Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - June 23, 2023

HOT

Warwick, Yes.

Providence, Not So Much.

Despite repeated claims by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley that under his leadership, Providence would be the “best run city in America,” the city ranks just a mediocre 55th in the United States, according to a new study.

Providence ranks 94th for "quality of city services."

In contrast, Warwick is ranked 12th and second in New England.

To determine the effectiveness of local leadership, WalletHub compared 149 of the largest U.S. cities based on their operating efficiency. For each city, the study constructed a “Quality of City Services” score – comprising 36 key performance indicators grouped into six service categories – that was then measured against the city’s total per-capita budget.

Providence Ranks Behind Many Other New England Cities:

Nashua, NH  #3

Warwick, RI #12

Manchester, NH #13

Worcester, MA #36

Bridgeport, CT #41

Portland, ME #43

Providence at #55

Followed by Boston, MA #63, Springfield, MA #72, Hartford, CT #142,

San Francisco, CA, is ranked last in the U.S. at #149.

The best-run city is Nampa, Idaho.

HOT

Juneteenth, Finally

Finally, Rhode Island recognizes the holiday.

Next year the state will officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. 

As Pew reports, we were not in the top half of states this year. 

"This year, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday – meaning state government offices are closed and state workers have a paid day off – according to a Pew Research Center analysis of state human resources websites, state legislation and news articles."

Better late than never. 

HOT

Studio Visit With Painter Lee Ann Scotto Adams

Art contributor Michael Rose has a great feature on a wonderful Rhode Island artist. 

Rhode Island scenery is a frequent subject for local artists, but Cranston-based painter Lee Ann Scotto Adams looks for inspiration in novel places.

In sensuous and brushy artworks, Adams celebrates vernacular architecture, backyards, alleys, and the lesser-seen bits of her neighborhood and the broader world.

A talented artist and arts administrator, she is a vital presence on the cultural scene. READ MORE

HOT

#1

They are crowing down in Westerly.

Washington Trust on Wednesday announced that the bank has been selected for the Forbes list of Best-In-State Banks 2023.

The designation was made by the magazine and Statista Inc.

Washington Trust was one of 137 "unique banks across the United States selected for the Forbes list."

“We are proud to be recognized by Forbes as the Best-In-State Bank in Rhode Island,” stated Edward O. “Ned” Handy III, Washington Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“Throughout our 222+ year history, Washington Trust has been a community partner that provides trusted financial advice and personalized solutions to our customers. This honor reflects the value our customers place in us.”

Forbes and Statista identified Best-In-State Banks 2023 based on two sources:

- An independent survey: Approximately 26,000 US consumers were asked to rate banks at which they have or previously have had checking/saving accounts. Participants made recommendations regarding overall satisfaction and assessed banks in the following areas: Trust, Terms & Conditions, Branch Services, Digital Services, Customer Service, and Financial Advice.

- Publicly available reviews: For each bank, in each state, a sentiment analysis approach of publicly available online text reviews and ratings was applied.

BankRI and Santander were also recognized. 

NOT

Federal Judge Green Lights Companies to Pollute the Poor

Federal District Court Judge John "Jack" McConnell gives the green light to pollute and lie.

He gave Barletta Supervisor NO jail time and NO home confinement to the 6/10 supervisor who admitted to dumping material in the poorest neighborhood AND admitted to LYING to federal prosecutors.

Rhode Island is OPEN for dirty business -- under Jack McConnell. 

NOT

House Prices - Is a Home Affordable in RI?

In just seven years, the median price of a single-family home in RI has jumped nearly $200,000. 

In May of 2016, the average price of a home was $239,000.

In May of 2023, the average price of a home was $427,500.

The math? An 81% increase.

Good for homeowners, but a disaster for first-time homebuyers.

NOT

For, Against, or Simply No Compunction 

Former President — and 2024 Presidential candidate — Donald Trump this year promised to “defeat the cult of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders, man and woman." 

His stance, however, is a complete flip-flop from his public statements supporting transgendered individuals that he made in 2012 during the Miss USA pageant. 

And at the center at the time of the controversy is Rhode Island’s Olivia Culpo. 

In "uncovered radio and television interviews from spring and summer 2012, Trump celebrated the interest in a 23-year-old transgender woman named Jenna Talackova participating in a Canadian pageant,” CNN reported Friday. “He then later effusively praised the winner of the Miss USA pageant, Olivia Culpo, for saying that transgender women should be allowed to compete.”

When Culpo was a finalist in the pageant, she was asked the following question — and provided the following answer. 

“Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?” asked celebrity judge Robert Kardashian.

“I do think that would be fair…but I can understand that people would be a little apprehensive to take that road because there is a tradition of natural born women, but today there are so many surgeries and so many people who have a need to change for a happier life,” said Culpo. “I do accept that, because I believe it’s a free country.”

“She gave a great answer, a very tough question – on transgender – just the question everybody wants to hear, and she gave a great answer and she really did a great job,” Trump said praising Culpo on “Fox and Friends” in June 2012.

NOT

Anyone, Anyone Going to Discuss Issues Impacting RI?

The endless stream of press releases from the endless number of congressional candidates seems to focus too often on ridiculous endorsements.

Don Carlson announced he was endorsed by a Connecticut Congressman and called it a "national endorsement."

No, that is an endorsement from a single out-of-state member of Congress. That is not a "national endorsement."

Gabe Amo criticized the free trips by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted from a billionaire.

But, Amo refused to respond to questions about Judge "Jack" McConnell's decision to give NO jail time to the Barletta supervisor who lied to federal investigators about contaminating one of the poorest sections of Providence. 

For some candidates, it's all about Washington -- not RI. 

PHOTO: U.S. Justice - Federal Judge Jack McConnell

NOT

Hunter Biden Plea

Sounds fine for Hunter Biden to plead to misdemeanor charges on the tax issues. 

But the gun charge. Nope, not buying.

President Biden claims to be "tough" on guns.

If so -- maybe he should be on his son. 

PHOTO: Ben Steinfield, CC: Flickr.

NOT

RI's "Due Diligence" on Pawtucket Soccer Stadium

The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation paid a high-profile consulting firm nearly $85,000 to conduct an evaluation and to issue a report on the viability of the proposed Pawtucket minor league soccer stadium -- the Tidewater project.

The man behind the proposed minor league Pawtucket soccer stadium is Brett Johnson and his Fortuitous Partners.

The firm RI Commerce hired was CSL International -- a firm that has worked on all sides of sports stadium proposals across the country in the past.

CSL was generating a lot of business by conducting studies of minor league soccer proposals -- working on an evaluation of a soccer stadium in Washington, DC, a proposed team in Knoxville, and in multiple other markets. Soccer is big business for the consulting company.

Presently, the viability of the project is in question. GoLocal has visited the site multiple times over the past few weeks and construction activities have slowed to a crawl. 

Now, Johnson and his team are admitting that work crews are being removed from the project.

Michael Raia in an email to GoLocal on Wednesday night wrote, "In analyzing the work completed at the site to this stage and the amount of private funding already allocated to construction, this is an appropriate time to demobilize certain components of the construction while others continue."

"I Think They Let Us Down."

Board members of the Commerce Corporation believed the CSL report that was presented to them -- as they were voting to provide tens of millions of state subsidies -- was due diligence and an independent review of the risks of the project.

The CSL report said that Johnson had significant development expertise but subsequently, it was unveiled that the claim was not true. It was not the consultant that identified the false claim -- it was later uncovered in a series of media reports.

“You have to rely on them but not blindly. I had questions for them (CSL) but they are the experts and the board is a group of volunteers part-time and don’t have the time to delve into the background of these developers and we count on the experts,” said Mike McNally, a long-time member of the Commerce Corporation board.

"CSL had a good reputation in the sports field, and we reasonably depended on their opinion and expertise and I would say I think they let us down," added McNally. 

McNally served as the President & CEO of Skanska USA — a multi-billion construction global company and far and away had the most construction experience on the Commerce board.

McNally was originally named to the Commerce Corporation board by former Governor Gina Raimondo, and was knocked off his seat in recent months by Governor Dan McKee.

And, Karl Wadensten, a long-time member of the Commerce board, said he too was told that CSL’s report was a due diligence evaluation.

“I saw it as a due diligence report,” said Wadensten.

“It was presented an evaluation of the state of the project and the industry — a second-tier industry, minor league soccer,” he added. "That is how it was presented to us.”

Another person raising questions about CSL's report is Steve Griffin.

READ MORE