Rhode Island’s Men of the Year: The Showmen

2023

Gabe Amo - Barrier Breaker

Smash. One of the biggest barriers in Rhode Island was knocked over.

For more than two hundred years, serving in Congress was an exclusive club made up of white men and just one white woman. 

Some were talented and did big things, others not so much.

For folks of color in Rhode Island, there often seemed to be an inherent “need not apply” sign, but things have changed.

Gabe Amo, a former political advisor to a range of Democrats, including then-Governor Gina Raimondo and now President Joe Biden, won a crowded special election Democratic primary.

He then went on to win the general election, becoming Rhode Island’s first Black man and first minority ever to be elected to Congress in Rhode Island.

This was long overdue.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Edward Brooke was elected to the United States Senate more than 50 years earlier.

Amo’s victory was made possible by his own talent and effort, but also due to those that came before him who also deserved the opportunity, but were denied the chance due to racism.

His win and the appointment of Melissa Long to the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 2020 are significant changes for Rhode Island. 

Now, Amo has an opportunity to join the group of members of Congress who helped to transform the nation.

In the past century, Rhode Island has been well served by titans — Green, Pastore, Fogarty, Pell, and Chafee. They did big things. Things that made America a global leader in education, the arts, and environmental protection.

For smashing down an important barrier, Amo is our man of the year.

We look to him to build on this monumental achievement and become a strong voice in Congress. Rhode Island and the country will be well served by bold leadership.

2022

The Showmen

These three men are the embodiment of the saying, “the show must go on.”

Maybe no industry has felt the long-term impacts of the pandemic more than the theatre industry.

Theatres across the globe have been devastated.  New York’s Broadway has been economically pounded. Some of the best-known and most successful plays have been forced to close.

AM New York reported that according to data compiled by Playbill, in the months leading up to the announcement of the closing of “Phantom of the Opera,” it was frequently filling less than 80% of the seats in the 1,600-person house. “The show wasn’t earning enough money to offset the costs of operations — and many in the local theater community saw it as a bad omen,” said the report.

Rhode Island has been a hub of regional theatre. Trinity Rep won the Tony Award in 1981.

But the pandemic has been punishing the theatre industry and has generated long-term impacts.

These three showmen worked tirelessly to overcome the challenges and to innovate non-stop to sustain their respective theatre companies.

Josh Short

Josh Short of the Wilbury Theatre has worked relentlessly to innovate the theatre experience over the past three years.

Online, outdoor performances in neighborhoods and a new performance center have all been accomplished under his visionary leadership. 

The pandemic was a spark to transformation and growth for The Wilbury.

Tony Estrella

The Gamm Theatre has had multiple reinventions over its nearly 40-year history, and it has had multiple homes, but under artistic director Tony Estrella the theatre has become a dynamic, multi-talented theatre company.

Estrella and his company are fresh and fearless.

He has helped to establish it as a hub of emerging talent.

Lynn Singleton

Lynn Singleton is the dean of the theatre community in Rhode Island.

The legacy of Singleton goes back 30 years. He transformed the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) by developing community support to revitalize and expand the theater’s backstage — an investment that allowed PPAC to become a top-tier destination for Broadway shows.

The transformed PPAC has become the anchor of downtown Providence. When shows are playing, the city is alive. Restaurants are packed, and the economic impact is powerful. 

He has made big financial bets, like bringing Hamilton to Providence in the summer of 2018. Singleton had to guarantee millions. The bet paid off, and the experience was transformative for those who attended. Singleton has been Providence's best economic development director.

These three showmen — Short, Estrella and Singleton —saved the theatre industry in Rhode Island. We owe them gratitude for their creativity, innovation, and efforts.

PHOTOS: L-R Tony Estrella, Lynn Singleton, and Josh Short. PHOTO CREDITS: Gamm, GoLocal, and Wilbury

2021

Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements

It was a year of insecurity for Providence residents.

Murders were at a near-record pace during the second half of 2020 and in 2021.

The city was also wracked and tormented by illegal ATVs and dirt bikes. High-profile incidents hitting every neighborhood made the city feel at times on the brink of lawlessness.

In May, Providence suffered its most violent day with nine men shot of Carolina Avenue.

The murders continued -- young people, those in their 40s, some tied to the drug and gang life, and others who recently earned their graduate degree.

While Mayor Jorge Elorza and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare had lost the confidence of the rank-and-file members of the police and much of the city’s residents, Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements seemed to hold the city together.

Elorza, who was constantly distracted by a never-going-to-happen gubernatorial campaign, was mostly absent in addressing the violence and was more interested in personal theatrics.

Clements rallied an understaffed police department that had suffered from a Mayor and a City Council that had denied new police classes slashing the staffing to modern records low.

He met with neighborhood groups and residents, listening -- and responding.  At a time when there is much criticism of policing, Clements listened and treated critics with respect.

Clements met with members of gangs and ATV leaders.

In 2021, the Chief was everywhere -- a boundless ball of energy that provided a sense of hope, decency, and normalcy to a city that needed leadership.

For all of these reasons, Clements was Rhode Island’s 2021 Man of the Year.

2020

The Doc, the Mensch, and the Whistleblower

This year GoLocal recognizes three men who made an extraordinary impact on the state of Rhode Island in 2020.

We deem them the Doc, the Mensch, and the Whistleblower.

Last week, GoLocal unveiled its Rhode Island Woman of the Year — Dr. Megan Ranney — and today we offer her male counterparts.

These three men helped to transform Rhode Island. Each battled, did the unexpected and fought fights that others simply were not willing to.

The Doc

Dennis “Doc” Littky has spent a lifetime working to transform education. He is one of the leading innovators in America and arguably the biggest change agent in education in America. He either single-handedly or with others co-founded The Big Picture - a network of high schools across the country, The Met School and now an accredited college — College Unbound.

His work as a principal at Thayer Junior/Senior High School in Winchester, N.H. was featured in an NBC movie, "A Town Torn Apart" based on the book "Doc: The Story of Dennis Littky and His Fight for a Better School."

A decade ago he came up with the idea of creating a new type of college — one the would provide more flexibility and offer education tracks for everyone from veterans to those entering the community after incarceration. He faced opposition from family and friends. Powerful education interests were not interested in another college in the market.

Littky persevered and battled. This year his school College Unbound became fully accredited. Rhode Island has its first college in decades.

The Mensch

Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Michael Fine was working with Rhode Island's poorest communities and developing strategies to improve health access.

Then, the world changed and the need for health expertise became paramount. Fine, who had served as the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health had a lifetime of experience and had developed a national reputation for his work. Earlier in his career, Fine practiced for 16 years in urban Pawtucket and rural Scituate, after serving as a National Health Service Corps Scholar in Hancock County Tennessee, then the fifth poorest county in the U.S.  He was a VISTA Volunteer, as a community organizer on 167th Street and 3rd Avenue in the South Bronx, before medical school at Case Western Reserve University and residency at Brown. 

When the pandemic hit he became Rhode Island's most trusted voice on critical issues. Since March 9, he has appeared nearly every weekday on GoLocal LIVE to provide the public with the most up-to-date data and critical insights. In recent days he has been featured on CNN and in the Daily Beast to name just a few national news outlets picking up on his work. 

Mensch is the Yiddish word for "a good person" -- a truly exemplary person of integrity and honor -- and that is Fine.

The Whistleblower

Union bosses don't usually leave their lane. They negotiate for their men and women and work to create job opportunities. But James White has become Rhode Island's leading advocate not only for the safety of his workers, but also for people who are being dumped on -- literally.

White is President of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 57 -- they are the women and men operating backhoes and almost every other piece of heavy machinery on nearly every construction site in the region.   

One of the projects that White's union was working on was the 6/10 project -- a project that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and provided his union with plenty of work.

But members of the union detected that questionable materials were being dumped in the Olneyville section of Providence -- materials that were found to be contaminated.

White first brought the issue to the attention of the contractor, Barletta Engineering. Then he was rebuffed when he notified officials at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. No one would look into the issue. White, who worried about his workers and the neighborhood, hired an independent testing firm that detected contamination in the material. White then contacted the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Janet Coit. More nothing. But, White was relentless.

He blew the whistle and notified GoLocal. And a series of more than 20 investigative reports by GoLocal has led to the removal of much of the contaminated soil, and sparked both ongoing federal and state investigations.

This story is not over, but without White, the Providence neighborhood would continue to be the dumping ground for the contractor and RIDOT.

2019

Dr. Stephen Salloway

It is the cruelest of diseases.

It is the sixth leading cause of death in America. 

In the United States, an estimated 5.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Statisticians predict that in the next 30 years, 13.8 million people may be living with Alzheimer’s if researchers aren’t able to prevent or find a cure for the disease.

Global researchers estimate there are 35 million people worldwide living with Alzheimer’s disease. 

In Rhode Island, Dr. Stephen Salloway of Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School and Butler Hospital is at the cutting edge of research to combat the disease -- a brain-shrinking progressive illness.

Alzheimer's has emerged as one of the planet’s largest, most expensive, and heartbreaking public health challenges. 

Now, there is the potential of a game-changing breakthrough with Biogen’s aducanumab, and Salloway has played a critical role in the development and clinical research of the antibody.

Salloway is a leading Alzheimer's researcher in America, and his efforts are further bolstered by recent investments made at Brown University, including the $100 million gift for its brain science institute from alumnus Robert and Nancy Carney.

One of the world’s leading researchers is Dr. Stephen Salloway of Brown University

In March, the aducanumab clinical trials that Salloway worked on were suspended -- and then this fall, Biogen announced that new analysis of the research had shown the drug was having a positive impact on slowing Alzheimer’s.

“It had some encouraging results which we published in 2016. It was covered around the world because it looked really good — many people were very interested, we had 60 patients with early Alzheimer’s on this medicine over at Butler Hospital in our memory and aging program, and from our point of view, they seem to be doing well, so we were encouraged,” said Salloway in an appearance on GoLocal LIVE. 

"Then all of a sudden in March, I got an email that the drug looked like it didn't meet an outcome analysis — an interim analysis — and Biogen was going to stop testing it. We were blown away, how could that be, it was looking good and our patients were really devastated. They had to come off the drug. Some had been on [it] for years and actually doing well," said Salloway.

"Then we got the news — the comeback of the year — that additional data came in and actually looked like the drug was having a positive effect, and Biogen has been speaking with the FDA, and the FDA has given them the green light to submit for approval," added Salloway.

Biogen could double its market cap if it receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for aducanumab. 

CNBC’s "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer reported that Biogen, with a $54.1 billion market cap at the time, “could be worth twice that if all goes well” with the FDA. The implications for the drug potentially -- medically and financially -- are groundbreaking.

Salloway has urged people to consider taking part in the Butler Alzheimers Prevention Registry, whose goal is to get to 2,020 participants in 2020.

If there is a treatment for Alzheimer's it may very well come through Salloway's work.

2018

Ed Cooley

Maybe no one epitomizes the spirit of Rhode Island better than this man. Homegrown in Providence and returned home to work his craft. Unlike many before him who achieved success, this man has chosen to stay and make Rhode Island better.

Ed Cooley in the rawest terms is a college basketball coach, but to Rhode Island, he has become so much more.

For the past few decades proceeding him, the head coaching position at Providence College was a stepping stone job. It was a place for good young coaches to go to get to the next step, but never a destination — ask Rick Pitino, Rick Barnes, and Pete Gillen.

When GoLocalProv first broke the story that the former Central High School star and then Fairfield Coach would be getting the head coaching job, the boo birds came out in force. The doubters doubted.

Now, eight years later, and more success in wins and losses later than anyone could imagine, Cooley has redefined the head coaching job at Providence College and transformed the connection between the College and the community.

Cooley’s alma mater Stonehill College recognized him as the “Most Outstanding Alumni” in 2013 and President Rev. John Denning said, “In guiding your players, you always tell them to be teammates, to collaborate and to help each other. Off the court, you live by the same principle. You give back to your community and you care about others. That is why so many of your classmates, former teammates, colleagues, and friends speak so fulsomely about your loyalty and compassion.”

Cooley said in receiving the award, that he does not want coaching to define him because "it's just a job and anyone can call a play or a timeout." What is important to him is "being a better dad, husband, leader, and mentor."

Over the years at Providence, his reputation has flourished from being more than a coach or a top recruiter. He has made national news a number of times, but one incident made global news and only added to the "likability factor" when as London’s Daily Mail reported, “Providence Head Coach Ed Cooley splits pants during Big East Championship and is forced to use towel to cover up his bottom for the remainder of the game” and compete with photo slideshow.  No one ever looked more comfortable, more confident than Cooley wearing a towel on national television. He had a job to do.

In a January 2018 interview on Fox Sports, his then-star player Rodney Bullock articulated what had been the sentiment for many basketball players at Providence.

"I heard many stories that it wasn't that great here, and we weren't winning, and it was just bad all around. Now it's this Cooley guy who's definitely taken over the culture," said Bullock. "When I first met Cooley, it felt like I was just talking to one of my friends from back home. And it gives me an opportunity to be the man I want to be. And that -- I can't ask for nothing else more.”

As a Providence native and Providence College’s first men’s basketball coach of color, Cooley’s connection to Rhode Island not only has transformed the job, but its relationship with the community -- and helped to show what Rhode Island can achieve at its very best.

For all these reasons, GoLocal names Providence College Head Men’s Basketball Coach the Rhode Island Man of the Year.

PHOTO: PC Athletics 

2017

Iftikhar Ahmad & Jonathan Savage

They are the oddest couple. One grew up in Peshawar, Pakistan, the son of a father who owned a construction company and a stay-at-home mom.

The other grew up in Rhode Island, the son of a furniture store owner. Herman’s on Westminster Street is where Rhode Island families bought their furniture before the mega-chains and the Internet.

The distance between the two — over 6,660 miles.

Iftikhar Ahmad and Jonathan Savage are an unlikely pair, who in 2017 overcame a wall of obstacles to helped reinvent T.F. Green and spark growth in the Rhode Island economy.

Bruce Sundlun may have built the T.F. Green Airport, but these two helped grow it into the international airport Sundlun always envisioned.

The odd couple came together in 2016 when Savage, as chair of the Board of RI Airport Corporation went out of State and invested heavily in Ahmad — the then-head of the New Orleans Airport. The selection raised eyebrows.

But immediately, Ahmad and Savage began the process of transforming T.F. Green into a “real” international airport.

First, there was landing Norwegian Air, despite opposition and lobbying against the effort by Congressmen David Cicilline and Jim Langevin. The two had sided with the pilots association of some of the airlines' largest unions. The latter changed his position.

Then, the Ahmad and Savage needed to quickly accommodate the demands of the U.S. Custom and Border Protection agency. In order to meet the pressing deadlines, “heaven and earth" needed to be moved to meet the requirements -- and once again the odd couple prevailed.

The numbers are immense. More than a half dozen new carriers. The airport has more than doubled the number of direct flights.

There are now year-round direct flights to nearly ten international locations.

As a result of their efforts, there are more than a thousand direct new hires that have been sparked, and thousands of indirect jobs created.

Savage and Ahmad had nothing in common in before the fall of 2016, when Savage and the Airport Corporation Board began the search for a new leader of T.F. Green. They came from different worlds.

But in 2017 the two teamed up and took on every challenge and helped transform Rhode Island’s economy, travel opportunities, and boost tourism.

All to the benefit of Rhode Islanders.

For these reasons, Savage and Ahmad are the 2017 Men of the Year.

2016

Joe Paolino

“It's not worth the trouble" or "I just don’t get involved publicly with issues like that - too controversial.” 

Those are just a few of the mantras of some of Rhode Island’s business leaders when asked to get involved in complex community issues, but not former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino.

No one asked him to take action. He saw the suffering of individuals on the streets and asked, "What kind of community are we when people are begging - and sleeping -  in the streets?"

Who, in the private sector, would insert themselves into one of the most complicated and interwoven discussions around panhandling, drug abuse, homelessness, and mental illness - especially in the face of being accused by some as being self-serving? 

While a few too many elected officials have hidden from these complexities facing Rhode Islanders most in need, Paolino flipped the table and started -- and drove -- the discussion about how to address these overlapping issues, including how to provide the resources necessary to support those most in need.

As panhandling exploded across the state and drug dealing became more prevalent in public locations like Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, Paolino stepped forward and spoke out, offered solutions, raised funds, and most importantly, drove a community discussion. He has raised and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to work on the root causes of these issues.

Paolino, who has not served as an elected official in more than 25 years, has accepted criticism, listened, talked, and has relentlessly continued an effort to address the issues.

While some shrill voices will critique his efforts as self-motivated, others who have far more to lose have been silent.

In a time when more and more in business leaders seek to stay out of the public light and far away from controversy, Paolino has spoken up -- and is leading. 

For stepping into the fray and working relentlessly to address some of Rhode Island’s most complex, GoLocal selects Joe Paolino as the 2016 Man of the Year.

2015

Speaker Nicholas Mattiello 

He is inarguably the most powerful political figure in the State of Rhode Island. The Speaker of the House is at the center of it all.  He is the lightning rod, the decider, the extolled, and the maligned. 

He dominated the political scene in 2015.  Whereas his predecessor Gordon Fox wielded his power in a much more low-key manner, his underhanded way got the best of him, as evidenced by his current incarceration in federal prison. Like him — or loathe him — Mattiello doesn’t shirk from the press or the public eye, unlike some other politicians in the state.  

The Rhode Island Republican Party and others continue to press Mattiello on ethics oversight of the General Assembly, which he should take heed to listen to.  The public's faith in national and local politics continues to be at an all-time low.  

Mattiello took some preliminary steps moving forward the General Assembly investigation of 38 Studios and signed off on subpoenas for Curt Schilling, Steven Costantino, and Michael Corso.  But Rhode Islanders want and deserve more. GoLocal and others have called for an independent, out-of-state special prosecutor to be appointed.  If taxpayers feel that they’ve been swindled (once again) by a powerless General Assembly investigation, their patience is running thin.

PawSox, Tolls, and More

Last fall, Mattiello got begrudging approval for some — but not all - of the Fiscal Year 2016 budget approved in June. 

“Listen, in the last session, he put the brakes on tolls.  Granted, I wouldn't have voted for the budget, but it was the minimum that Republicans could tolerate,” GOP Chair Brandon Bell told GoLocalProv in October. “There was a corporate tax reduction, the social security exemption, and I give him credit for punting on the Taylor Swift tax.  But it was no where near enough.  The tax on vacation property and medical insurance policies were very business unfriendly.”

Mattiello maneuvered around a major political mine field in 2015 with the attempt by the new Pawtucket Red Sox ownership to broker a deal with the state for a new stadium in Providence.  The group of wealthy business owners — many big backers of Governor Gina Raimondo — pressed for over $120 million in state aid to subsidize the project. 

When PawSox leader Jim Skeffington passed away in May, Mattiello said it was “tragic that he did not live long enough to see his vision for the Pawtucket Red Sox come to fruition,” indicating that he was committed to seeing through the project that he deemed in August would be “revenue-positive.”  But continued public and political pressure to not give public assistance to the collective group of millionaires proved to be a tipping point, and in the fall Mattiello made public that negotiations had ceased.   

Transparency

Now, he must maneuver the very controversial proposal by Governor Raimondo to fund nearly half-a-billion of infrastructure improvements through a muddled and undisclosed truck toll fee. In an unusual situation it has been the Speaker joining with good government groups and the media prodding to Raimondo to reveal more details -- which she has yet to do.

Mattiello has passed a budget unanimously, successfully fought for improvement's in the state's business climate and been an advocate for transparency -- all unheard of by a Speaker in Rhode Island.

For it all, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello is GoLocal’s Man of the Year.

PHOTO: Richard McCaffrey

2014

Angus Davis 

Leadership. Entrepreneurship. Community.

If you are looking for the best and brightest of what Rhode Island can produce, Angus Davis may be the perfect profile.

Davis has distinguished himself as a leader in business and the community as someone willing to be a part of the conscious of Rhode Island. 

Twice

Davis has already successfully built and exited one business when his Tellme Networks sold to Microsoft for a reported $800 million. 

Now, he is building Swipely into one of the nation’s most innovative and interesting companies. Forbes has already tapped the company as one of America’s most promising companies.

Since establishing Swipely in 2009, the company has raised more than $40 million in capital and now employs 140 plus in its Rhode Island offices.

Education

Davis has put his time, energy and passion into education reform. Whether you agree or disagree with his philosophy and strategies, he has been a business leader who has offered ideas, debated proposals and given thought as to how best to make a better education system.  As an entrepreneur committed to building a company in Rhode Island, Davis knows what skills employees need to succeed in high paid jobs.

Davis wrote about the need to reform education in RI, “But in the face of the largest Latino-White achievement gap of any state in the nation, Rhode Island has only just begun to address this daunting yet urgent inequity. Each day I find myself overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge, while at the same time inspired by the opportunity to solve it."

Leading Voice

One of Rhode Island’s most significant voids today is business leaders willing to take public positions on community issues. Too often, leaders don’t want the scrutiny and fear the repercussions for speaking out. Whether it is on issues of economic development, education, or locating a parole office, Davis is at the front of the proverbial parade. He is one business leader willing to take a stand.

For these reasons and others, GoLocalProv selects Davis as Rhode Island’s Man of the Year for his leadership, entrepreneurship, and voice.

2013

Giovanni Feroce

In 2013, no one man has done more to transform Rhode Island's self-confidence than Giovanni Feroce.

In just four short years, he helped to grow a small Rhode Island jewelry company from just $4 million in sales to over $200 million. No favorite son has spent more time and energy reinvesting in the Ocean State, between rebuilding a manufacturing base, to multiple million-dollar donations to colleges in the state, to growing jobs.

A Cool Company

In Boston, there are a lot of cool companies, but in Providence, they are few and far between. In the past couple of decades, companies like ad agency Leonard Monahan were cool, Hasbro from time to time has been cool, and 38 Studios was supposed to be cool.

Alex and Ani is cool.

A design-driven, lifestyle brand that is fast growing and hiring is more than cool, especially in a state with the worst unemployment in the U.S. It is a company that has grown from 10 employees to more than 1,000.

Great Partnership

While founder Carolyn Rafaelian (who was featured in GoLocal’s 12 Who Made a Difference in 2012) has been the passion behind the brand, her CEO, Feroce has helped to make Alex and Ani one of the fastest-growing companies in America. This year Inc. Magazine tapped Alex and Ani as the 94th fastest growing company in the U.S. scoring more than 3600% year over year in growth.

Rafaelian and Feroce may be the perfect coupling of style and substance. Feroce has helped take Rafaelian’s design and vision and launched it into another stratosphere of business success.

It might just have been one of those RI jewelry companies being handed off to the next generation. So many of them in Rhode Island were filled with artisans and a wealth of manufacturing experience, but were lost in the new economy and production in Asia. Most are gone – and the jobs are gone.

While other strong Rhode Island product companies have grown, none have made this level of commitment to make Made in America mean something. Alex and Ani has produced real job and real wages in Rhode Island. A Bryant University study found Alex and Ani may now be generating as many as 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in Rhode Island in direct and indirect full-time jobs.

Cost of Success

The success of Alex and Ani has not been without its proverbial haters. One alternative weekly newspaper in Rhode Island spent the summer trying to write a sensational story about the company, but at the end of the day could only conclude that Alex and Ani was ambitious. More recently, a number of union leaders have tried to tie Alex and Ani to a controversy with conservative talk show host John DePetro, and in both cases, Feroce has just stayed focused at growing Alex and Ani. 

A new level of philanthropy

Between Charity by Design -- and million dollar gifts to both Rhode Island College and Bryant University – Alex and Ani transformed charitable giving in Rhode Island.

For the philanthropy, for the job creation, for the cool factor and for his leadership, GoLocalProv names Giovanni Feroce Rhode Island’s Man of the Year for 2013.

2012

David Cicilline 

In February of 2012, leading political scientists weighed in on David Cicilline’s 15% approval rating in a GoLocalProv story.

Cicilline was ranked as having the lowest rating of any member of Congress ever running for re-election and the lowest approval ranking of any elected official ever in Rhode Island.

Leading experts told GoLocalProv the following:

“We can’t think of an incumbent that has survived [with such low numbers,]” Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Report said. “I really think Cicilline's problems are largely driven but what's going on in Providence. Every time the Mayor has to do something, it reflects on him.”

According to Darrell West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C, it is possible that Cicilline has the lowest approval rating among any politician in Rhode Island’s history.

Big Rebound Nine Months Later

On Election Day, more than 108,000 voters in the 1st Congressional District voted for Cicilline and re-elected him to serve his second term in Congress.

Cicilline won 53% of the vote in a three-way race and easily defeated the popular Republican Brendan Doherty. Doherty garnered just 40% of the vote, despite spending a highly competitive $1.4 million.

The General election win was the second step in Cicilline’s amazing return from political flat-lining.

First Step to Redemption

The first was his win in the Democratic primary against businessman Anthony Gemma. Two years earlier, Gemma had run a credible race in the Democratic primary. With Cicilline looking extremely vulnerable due to the city of Providence’s financial collapse under his leadership and the perception that he mislead voters, Gemma looked well-positioned to unseat Cicilline.

But, Gemma ran a strange campaign focused on voter fraud rather than taking on Cicilline on the issue of Providence’s fiscal mismanagement, which current Mayor Angel Taveras widely criticized.

Gemma’s missteps lead Cicilline to a 62% to 30% win in the Democratic primary.

Cicilline’s apology and acknowledgement that he may have mislead them about the condition of Providence’s finances, combined with Gemma’s missteps, convinced voters to reconsider Cicilline. Then, Cicilline targeted Doherty as being another GOP vote for Speaker John Boehner. The voters in the heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District sparked by a Presidential year came home and returned Cicilline to the House.

Moving Forward

Now, Cicilline has the opportunity to make voters feel good about the outcome of the election and create a legacy of positive impact for Rhode Island.

No politician in modern history has ever been so low in polling and come back to victory – a decisive one at that.

For these reasons, David Cicilline is GoLocalProv’s selection as Rhode Island's Man of the Year.
 

2011

The Unemployed 

Rhode Island’s Man of the Year are the thousands of men in Rhode Island who have been devastated by unemployment. The numbers are beyond alarming and their plight is barely touched on by elected officials or even the media.

Today, Rhode Island’s overall unemployment rate is at a staggering 10.5% and one of only three states in America whose unemployment increased in November.

But for men the rate of unemployment is 12% through the first 11 months of the year – more than 2% higher than the unemployment rate for women (a disturbing 9.9%).

For the unemployed and their families the impact has been crushing, the problem has persisted for years, and the impact to Rhode Island’s economy is significant.

While the national unemployment average has dropped to 8.6% in November (its lowest level since March of 2009), the lack of energy, rhetoric and resources dedicated to increasing jobs in Rhode Island is startling.

State Focus

Rhode Island’s Governor Chafee has focused on a range of issues – E-verify, gay marriage, higher education opportunities for undocumented immigrants, medical marijuana, holiday trees, and improving service in the Department of Motor Vehicles. While these are all issues that may warrant public policy review, he has ignored the plight of Rhode Island families when just about 1 in 8 Rhode Island men seek jobs, but can’t find one. The priorities seem displaced.

Governor Chafee’s inauguration speech did not mention the issue of unemployment and less than 1% of the press releases his office has issued mention the issue. The lack of action, compassion and attention is disturbing at a minimum.

For all the unemployed, but especially those blue-collar unemployed workers, the opportunities are gravely limited. Not only because for many their skills and education don’t align with the limited new job opportunities, but because those elected have failed to develop strategies to offer them solutions.

Fathers, Sons, Husbands, Friends

In the past year, Rhode Island companies ranging from RI Novelty (300 jobs moved to Fall River) to Point Judith Capital have left without a fight.

While Chafee’s efforts to solve this problem are MIA, the effort by legislative leaders are equally absent. The Rhode Island Congressional delegation has been vocal, but their effectiveness is non-detectable, as the number of Rhode Islanders employed is just above 500,000 and down more than 10% over the past decade.

While Rhode Islanders may debate issues ranging from medical marijuana to holiday trees, the lack of debate and action is intolerable for the tens of thousands of unemployed.

GoLocal names Rhode Island’s unemployed men – fathers, sons, husbands and friends – Man of the Year.