom supplies.” This is no way to show support for public schools. If anything, more money should be poured into these schools to make sure students have everything they need. Instead, students, teachers and parents again get the shaft.

 

John Tassoni -> Was correctly called out for getting his facts incorrect about Central Falls. Let’s make this clear: The Central Falls school district has enough actually going wrong. It doesn’t need anyone to make up any more rumors about what’s happening there. The state gets it. The city is a disaster. It’s time to talk about fixing it instead of fabricating stories.

 

Raymond Johnston -> He deserves credit for pulling the legislation, but anyone who even has the idea of making it easier for folks to get a disability pension in this state deserves to be questioned. After all that has been uncovered this year, Johnston must have been crazy to push for this bill.

 

Anthony Weiner-> Congrats Mr. Weiner, you’re one of the few Democrats in Congress that makes Congressman Cicilline look secure.

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