Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not?
Friday, January 02, 2015
Hot
Gina Raimondo: As we approach Inauguration Day, expect to see more good press and positive stories about Rhode Island’s first female governor, similar to the glowing profile the New York Times ran on December 30. Raimondo will certainly make an excellent speech on Tuesday, but the question remains as to whether she can garner the political support to improve the state’s economy—her stated goal. I’m rooting for her.
James Langevin: The state’s Congressman from District-2 has shown himself to be way ahead of the curve on the issue of cyber security given the recent hacks and attacks that have struck major national companies. Cyber security is crucial and congressional leaders need to listen to Langevin and make it more of a priority.
Dr. Nancy Carriuolo: The President of Rhode Island College has overseen the opening of a new Nursing School as well as state-of-the-art Arts Facility in the past year, earning her GoLocal’s Distinction of Woman of the Year. Those accomplishments, coupled with the fact that RI has the best college graduation rates in the country means RIC, and therefore Carriuolo, are on a roll.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAngus Davis: GoLocalProv’s Man of the Year for 2014 has founded two impressive technology companies, one of which, Tellme software, sold for $800 million and another, Swipely, is one of the state’s key employers with a bright future. What’s best, Davis is a civic-minded business leader and has used his voice to advocate for education reform.
$9: The state’s minimum wage has officially increased to $9 per hour. That may very well have a positive impact on the economy as low-wage workers will have more money to spend. Let’s just hope it doesn’t force any companies to cut back their workforces to help pay for the wage increase.
RI College Graduation Rate: Rhode Island has the best 4-year graduation rate in the nation for college students, Golocal reported this week. That means the state has the talent it needs for a booming economy, all we need to do is create the business climate to let it flourish.
2015: Here’s hoping this New Year moves Rhode Island two steps closer to a prosperous economy. God bless us all.
NOT
Sheldon Whitehouse: Our state’s Junior Senator is a stalwart advocate of the environment, delivering over 80 speeches on the Senate floor beckoning his colleagues to take action to protect it. But to quote Shakespeare, is it just “words, words, words”? It was akin to hearing that the Pope owned shares of Trojan condoms when GoLocalProv reported this week that Whitehouse has owned shares of stock in Exxon, Duke Energy, and a “clean coal” company.
RI Republican Party: Shockingly, state party leaders are continuing to carry on a civil war on social media over disputes and grudges that originated during the Gubernatorial Primary earlier last summer. That, coupled with the fact that the party can’t afford to keep its executive director on staff is discouraging given the fact that a two-party system is a bedrock of American democracy.
Christine Ferguson: Ferguson has received wide praise throughout the year for getting HeathSource RI off the ground and running smoothly, so it was interesting to see Governor-elect Raimondo choose to replace her in that position. Ferguson was also the architect of RIte Care when she was Lincoln Almond’s Director of Health and Human Services, which provides health insurance to low-income families, but that has been a huge cost-driver to the state budget since its inception. Perhaps concern over costs of HealthSource RI going forward contributed to Raimondo’s decision to replace Ferguson.
Boston Bruins: The Bruins were considered Stanley Cup contenders at the start of this year, so it’s shocking to see that if the NHL playoffs started today, a league where every mediocre team makes it, the Bruins would be on the outside looking in. Bruins fans might be the most dedicated and passionate in the region—no small task here—so they deserve better.
TeeSpring: They’re GoLocal’s Rhode Island Company of the Year in 2014, and with good reason, founded by 2 Brown Grads, the pioneering T-Shirt company has raised over $55 million in venture capital and is growing immensely. But earlier this year, the company announced their manufacturing company will be located in Kentucky. TeeSpring can’t be faulted for doing what’s best for their business, but as far as RI is concerned, that’s not hot.
Property Taxes: GoLocal’s Stephen Beale reports this week that 4 of the state’s 5 highest taxed communities—Central Falls, Providence, Woonsocket, Pawtucket—are also home to the state’s lowest income residents. Those communities need to do more to protect their taxpayers, and that means cutting spending.
Russell J. Moore, a lifelong Rhode Islander, politics junkie, and sports fanatic, has worked on both sides of the desk in Rhode Island media, for both newspapers and political campaigns. Follow him on twitter @russmoore713.
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