Joe Shekarchi (D-Warwick), a longtime participant in Rhode Island politics, captured what is often called the most powerful political post in the state, easily ascending Tuesday as House speaker during an unusual legislative opening session that pointed to ongoing clashes between progressives and establishment Democrats.
With the House of Representatives meeting at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium due to the pandemic, Shekarchi won the support of 59 Democrats, while nine Republicans backed the House Minority Leader Blake Filippi, and four progressive Democrats abstained.
During his victory speech, Shekarchi invoked the values – courage, judgment, integrity, and dedication — cited by President-elect John F. Kennedy as he left Massachusetts for the White House in 1961.
Without offering any policy prescriptions, Shekarchi, a 58-year-old lawyer, called for Rhode Island to seek new solutions to the economic hardship and racial injustice highlighted by the ongoing pandemic.
“As the economic tide went out,” he said, “it exposed a society where in too many ways justice has not been established equally, the general welfare has not been promoted fairly and the blessings of liberty remain out of reach for far too many of our fellow Rhode Islanders, through absolutely no fault of their own.”
Two Republican representatives, Justin Price of Richmond and Robert Quattrocchi of Scituate, were situated in a different room at the Vets Auditorium because they would not wear masks, House spokesman Larry Berman said.
There was little drama to the outcome of the election for speaker since Shekarcki locked up support during a November caucus. But his elevation as speaker represents a high mark in his political career, and he made a point of mentioning his late mother and his father, 94, who established a career as a successful surgeon in Rhode Island after coming to America as an immigrant in the 1950s.
Shekarchi is known for having a more amiable disposition than his predecessor, Nicholas Mattiello, who lost his re-election for state representative in November.
In a possible signal to those who would question his discipline, Shekarchi said his approach will be different from Mattiello’s, “but it should never be confused with an unwillingness to make difficult, final decisions at the appropriate time and make them stick.”
Later. Shekarchi’s office announced that Ray Simone, the longstanding Rhode Island chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, will serve as the new speaker’s chief of staff, replacing Leo Skenyon, and that Nicole McCarty will serve as his chief legal counsel.
Shekarchi cut his political teeth while leading the late Paul Tsongas’ Rhode Island presidential run in 1992.
The Warwick Democrat directed Gov. Gina Raimondo’s winning campaign for state treasurer in 2010 and he joined the House after winning a Warwick seat in 2012. A prolific fundraiser, he has a campaign account with more than $1 million.
Four progressive Democrats abstained in the vote for speaker, rather than vote for Shekarchi: Reps. Liana Cassar of Barrington, David Morales of Providence, Michelle McGaw of Portsmouth, and Brianna Henries of East Providence.
Some progressives have supported the idea of boycotting leadership votes due to what they consider a rigged process.
The abstentions point to ongoing clashes over policy and Statehouse culture between the insurgent Democrats who have increased in number in recent election cycles and the establishment Democrats who have typified the legislative mainstream on Smith Hill for years.
That followed a request by Rep. Brian C. Newberry (R-North Smithfield) that reps not abstain from choosing a speaker because, he said, lawmakers are sent the legislature to make choices.
Newberry and eight of the 10 Republicans in the House voted for Filippi, a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2022, while the other Republican, freshman Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, who was absent due to a COVID infection for her husband, former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, said via a written communication that she would have voted for Shekarchi. Fung has twice run for governor and has not ruled out another bid in 2022.
Newberry said he backed Filippi because Rhode Island needs severe changes to improve its economy.
When it was Filippi’s turn to speak, he praised Shekarchi, recalling how he had helped him as a young lawyer without seeking anything in return.
In the Senate, the clash between progressives and establishment Democrats was even more evident. Seven progressives abstained rather than vote for another term for Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, 72, the longest serving member of the General Assembly, who ascended to that post in 2017. That was even more striking since the five Republicans in the Senate voted for Ruggerio.
The Senate met at Lila Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College, a fitting setting, senators said, since Sapinsley was the first female minority leader in the chamber and because half of the Senate’s 38 members are now women.
Ruggerio’s leadership previously indicated a leftward move on policy issues and he reiterated that his priorities for 2021 include a dedicated funding stream for affordable housing, creating a path to a $15 hourly wage, supporting small businesses, expanding renewable energy, legalizing recreational marijuana, and reforming the state’s income tax structure.
In a possible jab at the progressives, Ruggerio said that “ideological hyperbole may play well on Twitter, but it’s not likely to help in the development of successful legislation.”
He said lawmakers should build on common ground and mutual respect.
Seven Democrats nonetheless abstained rather than vote for Ruggerio: Jonathan Acosta of Central Falls, Kendra Anderson of Warwick, Sam Bell, Tiara Mack, and Gayle Goldin of Providence, Cynthia Mendes of East Providence, and Jeanine Calkin of Warwick.
The legislature generally meets three days a week, from January through June, while passing a budget near the end of the session. This year, a deficit of more than $400 million is expected.
Ian Donnis covers politics for The Public’s Radio. He can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Sign up here for his weekly RI politics newsletter.
