With the vogue for hiring former Bay State elected officials (Charlie Baker, Marty Walsh) for jobs related to professional sports, I am apparently out of the running to be the next MLB commissioner. Thanks for stopping by. You can follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go.
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STORY OF THE WEEK: Rhode Island is getting a bit of a mulligan on efforts to confront its housing crisis, since Stefan Pryor started just this week as the state’s new housing director. Still, it’s more than reasonable to wonder about the outlook, considering that the state has failed to address the crunch for decades. The housing crisis has been worsening since 2003 and past efforts to make progress (including a push by former Gov. Don Carcieri) have come up empty. Josh Saal didn’t work out as the state’s housing czar, let alone someone who could streamline what some consider an overdeveloped bureaucracy of government agencies involved with the issue. There’s the impediment posed by the staunch opposition of some towns to statewide mandates on zoning. Despite all this, one of the state’s foremost practitioners in developing affordable housing, Jennifer Hawkins, president/executive director of One Neighborhood Builders, counts herself optimistic. “The leadership that we have at the Statehouse is unprecedented,” Hawkins said this week on Political Roundtable, pointing to moves Gov. Dan McKee and legislative leaders, particularly House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, have made to prioritize housing, in part by including $250 million in related funding in the current state budget. For a reality check, Hawkins points out that of the sum, $177 million is geared for housing production, a vastly insufficient amount to generate the 35,000 new housing units called necessary in 2016. Still, Hawkins – whose firm has threaded the red tape needle while working in such communities as East Providence, Cumberland and Central Falls – remains hopeful. On the obstacle posed by municipal opposition to zoning changes, she said, “Let’s start with the early adopters. Let’s focus on the municipalities where they already have access to infrastructure, where there is already RIPTA bus lines. Let’s start in those communities because there’s plenty of those communities that can do, can contribute greater to the solution. Yes, the rural communities may find a requirement of a density bonus unpalatable but, you know, let’s focus first on where there could be easier successes. And I think that there’s plenty of communities where there’s lots of land that is not wetlands, they have a bus stop within a quarter of a mile.”
PASSINGS: Theater innovators Adrian Hall and Eugene Lee left a big imprint on Rhode Island, Trinity Rep, and the wider arts scene. Both men died this week, Hall at 95 and Lee at 83.
NEW LEADERSHIP: Rhode Island has its share of intractable problems – under-performing public schools, a slow-motion pension crisis in Providence, and lawmakers’ unwillingness to confront exploitative lending, to name three. But the Providence Police Department offers a prime example of how an institution can change for the better. During late-stage Buddy II, the PPD had a lot of problems. But that now seems a long time ago, particularly after the lengthy and widely lauded tenure of former Col. Hugh Clements. On Friday, Mayor Brett Smiley announced his selection of Clements’ successor: Oscar Perez, who immigrated to RI from Colombia and who began with the department in 1994. Perez offered some insight into his philosophy during his introductory news conference. Asked how many officers the department needs, he said it’s more important for Providence “to have the right officers with the right training with the right life experiences to police the city. We’re a majority-minority city and we have to make sure that every officer that we hire has the qualities to police the city in a proper, constitutional manner.”
REACTION: The selection of Perez got a rave from Attorney General Peter Neronha, who said via Twitter that he’s worked with Perez for longer than he can remember and that he’ll make a fine chief. The Black Lives Matter RI PAC congratulated Perez while also citing ongoing concerns: “Although progress has been made, many pressing issues still need to be addressed in our community around public safety, ranging from accountability, transparency, and the work to dismantling systemic flaws in policing itself. Chief Perez should be prudent in enforcing the Community Safety Act (CSA), which is already standing law, and begin a strong relationship with the Providence External Review Authority (PERA). We hope that during his time as police chief, more emphasis is put on expanding mobile crisis intention teams to reach the growing needs of our citizens with mental and behavioral health issues. We look forward to working with Chief Perez and the department to achieve a safer, more effective, and more equitable police department for Providence.”
STATEHOUSE: The odd bedfellows concept could be seen in play in the RI House of Representatives this week as Rep. David Morales, a Democratic socialist from Providence, introduced with House GOP Leader Mike Chippendale of Foster a bill aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. The two men could also be seen huddling near Chippendale’s desk during Tuesday’s session. Morales has impressed his colleagues with his intellect and his approach, although the Providence chapter of DSA withdrew its previous endorsement for him, since Morales backed the re-election of House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. Chippendale told me later he welcomes the opportunity to seek common ground with such leftist lawmakers as Morales and Rep. Enrique Sanchez (D-Providence), even if his beliefs and theirs are dramatically different. Chippendale said there’s considerable overlap between them on attempts to improve economic conditions for their constituents. Added Morales, “While we may disagree on traditional partisan issues, such as a woman’s right to choose, we still take the time to understand each other’s policy positions and find common overlap where it exists. So unlike the partisanship divide at the federal level, I hope that our local bipartisan efforts can demonstrate the importance of governing based on policy merits, not political labels.”
CRANSTON CONFIDENTIAL: Amid the quiet phase of the 2024 election season, one of the more interesting possibilities is a potential run for mayor of Cranston next year by state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, a Republican. She declined to comment (and Mayor Ken Hopkins has not publicly indicated his plans for next year). Fenton-Fung is well liked by her legislative colleagues, and her approach has included twice backing Shekarchi for speaker. If she were to run for the seat formerly held by her husband, Allan Fung, it could be a better launching pad for a higher office. On the Democrat side, City Council President Jessica Marino, the first woman to hold that post, is seen as a likely candidate, and she can use the bully pulpit of her office to boost her profile.
STATE OF THE UNION: It’s a strange time in the American economy, with the mix of super-low unemployment, strong job growth, and jitters related to inflation and a free-floating sense of anxiety. That was the environment for President Biden’s State of the Union address this week. As NPR’s Domenico Montanaro notes in his five takeaways, one of Biden’s themes was making Democrats more comfortable with the idea of him seeking re-election in 2024.
TAKES OF THE WEEK: Various views from a mix of Rhode Islanders
Entrepreneur, community leader and ProJo alum ALISHA PINA: It’s Super Bowl time! The culmination of 18 weeks of football, and all the antics and devotion that comes from many of its fans. Want something to do during the off season? Help another Rhode Islander. Those experiencing homelessness need warm meals, gloves, hats or maybe the jersey/coat you won’t ever wear again because you are fed up with your losing team. Mentor a youth in one of the several communities where schools are failing them, and leaders are painfully slow to make any meaningful progress. Advocate for policies, programs and investments that will close the many equity gaps our Black and Brown neighbors have endured, are facing or will encounter again and again and again. I will cheer for (as well as do myself) every one of these plays. They are a touchdown for all of us!
Local historian, RI GOP National Committeeman and Cranston Planning Commission member STEVE FRIAS: Due to the current cost of housing, some have suggested sweeping changes in state law that would override local zoning and impact suburban neighborhoods. That would be a mistake. In general, zoning is and should remain an issue decided at a local level. Local officials, not state officials, are in the best position to know the unique qualities of the neighborhoods in our municipalities. Statewide mandates that interfere with local zoning usually fail because they impose a one-size-fits-all approach on all municipalities when municipalities are not all alike. Nor should we want them to become all alike. Rhode Island is a state where people can choose to live in urban, suburban, and rural communities. We should preserve this diversity rather than seek to simply urbanize more of Rhode Island. A few have gone so far as to threaten to penalize municipalities with reductions in state aid if they do not generate more housing. These threats ignore the reality that more housing usually increases the financial burden on local taxpayers. Financially incentivizing municipalities, rather than penalizing them, would be a better approach. Those looking to mandate radical changes in local zoning and to penalize municipalities should recall the ancient wisdom found in Aesop’s fable “The North Wind and the Sun.” The moral of that fable was: persuasion is superior to bluster and force.
Providence College professor of political science ADAM S. MEYERS: Everyone agrees that public speaking is not President Biden’s strongest suit, and his surprisingly feisty State of the Union Address on Tuesday night probably exceeded the expectations of most Americans. On top of that, Biden’s well-publicized tangles with congressional Republicans during the address appear to have had the effect of further rallying Democrats around the president, which will probably help him in his all-but-certain re-election bid. Democrats’ concerns about Biden’s age and reduced vigor will surely resurface over time, though it’s highly doubtful that a viable challenger to him from within the party will emerge. The extent to which such concerns will weigh on Americans in the 2024 general election will greatly depend on who the Republican presidential nominee is. If Republicans nominate Trump, these concerns will probably not be front-and-center, but if they nominate someone more youthful, the contrast between that candidate and Biden will be hard for Americans to ignore.
State Rep. REBECCA KISLAK (D-Providence): President Biden‘s State of the Union was a rallying cry for democracy. Despite the heckling, which the president navigated masterfully, it’s clear to me that Americans and Rhode Islanders want us to get to work to make everyday life better. The president’s speech included a strong agenda, which many of us are working on here in Rhode Island, too: strengthening Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; replacing lead water pipes; building on climate action; ensuring that the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share of taxes; shoring up access to reproductive health care, including abortion; and improving access to affordable housing and childcare.
Strategist and consultant CARA CROMWELL: Many of us say that age is just a number, but when that number is high, should it be a factor when applying for the world’s toughest job? President Biden (80) is expected to announce his candidacy for 2024 within the next few months and there is a lot of chatter about his number. Don’t underestimate Biden’s ability to jujitsu the age issue to lay the groundwork for his run — or to choreograph his exit. One of his go-to ways to respond to criticism is to say “watch me” and this week’s State of the Union provided that opportunity. Unity was a central theme in his speech, a message that likely polls better for an aging president than the “fighting for you” theme often rolled out by younger Dems. He deftly baited the Republicans, saying, “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years,” and elicited an indignant uproar from many GOP members. Not showing his age one bit, he went off-script and smiled, “as we all apparently agree. Social Security and Medicare is off the books now.” One twist: if he chooses to retire, he could use his age as a reason to step aside and throw shade on Donald Trump, who is just a few years his junior.
FREEDOM TRAIL: Pam Watts of RI-PBS, an alum of The Public’s Radio (when it was WRNI), had an interesting story on the PBS NewsHour this week, headlined, New England’s role in Frederick Douglass’ first steps to freedom.
HEARTS: With Valentine’s Day coming up next week, What Cheer Flower Farm is set to stage its third Valentine’s Bouquet-a-thon on the day after, the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 10 am to noon at 189 Broadway, Providence. Matthew Lawrence shares this: “The Farm rescues unsold Valentine’s Day flowers from local florists, and a team of volunteers assembles them into hundreds of bouquets that are then delivered by the Farm’s CheerMobile to hospitals across the state. Volunteer bouquet makers this year represent local service organizations including ReFocus, SSTARbirth, and St. Martin de Porres Senior Center.
KICKER: There’s always a Rhode Island connection, right? How to resist a story about six Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission officials who were implicated in a plan to divert fine bourbon, including the storied Pappy Van Winkle, for themselves instead of the public. Turns out the reporter who broke the story is Noelle Crombie, daughter of the esteemed former ProJo scribe Dave Crombie, and a former server at the Hot Club.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org
