EDITORIAL: The Last Text I Received From Dominick Ruggerio

EDITORIAL: The Last Text I Received From Dominick Ruggerio

GoLocal has published about 100,000 articles and columns over the past 15 years. Some are not enjoyable to write, but it is the job.

 

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Exactly a month ago, GoLocal reported on the absences of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.  He had been ill for much of the past two years and had missed two-thirds of the Senate sessions over the past year.

 

The article was difficult to write as it had to balance his health issues and letting the public know.

 

I wrote the article and have always been fond of Dominick.

 

A few hours after the article was published, I received a text message and saw it was from him. We were not pen pals but did text on issues that one of us thought to be important every so often.

 

I anticipated the usual type of message from a politician after a story like this, and reluctantly clicked to read it. I was only expecting a biting retort.

 

“Thank you very much for printing a very fair article. I hope that you and Kate are doing well. Enjoy everything that is happening in Providence today. I am doing better and I am hoping to be present at the state house soon,” texted Ruggerio.

 

From my experience, his text was consistent with all our interactions over the previous 35 years - decent and honorable.

 

He was a politician who got better with age, and then age got him.

 

He will be missed.

 

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