EDITORIAL: Walter Miller Has Died and So Has a Part of Rhode Island

EDITORIAL: Walter Miller Has Died and So Has a Part of Rhode Island

The family and friends of Walter Miller have announced his death.

He was a Providence City Hall institution -- and so much more. 

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Part celebrity, part magician, a little bit of a political pollster, and a lot of Rhode Island.

If you never met Walter, you missed out.

It would be like never tasting a Del’s lemonade, or going to a Rhode Island beach. 

Walter was a trickster and a card expert, but also the consummate political gadfly. 

He traveled each day from his family’s home in East Providence to downtown and then would go from Kennedy Plaza to Congressional offices and then around and around.

He talked to everyone. He could predict political races better than high-priced DC pollsters.

Walter knew who was up and who was in trouble.

His legacy goes back to the 1970s -- he loved Governor J. Joseph Garrahy, Mayor Buddy Cianci, and U.S. Senator John Chafee.

He liked a young councilman named Josh Fenton, which may be my finest achievement.

The best part of being around Walter was he made you feel good. He loved to make everyone’s day and he was a beacon of kindness to the RIPTA driver and to the powerful.

For Cianci’s repose at Providence City Hall, Walter wore a suit and brought flowers -- and might have been the only one to do so. 

Walter was a constant — he was there for everyone for decades.

For everyone who knew him, he was unconditional kindness.

Walter Miller was a fine man and I am honored that he was my friend.

- Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocal