Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not - June 26, 2015

HOT

James Monteiro

The Executive Director of The Billy Taylor House in Providence has been chosen by Echoing Green, a global non-profit, for a fellowship to launch the Prison Bridge Program Initiative-- aimed towards reducing recidivism rates in Rhode Island by increasing post secondary educational graduation rates among the state's prison and ex-offender populations. Out of more 3,629 applicants, Monteiro was just one of 52 chosen fellows. It's a wise choice, as Monteiro is known for his leadership in mentoring folks in need of a second chance.
 

HOT

Gina Raimondo

The Governor made a strong stand in defense of our state's charter schools last week when she said that she wouldn't sign any bills that would compromise the existence of the state's charter schools, some of which boast of the best student performance in the state. It's nice to see the Governor stand up for charter schools and school choice.

Photo courtesy of Richard Mccaffery 
 

HOT

CVS Health Charity Classic

Rhode Island's premier golf tournament begins anew on Sunday, June 28 with a pro-am event that's free to the public. Now in its 17th year, the tournament raises money for local charities in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 
 

HOT

Nicholas Mattiello

The House Speaker seems to have had a change-of-heart with respect to tolls. Though he initially stood alongside Governor Gina Raimondo and Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio a few weeks ago when the measure was unveiled, the House Speaker is now the only thing standing between toll gantries being constructed across the state. Here's hoping he holds firm, as Rhode Island has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

HOT

Brown University

Rhode Island's Ivy League school now boasts of two Presidential contenders--former Senator, Governor, and Warwick Mayor Lincoln Chafee on the Democratic side and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on the GOP side. They're both considered long shot candidates, but it's still good press for the school to have two graduates in the running. And if politics has taught us anything, it's that anything is possible. Who knows, maybe one of them will end up living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue someday.
 

HOT

Gary Sasse

Sasse seems to be one of the few Rhode Island political talking heads who isn't breaking out the champagne bottles and acting as if the new budget solves all of Rhode Island's problems. The new budget contains some positive changes such as cutting the sales tax on energy costs for businesses, but there aren’t any major reforms that will change the dynamic in Rhode Island.
 

NOT

Allan Fung

The Cranston Mayor has to be kidding, right? The man who welcomed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (whose administrators tied up the George Washington bridge to increase traffic there to hurt a political adversaries) and accepted his endorsement in the race for Governor last year, is criticizing Governor Raimondo and her administration for closing a bridge in Cranston, saying it's political and timed in a way to help pass her toll plan to fund infrastructure. He may be right, but he's certainly not the person to levy the charge!
 

NOT

Robert Lancia

The state representative from Cranston made some regrettable comments about the Providence school department this week on the House Floor while advocating for charter schools, saying "there is no learning taking place in the Providence School System". While the Providence School System certainly needs improvement, to say there is no learning taking place there is unfair to the hardworking students and teachers in the capital city. To his credit, Lancia later took back his comments.
 

NOT

Laura Adams

More than 8 out of every 10 Rhode Island doctors fail to participate in the state's electronic information exchange, despite the fact that the federal government has poured in tens of millions of federal dollars since its inception. Meanwhile, the state has spent $2 million on the program since 2010. Adams, as President and CEO of the RI Quality Institute (which is charged with leading the implementation of electronic medical records) must do a better job convincing more doctors to sign onto the system.
 

NOT

The Vanderbilts

The blue blood American family is in a battle with the Newport Preservation Society over the organization's plan to construct a welcome center on the property.  The Vanderbilts, and other people opposed to the plan. believe the welcome center will compromise the integrity of the property; but here's the thing, the Vanderbilts no longer own the property, and shouldn't be interfering with the plans that would actually add culture and much-needed revenue to the mansion.
 

NOT

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

The death penalty is a controversial issue of which reasonable, intelligent people can disagree upon. However, if anyone deserves the ultimate punishment, it's Tsarnaev. Hopefully the survivors can take solace in knowing that the whole ordeal has finally come to an end.
 

NOT

Teespring

The Rhode Island startup success story, which has many of the same attributes as the decade’s most successful companies (Amazon, Uber, etc), is packing up and moving its operations to both Kentucky and San Francisco. With all the talk about how the state needs to bend over backwards to retain the Pawtucket Red Sox, it makes one wonder if the state should've done more to convince the Teespring founders to keep the company in Rhode Island.