Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not in RI Politics?

Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not in RI Politics?

Who’s Hot

Juan Pichardo and Grace Diaz -> It’s amazing how the talk radio crowd wants to blame illegals for everything wrong with this state and yet refuses to support legislation that would allow them to become productive citizens by being able to attend college at an affordable rate. Kudos to these two leaders for stepping up and proposing Rhode Island’s own version of the DREAM Act.

John DePetro -> It’s been a huge week for the WPRO morning host. First he was named to Talkers Magazine’s Heavy Hundred list and now it appears he is going to get a nationally syndicated show from 9-noon every day. After a year in which he managed to make national headlines, the sky’s the limit for DePetro in 2011.

David Cicilline -> Is there really a feasible argument to be made against the Freshman Congressman’s cosponsoring of a bill that would ban any device holding more 10 rounds of ammo? Does anyone really need to have the ability to cause that much destruction? Are deer really getting that tough to kill?

Lorne Adrain -> The perfect choice to be Chair of the Board of Governors for Higher Education. Of course, as Chair he will also serve on the Board of Regents and it appears Governor Chafee’s decision has the education reform community excited.

Elizabeth A. Crowley -> Bottom line: If you can afford to pay $500 for a coat or a suit, you should be paying more in taxes than yours truly, who mostly shops at JC Penny or when I’m really splurging, Kohl’s. Kudos to Senator Crowley who introduced legislation that would require just that.

Patrick Crowley -> It appears the ever provocative NEA employee was spot on with his criticism of an OSPRI report that caught fire a few weeks ago. Turns out the estate tax has very little to do with the reason Rhode Islanders are moving to Florida.

Terry Hassett -> Nice to see the Providence City Councilmen back at work after that horrific accident. Of course, it’s a shame that it took such a tragedy to get anyone to pay attention to what dangerous road Atwells Ave has become.

Who’s Not

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Bob Watson -> It’s not even his insensitive comments about Guatemalans that bothers me. It’s that fact that someone—and he’s not the only one—is trying to play down the importance of civil rights issues in 2011. I’m fine with tabling the casino and pot discussions, but immigration and same-sex marriages are worth talking about.

Jeopardy Watson -> On second thought, maybe Congressman Cicilline is getting it wrong by wanting to ban magazine clips. We’re going to need something powerful to fight off the robots.

Providence Police Department -> The five recently demoted scheming sergeants were suspended had been suspended with pay for 8 ½ months. As Councilman Miguel Luna said Thursday night, “where I’m from, that’s called a vacation or a sabbatical.”

Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow -> All those people were basically given a couple hours notice that they were out of a job thanks to the well-connected sleaze balls running their company. What a shame. Thankfully it sounds like many will be able to find new jobs with other contactors in the state.

Patricia L. Morgan -> The Caruolo Act isn’t perfect, but at a time when education is a hot topic, should we really make it easier for towns to limit funding for schools?

House Republicans -> There couldn’t be a more flawed logic than the Republicans’ “cut everything” mentality. But where is the outrage from Rhode Islanders? This week I reported that simply cutting one program (AmeriCorps) could cost the state 500 jobs and no one seems even remotely upset.

Dan Yorke -> Named in the same Talkers Magazine story as DePetro, but in the same week, the WPRO mid-day host appears to have been demoted. I’m not sure what the problem with Yorke is. I find him to be the best interviewer of all the hosts at WPRO, but he just doesn’t get any respect over there. I’m not sure about his contract situation, but you have to wonder if we’ll see him make a move soon.