Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in RI Politics?
Friday, December 30, 2011
Who were the movers and shakers of 2011? Dan McGowan has the complete breakdown of winners and losers throughout the year.
Who's Hot
Gina Raimondo -> Nobody had a better year than the General Treasurer, who managed to convince the Governor and the General Assembly that pension reform was a must in 2011. Political observers believe the sky is the limit for Raimondo and that she'll be able to pick whatever job she would like in 2014. The only question in 2012 is, what will she do now that pensions have been addressed?
Angel Taveras -> He inherited a complete mess when he was sworn in as Providence Mayor, but Taveras quickly proved he was up to the challenge. Now the latest Brown University poll puts him up there with Raimondo as one of the most popular politicians in the state. Most people agree that he could do whatever he wants in 2014 as well, but it will be interesting to see how Taveras moves forward addressing municipal pensions in the time being.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTea Party -> The group officially separated this year, but the ideals of the local Tea Party haven't changed and despite being in one of the most liberal states in the union, their message has clearly resonated with many Rhode Islanders. The question is whether they can build on the momentum in 2012 and get more people into General Assembly seats.
Rob Cote -> There were very few regular citizens that had more of an impact on Rhode Island than Cote, who worked tirelessly to organize rallies against the car taxes and the vehicle valuation system during the latter half of this year. Cote made the rounds on talk radio and quickly became one of the most effective activists in the state.
Gordon Fox -> The Speaker had an up and down year, but he took the lead during the special session as he stood by Raimondo and agreed that the overhaul of the pension system was the move Rhode Island had to make. 2012 will be an interesting year for Fox, who has committed to working on municipal pension reform and still hopes same-sex marriage can become a major topic.
Occupy Providence -> The Occupy movement has started to fizzle, but the protest groups across the county were the most talked about topic for the last three months of the year. Kudos to the Providence Occupiers for stepping up and pushing for an additional shelter to open in the city. The only question now is whether they'll jump into the political world in 2012.
Who's Not
Lincoln Chafee -> He didn't get everything wrong in 2011, but Governor Chafee caught backlash every step of the way. Part of it was a PR battle that he simply couldn’t wrap his fingers around and the other part was that he consistently chose to pursue issues that he knew would completely anger half the population. Look for 2012 to be a significantly more even-keeled year for Chafee.
Education Reform -> It was supposed to be a banner year for education reform in Rhode Island, but Achievement First was blocked in Cranston and is facing a real battle in Providence and not many other charter schools are even interested in opening in the state. There were some victories, but reformers have struggled to push their message on the general public and that again could be an issue in 2012.
David Cicilline -> Nobody faces a more heated battle in 2012 and the Congressman knows it. He was clearly a solid Democratic vote in Congress this year, but it's hard to look past the situation he passed off to Mayor Taveras and not question his decisions while he was mayor. He'll have a lot of explaining to do in the primary and the general election next year.
General Assembly -> The Statehouse quickly became the new Wyatt in 2011, with several members on both sides of the aisle facing criminal charges. It wasn't quite the same as the days of rampant corruption, but clearly a black eye was cast on state lawmakers this year.
Progressives -> They thought they had their man in Governor Chafee and he quickly folded when it came to protecting pensions for state workers. Now the group will need to rebound quickly in an election year, but who do they throw their support behind? Aside from local elections, they can't be too happy with President Obama either.
Dean Esserman -> Obviously the former Providence Police Chief had one of the worst years in 2011 after he was caught hosting an underage drinking party this summer. Esserman was an effective Chief for a period of time, but by the end, there weren't too many fans. Here's hoping he can work to turn around New Haven.
