Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - Feb. 19
Russ Moore, GoLocalProv Contributor
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - Feb. 19
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - Feb. 19
HOT
Louisa Chafee (on Right): The daughter of former Rhode Island US Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee, and her sailing partner Bora Gulari, have qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The duo qualified at the Nacra 17 World Championships when they held the lead in the race and remained the top-ranked U.S. boat at the race's end. Best of luck to Chafee and Gulari at the Olympic games.
HOT
James Sheehan: Let's give the State Senator from North Kingston credit for his perseverance. Despite the fact that all indicators say that he's got a better chance of hitting the moon with a slingshot than getting his ethics reform bill passed, Sheehan continues to advocate for the state to give the Rhode Island Ethics Commission authority over the state legislators who use their position to enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents. It's a common sense, good government bill, and Sheehan is a good man for fighting for it, even though he's against all odds.
HOT
David Salvatore: The Providence City Councilman deserves credit for being one of the few individuals who consistently talks about Providence's dangerous financial liabilities--both short and long term. As Fitch, one of the big three ratings agencies, recently noted in its bond downgrade of Providence, the city's nearly $2 billion combined pension and healthcare liabilities will weigh down the city for decades.
HOT
Joe Trillo: The boisterous Republican state representative from Warwick was an early backer of Donald Trump, and if things play out in South Carolina the way polls suggest they will--a convincing Trump victory--Trump will be the likely nominee. That will make Trillo look like a man with some serious foresight--further increasing his stock within the Republican Party.
HOT
Sheldon Whitehouse: The junior United States Senator from Rhode Island would make a lot of sense as a Supreme Court nominee, according to an article in The Washington Post last week. Whitehouse, for his part, has told media outlets that he's not interested in the position at this point because he wants to remain a US Senator, but the fact he has been mentioned as a logical possibility is a tremendous honor.
HOT
Derek Wagner and Champe Speidel: The two Rhode Island chefs are semifinalists for the 2016 James Beard Foundation restaurant and chef awards--among 19 other semifinalists in the Northeast. Wagner is the chef at Nick's on Broadway and Speidel is the chef at Persimmon in Bristol. Congrats to these two excellent cooks for receiving such an honor.
NOT
Mark T. Ryan: The former Providence Journal executive who is now a principal at Moses Afonso Ryan Ltd., wrote an OP-Ed piece in the Providence Journal on Wednesday encouraging Rhode Islanders to be positive, scale back the negativity, and be thankful that we have such excellent state leaders. Since the Providence Journal won't do it, I'd remind Rhode Islanders that Ryan's firm paid a $4.4 million settlement in the 38 Studio's lawsuit for their role in bringing about the disaster. Further, his firm has profited handsomely from all the bond work they've done over the years. It's pretty easy to be positive when you're an insider who profits from the state government, Mr. Ryan.
NOT
Father Brian Shanley: It's quite evident that the unrest at Providence College created by a lack of racial diversity and other issues pertaining to race and culture at the school could have been prevented if the administration had acted sooner and more seriously to rectify the concerns of the students. Instead, the school has moved at a snail's pace to address the legitimate concerns of the students, which led to the sit in at the President Shanley's office earlier this week. Here's hoping the school will sincerely become more proactive on the issue of racial sensitivity as it moves forward.
NOT
Nicholas Mattiello: The Speaker of the House of Representatives did not do himself any favors when he pulled three Democrats--Ray Hull (Finance), Joseph Solomon (Judiciary), and Robert Phillips (Corporations)--off of key respective legislative committees after they voted against the truck toll proposal last week. Representatives should be appointed to committees based on their talents, capabilities, and experience--not for following orders from leadership.
NOT
Providence Place Mall: The Providence Place Mall was subject to two incidents of violent crime last weekend, including a stabbing on Friday evening and a robbery at knife point on Saturday. The Providence Police Department and the owners of the mall need to work together to make sure people feel safe coming to the mall.
NOT
Jorge Elorza: There seems to be consensus among the media and political observers that there simply isn't any urgency inside the Elorza administration to address the fact that the city is drowning in red ink. Elorza promised bold leadership during the 2014 campaign, and ignoring the city's long term debts isn't exactly the type of leadership we need.
NOT
Rhode Island Middle Class: USA Today reported last weekend that our state's middle class is dying, stating the middle class is the "worst off compared to the highest earning households in the state". Middle incomes shrank from 2010 until 2014 and higher incomes decreased. That's a trend that will not be sustainable in the long term. Rhode Island needs to enact economic policies that benefit middle class folks.
