Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not
Russell J. Moore, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not
Side of the Rhode: Who's Hot and Who's Not - February 27, 2015
HOT
Gina Raimondo
The past two weeks have featured the Gina Raimondo that so many Rhode Islanders admire - the plain talker who fixes problems. First, Raimondo held a press conference detailing Rhode Island's weak return on investments in so many aspects of the state budget. Then, Raimondo tweaked the state legislature and called for more transparency in the body.
HOT
James Skeffington
The Providence lawyer, who has been a Rhode Island insider for decades, had a good week in the news by being at the forefront of the group that bought the Pawtucket Red Sox and plans to move them to Providence. But will Skeffington's good old boy image hold up as eyes are turned to the legacies of the projects he's spearheaded and ideas he's promoted (like the Rhode Island Convention Center as well as moral obligation bonds) in the past?
HOT
The Preserve OPEN
Sponsored by BENRUS, the lifestyle brand owned by former Alex and Ani CEO Giovanni Feroce, The Preserve OPEN will take place on June 18 and be broadcast on ESPN and NESN and feature $20 million in prizes, and will be held at the Preserve golf course in Richmond, RI. "Our goal at BENRUS is to focus on investing in the United States and in Rhode Island first and foremost," said Feroce.
HOT
Mia Ackerman
The State Representative from Cumberland has taken the legislative lead on reducing the epidemic of rape and sexual assault on college campuses. Ackerman has wisely begun having discussions with the state's colleges and universities in order to make sure that they're involved in creating solutions to the problem.
HOT
Bryce Cotton
The former Providence College standout basketball player signed a 10-day NBA contract with the Utah Jazz earlier this week. Cotton had been tearing it up in the NBA's Development League this year and played in it's all star game. Here's hoping Cotton can prolong his NBA career with some strong play.
NOT
McCoy Stadium
The iconic, longtime home of the Pawtucket Red Sox will be without a tenant in a few short years as the new Pawtucket Red Sox owners intend to move the team to Providence. But let not our hearts be troubled, there will be opportunities to get another team into the stadium that will provide affordable baseball for Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts families. Yes, we can still have the Magic of McCoy long into the future without the PawSox.
NOT
Speaker Nicholas Mattiello
Speaker Mattiello was very upset by Governor Gina Raimondo's comments about the General Assembly's lack of transparency with respect to the state budget. But as former State Representative John Loughlin pointed out on Facebook, if the budget process is so open and transparent, Mr. Speaker, please explain how every single legislator who voted in favor of the loan program that brought us 38 Studios knew nothing about what they were voting on? You can't have it both ways.
NOT
School Cafeterias
A review by GoLocalProv this week found that school cafeterias in Rhode Island have some work to do to insure that cleanliness standards are met for the benefit of our state's youngsters. There were thousands of violations over the last 3 years and those numbers need to be brought down.
NOT
Donald Grebien
The Pawtucket Mayor really cranked up the hyperbole this week in saying that the Pawtucket Red Sox moving out of McCoy would be "devastating". Last time i checked, the Pawtucket Red Sox don't pay one dime in property taxes to the city, so it's not like we'd be losing any revenue. Mayor, if you're looking for "devastating", take a look at your city's OPEB liabilities.
NOT
RI Hedge Fund Investments:
GoLocalProv MINDSETTER Michael Riley points out in his recent column that the Rhode Island pension fund's hedge fund portfolio is littered with a bunch of dogs (which is really an insult to canines). Will State Treasurer Seth Magaziner get rid of these expensive investments which generate poor returns, or will he just do Governor Raimondo's bidding?
NOT
Worst in Nation
The State of Rhode Island is worst in the nation for "Social Well Being" according to Gallup, which takes into account "having supportive relationships and love in your life". Apparently Rhode Island needs to increase its love index. So with that, I ask you, can you not feel the love?
