NEARI Executive Director Bob Walsh to Retire - Says He is Not Running for Congress

NEARI Executive Director Bob Walsh to Retire - Says He is Not Running for Congress

Longtime Executive Director of the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI) is going to be retiring this year. 

“I’m not retiring until August 1,” Walsh told GoLocal on Tuesday. “I told the [NEARI] board about a month ago my plans, and then just a few days later, Langevin announced he wouldn’t be running again.”

Walsh -- who ran for Congress in 1992— immediately sprung to the short list of potential Democratic candidates. 

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As GoLocal wrote, “The executive director of NEARI ran for congress back in 1992. He lost but was seen as an emerging leader in Rhode Island. 

Since then, Walsh has been immersed in nearly every major discussion about education and labor issues in the state. 

He tells GoLocal, “Well with only six hours of pondering I have not ruled it out, but I expect many could give the same answer!” 

 

Not Running for Congress

On Tuesday, Walsh told GoLocal he “is not running for Congress.”

“Following my announcement, and then Langevin’s — I had no idea or inside knowledge beforehand — people were asking if I might run, and I said I might be considering it. But no, I am not running for Congress,” Walsh said on Tuesday. 

Walsh, who spent 21 years as NEARI’s Executive Director and close to thirty with the union, says he simply plans “to take some time off.”

In the meantime, he has one last General Assembly session in his current position with the teachers' union. 

His goals? A more “stable funding environment” for public education. 

“We’re in a surplus,” notes Walsh of the state’s financial status. “That means there’s more state support for education and we can focus on less reliance on property tax [for funding.].”

This story was first published 2/8/22 5:51 PM