Desperate Need for Effective Leadership for Rhode Island’s Future - Gary Sasse
Gary Sasse, Guest MINDSETTER™
Desperate Need for Effective Leadership for Rhode Island’s Future - Gary Sasse
The Ocean State has been chronically faced with a leadership deficit. It is rooted in the lack of transparency, accountability, and prioritization of public needs. In the 2026 general election, Rhode Island voters should focus on one goal — closing this leadership deficit. We can no longer let politics become a denial of our problems, thus making the evasion of tough choices easier.
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Over the next decade, the quality of leadership will determine if Rhode Island public policies continue the status quo or are put on a pathway to sustain our economic potential. The governor elected in 2026 must have the leadership skills to connect the dots and mobilize the collective talents and energy of the people.
So how can voters make a judgment about the potential leadership abilities of the various candidates? In answering this question, voters might consider the characteristics and practices of effective elected leaders.
The National Governors’ Association advises governors that successful leadership depends first and foremost on concentration and focus. Beware of candidates proposing ten-point programs. When governors try to do too much, they usually end up doing nothing. Governors have two finite resources, time and political capital. Therefore, effective leaders can only manage a limited number of priorities. Articulating priorities during a campaign may be politically problematic because special interests may feel slighted if their pet project is not included. However, gubernatorial candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have the political will to say “no.” Elected officials who focus on two or three game-changing initiatives can have a bigger impact than those who campaign on being all things to all interest groups.
There was a saying in the Reagan White House that “personal is policy.” Senior staff and cabinet officers can be a leader’s primary asset or his or her greatest liability. A Governor’s public approval is impacted by how agency heads perform. Look no further than the Washington Bridge scandal. It may be naïve, but it could be a breath of fresh air if the gubernatorial candidates would disclose the type of staff they intend to recruit or retain. Voters have a right to know who will be the team’s decision-makers.
Successful governors are dependent on the goodwill of others. For example, it is important that they establish an effective working relationship with the members of the General Assembly. In a system of checks and balances, institutional and partisan differences between the branches are inevitable. How a chief executive manages these conflicts will go a long way to determine their ability to lead.
Chief elected officials use the bully pulpit to communicate opportunities, problems, and solutions. The campaign will clearly give voters an opportunity to assess a candidate's communication skills and judgment. One acid test of a candidate’s ethical integrity is whether their commercials and social media programs are based on fact or fiction, and who are their supporters and adversaries.
Principles and ethical standards anchor a leader’s performance to their core values and provide for accountability. Ethical leaders promote civic unity over identity politics, defend the rule of law and other constitutional safeguards, empower voters rather than perform for them, support institutional reforms even when opposed by insiders, and promote equal opportunitie,s not mandated outcomes.
In November 2026, Rhode Island voters can elect leaders who can articulate a vision of what the state can be and drive citizens to help achieve that vision.
Gary Sasse served as President of RIPEC and was the Director of the Rhode Island Departments of Revenue and Administration.