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

Friday, November 08, 2013

Dan Lawlor, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Every Friday, Dan Lawlor breaks down who's rising and who's falling in the world of Rhode Island politics. Check out who made the lists this week.

Hot

Delor Cabral - The late Delor Cabral stood up for his neighbor. Cabral, 78, attempted to stop an assault against one of his tenants, and was critically injured. He passed away this week. Cabral's actions should remind us there are still people who will take a risk for what's right.

Lisa Baldelli-Hunt - In a dramatic win against incumbent Leo Fontaine, Baldelli-Hunt was elected Mayor of Woonsocket. She is the second Baldelli to run the city since the 1980's, and one of the few female mayors ever statewide (previous include Kathryn O'Hare in West Warwick, Susan Menard in Woonsocket, and Jeanne-Marie Napolitano in Newport). According to the Call, speaking before a packed crowd at the beautiful Stadium Theater (check it out!), Baldelli Hunt promised, “It’s a new day for Woonsocket, so buckle up. This is not a victory for me, but it’s a victory for the city... There are better days ahead for us.” Baldelli-Hunt garnered 4,372 votes in a city of over 41,000 people.

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James Diossa & Team - 28 years young, and a city to run. The Central Falls Mayor (re-elected without opposition) has a new dynamic City Council to work with (5 out of 7 City Councilors are young women). With hard work, the future will be bright in the smallest state's smallest city. Go talk about it at Stanley Burger on Dexter St.

Dave Talan - Happy Birthday to the local GOP politico! Talan is turning 65 and, in addition to his activism with the state GOP, has been involved in Elmwood Little League, Urban Pond Procession (fighting to clean up Mashapaug Pond), and numerous other community groups in the creative capital! Watch for Talan to support Ana Santana as the GOP candidate against Rep. Anastasia Williams in the city's West End.

Mario Bueno/Progreso Latino - Kudos to Progreso Latino for celebrating 36 years of service in Central Falls! Bueno, the group's executive director, oversees an organization involved in everything from small business support to kindergarten.

Emmanuel Falck and Chas Walker/SEIU- After the final tally last week, SEIU can claim victory in its years long unionization plan for child-care providers. Just prior to the vote, SEIU tweeted the percentage of all workers earning a minimum wage who are adult women - 64. With union rep, the goal is higher wages, better training and working conditions, and better services for young children. SEIU celebrated the vote as a "united voice to improve our early childcare system!"

Anne Nolan/Crossroads - Kudos for the modest expansion of the Harold Lewis House apartments, a good switch from the old style of warehousing people in shelters to providing affordable housing. The complex is named after a homeless vet who often slept on Crossroad's Community Room floor. We need more small scale affordable housing.

Not

United Providence! (UP!) - UP! is supposed to be the great (expensive) union-district partnership to turnaround Carl Lauro Elementary, Gilbert Stuart Middle School, and Jorge Alvarez High School with a renewed vision and mission. The district's recent proposal to close Alvarez High School (administered by United Providence, and built on a monitored toxic waste site) is a pretty strong admission that "a truly collaborative environment for teaching and learning" is not there.

David "Excellent Fiscal Condition" Cicilline and Jim "NSA" Langevin - As Go Local reported, one surprise has been the dramatic dip in popularity for both Rhode Island Congressmen since 2010. Cicilline's approval rating fell from 40.3% in July 2010 to 26.6% this October while Langevin's declined from 54.6% in July 2010 to 38.7% last month. Space for challengers?

Gambling - excuse me, Gaming - According to Mother Jones, gambling interests were the largest corporate spenders in the 2012 election here in Rhode Island - putting us in the same category as Nevada. Gambling dependency used to be an underworld activity - now it's state business. Nevada and Rhode Island also share jobless rates over 9%.

Peter Graczykowski- The East Providence City Manager was given the boot of the East Bay in a 4-1 vote by the City Council. Graczykoski's short tenure was marked by tensions with the City's Police Chief and with disagreements with State Police over jurisdiction and chain of command, as well as ongoing budget difficulties.

Board of Licenses - The five-person Providence Board of Licenses, chaired by former City Councilor Andrew Annaldo, compensates its members in the tens of thousands of dollars. Recently, despite evidence showing that the Allens Ave strip club Cheaters had at least two documented underage girls working in the club in the last four years, the Board opted to suspend, not revoke the business' license. Really? Kudos to Council Majority Leader Yurdin's proposal to revoke of the Board of License's pay (Take the praise with a grain of salt: I worked for Yurdin's 2006 campaign, but, either way, why are we paying well-connected people to serve on city boards?).

Gordon Fox and Teresa Paiva Weed - As Trinity Rep's Christmas Carol opens for the season, it's worth recalling old Marley's warning, " I wear the chain I forged in life." Too many Rhode Islanders are struggling without work - and we as a state have created an environment where seven communities have jobless rates over 10%, alongside a rising homeless population.

Related Slideshow: Rhode Island’s Most and Least Popular Politicians

The statewide poll conducted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University in October 2013 is the latest public opinion survey by the Ivy League institution.

See how elected officials fared in Brown polls in years past BELOW.