NICE

Keith Oliveira

In an age when our public officials are hyper-sensitive to doing whatever will please the most powerful special interest group or political boss (think: state legislators) in the interest of their own survival, the current Providence School Board President is a breath of fresh air and a good example for others to emulate. Oliveira has been outspoken in defending the independence of the school board and critical of the administration's funding of the school department, highlighted by his vote against budget last year. Oliveira may be ousted as Board President for his principles, but he stands as a shining example of standing up for what one believes is right--not what's popular or expedient.

NICE

Edward "Ted" Siedle

The Forbes.com writer who has been highly critical of hedge fund investing, and therefore former Treasurer and current RI Governor Gina Raimondo and current Treasurer Seth Magaziner, lands himself on Institutional Investor's list of top 40 most influential people on pensions. Here's the kicker, neither Raimondo or Magaziner made the list, despite the fact that Raimondo once dismissed Siedle as a "blogger" when he criticized her a couple of years ago. 

NICE

Joseph Solomon Jr.

The state representative from Warwick deserves some credit for pre-filing a bill that would create a sales tax holiday in Rhode Island next year. That's a brilliant idea and would generate millions of dollars in economic activity that everyone would agree that we need like blood.

NICE

Bank RI

The good folks over at Bank RI collected over $1,400 gifts for underprivileged children this holiday season. Each branch featured a giving tree and individuals from the bank and throughout the community donated gifts, featuring bicycles, Lego sets, dolls, board games, action figures, sports equipment and remote control cars , among other things, for youngsters who will be all smiles today thanks to their efforts. 

NICE

Saint Mother Teresa

The news broke late last week that a second miracle has been attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and therefore she is slated to be sainted by the Catholic Church. Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, Mother Teresa set a wonderful example of devoting one's life to helping others that are in poverty. She will remain someone that people will emulate, at least in their own little ways, for centuries to come.

NICE

Ed Cooley

For the first time since 1978, the Providence College Men's Basketball team is ranked 10th in the nation in the AP Poll. Also, for the first time since the seventies, the Friars have been ranked in the top 25 in consecutive seasons.

Coach Cooley, a Providence native, has the program moving into a direction few believed possible just 4 years ago. It remains to be seen, however, if the team is a legit national championship contender, but the fact that that's a topic of discussion is a huge feather in Cooley's cap. 

NICE

Christmas

Here's hoping everyone has a very safe and Merry Christmas today. Let's keep the Christmas spirit all year long!

NAUGHTY

Consumerism

There's a real war on Christmas folks, but it's got nothing to do with people wishing you a Happy Holiday instead of a Merry Christmas. The real attack on Christmas is the culture so obsessed with material possessions that it has conditioned children, for generations, to expect gifts on a day that's supposed to be about so much more. Let's try and remember that it's wonderful to be generous and give gifts, but Christmas is about so much more than that. 

NAUGHTY

Gina Raimondo

There was some large talk from the Governor's Office earlier this fall about how it would be more responsive to open records requests and would make  transparency a bigger priority as they move forward. But thus far, that rhetoric has failed to be backed up by action. Here's hoping Raimondo makes a bigger commitment to transparency in 2016.

NAUGHTY

Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse

A study done by the Lugar Center at Georgetown University — founded by former Indiana Senator Dick Lugar, found that Rhode Island's two senators are among the most partisan of the last 22 years. The partisanship and polarization in Washington is undoubtedly a problem in the country, and this study makes it clear that our two sitting senators are part of that problem.

NAUGHTY

Nicholas Mattiello

The Speaker of the House had the job of the Host of RI Statehouse's Capitol TV position posted with a salary range of between $40,000 and $50,000. So why was Margie O'Brien Reed hired for the position at a salary of $70,000? Look, I think Reed is a fabulous person for the job as she is undoubtedly a very talented individual and excellent reporter. Yet this issue isn't about her at all, but instead calls into question to transparency of the House of Representatives. 

NAUGHTY

Seth Magaziner

GoLocal MINDSETTER Michael Riley actually listened to the promises of then-candidate for General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, and is holding him accountable for those what he said. Can you imagine someone is actually holding politicians accountable for what they promised? Riley is right to point out that we hard some large talk about the great returns we were going to get from the pension fund in 2014, but in 2015, that promise came up empty.

NAUGHTY

Donald Trump

Apparently nothing is too crude for the Republican Presidential front runner. Trump has already disparaged immigrants, a man with a disability, people of the Islamic faith, this year. Now he has criticized Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton for taking a bathroom break during a debate last weekend. What's most troubling, however, is that according to polling, a huge portion of the Republican electorate refuses to punish Trump for his comments.