The Newport progressive first won office in 2017, when she got more than 60 percent of the vote in a four-way special election. In the time since, she’s sponsored a series of bills on healthcare, the environment and other issues. Euer is part of a rising generation of younger leaders in the state, and her time in the Senate has coincided with the chamber’s move somewhat to the left. But Rhode Island still faces a host of thorny challenges, from replacing the Washington Bridge to managing a more difficult fiscal outlook. So what does Euer say about the state’s ability to take on tough issues? How does she hope to channel her energy in the future? And are state lawmakers bringing enough urgency to the changes needed to improve Rhode Island? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Senator Dawn Euer, chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Donnis: Welcome back to The Public’s radio.
Sen. Dawn Euer: Thank you.
Donnis: Let’s start with the presidential race. Kamala Harris has sparked a surge of enthusiasm for Democrats, but a lot of voters in battleground states have serious concerns about inflation under the Biden administration and immigration. What do you think Democrats should say to address these concerns for voters who are very concerned about that?
Euer: You know, look, I think the Democratic Party platform is a platform for working people. They have done so many policies during Biden’s term to try to help support working people. I think of the student loan forgiveness program as one of them. And I think really Democrats have a huge, a great record to run on, and I think they need to, to focus on that record. Some of the things around, the big legislation, the bipartisan infrastructure bill. You know, bringing manufacturing back to the U. S. around clean energy and other items like that. It’s just so important to be able to see those jobs coming back and those opportunities through upward mobility and like the student loan program.
Donnis: Let’s bring the focus back to Rhode Island. People who live near Rhode Island recycled metals in South Providence are frustrated and angry about how the business has been able to continue operating for years despite a series of fires. This is an issue that you focused on while trying to promote an added layer of protection on environmental issues for poor neighborhoods. What is your explanation for why this business has been able to remain open for so long despite problems?
Euer: Yeah, look, add me to the list of those frustrated about it. I don’t have, I’m not, obviously don’t live in the neighborhood, but it’s completely unacceptable that they’re continuing to be able to have violation after violation and the court continues to order them to reopen their ability to reopen. So, you know, the work that I’ve been doing that you kind of alluded to. is working on the Environmental Justice Act. And I think what we need to remember is that we actually give these industries a permit to pollute, and what the Environmental Justice Act would do is it would look at, look, you’re giving this much pollution, if all that pollution is concentrated in a certain neighborhood, we should be adjusting the permits accordingly. And so I do think that that’s a piece of the puzzle. And I give a lot of credit. I know that Attorney General Neronha has been doing a lot of work to try to get them in compliance and to deal with the issues. But I at this point really do think that they just need to be shut down.
Donnis: You were the Senate sponsor a few years ago of the Act on Climate, which is aimed at reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Supporters say that’s an important way to move forward. Critics said the requirements might be too onerous. How is the state faring with moving forward, and is it on track to meet the requirements of that act?
Euer: Look, we’re a generation behind addressing climate change. So I hear the people who say that we’re not doing enough and we’re not doing it fast enough. But we also need to set up a realistic framework and a structure and steps forward. And I do think that the Act on Climate gave that framework to do that. I give a lot of credit to Terry Gray. He’s been doing great as the head of DEM and managing the EC4 and pulling the plan together. So, I think in parallel to that administrative work that the EC4 is doing, we also need to continue to pass legislation and take that two pronged approach, the administrative action as well as the legislative action.
Donnis: Do you have any interest in becoming majority leader of the Senate when, assuming you win re-election and the Senate reorganizes itself in January?
Euer: I think right now I’m really focused. I do have an election. So I’m wanting to make sure that I go back. I’m proud that I’ve been part of leadership. I’ll continue to be part of leadership. And so I know that everyone has been focused on that palace intrigue, but I think a lot of us are just focused on the election.
Donnis: Do you think Ryan Pearson will continue to serve as majority leader if he wins his election?
Euer: Yeah, I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve, he still is the majority leader, you know, and he’s calling and meeting with folks. And so I haven’t been given any indication otherwise.
Donnis: You have been seen as a potential candidate for attorney general in 2026, along with state reps, Jason Knight and Robert Craven. Is that something you’re planning to pursue at this point?
Euer: Yeah, that’s another piece where I’m kind of undecided. I have to say that, you know, Attorney General Neronha has done a really great job in that office of showing the full scope of potential in that office, the opportunity around consumer protections and really standing up for Rhode Islanders, is something that’s really appealing. But you know, 2026 is a long ways away. So I’m definitely focused on the Senate.
Donnis: You are from Newport, kind of a bit of a schlep from Providence in a Rhode Island, frame of mind. But I wonder, have you and your constituents been affected by the whole series of problems related to the Washington Bridge?
Euer: So, we have had our own construction down on the Pell Bridge and so I think that the first couple days of, the Washington Bridge closure definitely had a ripple effect down on Aquidneck Island where folks who are kind of in the middle of the island or on the north end of the island will make that decision, am I going to go up the island or do I go south and, you know, then up 95? So I do think in the first couple of days, that was definitely impactful as well as at the same time we had the the bridge ramp project and everything else down there. But it seems to really not be as impactful these days.
Donnis: Are you satisfied with the job performance of RIDOT director Peter Alfeiti?
Euer: I think he’s in a tough spot, right? Like I think that, I think I would like to see more disclosure. I know that he goes on the radio regularly, and does talk through some things. But I would like to see additional disclosures, around, you know, forensics reports. And really, I think we don’t really understand what happened, and I think that that is still a lingering question that a lot of folks have. I know that that’s moving to a litigation conversation and again, Attorney General Neronha is involved in that conversation now, so I’m feeling good about that. But I would like, I know that he’s been meeting with the East Bay legislative delegate and having regular meetings with them. I haven’t been involved in those meetings, but I think there needs to be just additional transparency. We really do need to get to the bottom of, all of a sudden this bridge was open and everything was fine and now it needs to be torn down. And I think that raises a ton of questions that need to be answered that haven’t been answered satisfactorily yet.
Donnis: We’re talking here with State Senator Dawn Euer from Newport. And sometimes people say that transplants to Rhode Island love the state more fervently than natives. You’re a Wisconsin native, so I’m going to ask you kind of a big picture question. The state faces a more difficult fiscal climate. We see how public schools have barely improved in Providence and elsewhere, despite years of talk about the need for that. There are severe challenges in housing and health care. What does all this tell us about the state’s ability to confront and address its most serious problems?
Euer: Look, I think we have, you know, in some ways there’s a state, a small state challenge, right? With being the smallest state, you have all of those kind of same needs that every other state has with the costs, being spread out over a smaller population. And I think that that becomes a huge challenge, but I do think that the small state is also an opportunity for innovation and for flexibility. This is a state, we get a bad reputation for the, you gotta know a guy, but, you know, that ability to kind of genuinely know who the person is who’s dealing with X, Y, and Z issue, be able to make that phone call, and try to resolve issues for your constituents is actually a huge benefit.
Donnis: You co chair a legislative preparatory commission required by the state constitution to ask voters in November whether they want to hold a constitutional convention. There are sharply different opinions on this. Some people say holding a convention would be a way to move some things forward that Democrats at the legislature will not pass. Other people like Steve Brown at the ACLU say this will open a Pandora’s box of potential problems and bad influences. How do you see it?
Euer: So first I want to make it very clear that what the commission is that I’m co-chairing is simply providing a report. And so every voter in the state of Rhode Island will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not we want a constitutional convention in the November ballot. So I think that’s important to make it very clear. I have to say, when I first started doing the convention work, I was initially kind of a little bit more indifferent and thought, okay, well, maybe this is a good pathway. As I’ve listened to the testimony and I’ve actually looked at some other examples around the state, I have to say that I’m not in favor of holding a constitutional convention. I think one of the most compelling arguments that I heard was, Was this concept of, like, when you put a group of people in a room and say, okay, come up with ideas about how to change the constitution, they’re going to come up with ideas of how to change the constitution. And that threshold question of should we change the constitution isn’t the thing that’s measured as much. And I think the current process of constitutional amendments where it does go through the legislative process, as frustrating as that can be, and as slow as that can be at times, does do a little bit more of that vetting about should we change the constitution in this way.
Donnis: Back in 2013, before you were in the State Senate, you were part of the team that helped Rhode Island to legalize same sex marriage. We see now how there’s been a bit of a backlash against gay and trans rights in some states, and sometimes we even see hints of this in Rhode Island. Given partisan politics, do you think this is just going to be the way it is for years moving forward, or do you see it somewhat differently?
Euer: Yeah, I think the kind of blowback, is really heartbreaking to see. It’s really harmful. It’s really harmful to people I love, that I know and I love, to hear the hatred and the vitriol. We just had somebody visit,the Newport school committee, going on an anti -trans rant. It’s really heartbreaking to hear and see those folks who previously had kind of been in the, as Walz would say, mind your own damn business camp, are now, feel fully justified and fully empowered to say these just really horrible things about people who are friends and neighbors. But I’ve been heartened to see that as much as there is that hatred in the vitriol, there are more people standing up and saying, no, our LGBTQ plus community is beautiful. They’re our friends. They’re our neighbors. We love them. They’re important. They’re valuable and we need them. So I’m, you know, as much as it’s hard to hear some of that hate and vitriol, I am heartened by the pushback on it, which is very, very strong.
Donnis: Let’s bring it back to where we started with the presidential race. You’re clearly a Democrat pulling for Kamala Harris. How do you see the stakes in this presidential election? What does it mean for Rhode Island?
Euer: I think it means for Rhode Island and the entire country, really preserving our democratic institutions, really preserving our republic. I think that this final, this last term of the U. S. Supreme Court had some really troubling decisions, that are kind of doubling down on corporate personhood. The immunity decision that basically gives the executive full immunity in a way that I just don’t understand how that’s tenable in our democratic, republic. And so, I really do think that this is about the future of our country. And if we want to go down an authoritarian pathway and go back to the days of Trump, or do we want to move forward to a vision of a future that works for the public, that works for people, that has compassion and empathy and like neighborly love, as part of that message and part of that conversation.
Donnis: We’ve got to leave it there. Thanks so much for joining us. State Senator Dawn Euer, a Newport Democrat and chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Euer: Thanks for having me.
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Politicians like to talk about how they don’t really like fundraising. But they need to dial for dollars to bolster their chances of success. That’s true whether we’re talking about VP candidate Tim Walz or Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. And while some candidates have tried running low-cost campaigns in Rhode Island, they usually prove non-competitive. You can read more about that in my TGIF column, posting around 4 this afternoon at the publics radio-dot-org and on what used to be known as Twitter at IanDon.
That’s it for our show. Political Roundtable is a production of The Public’s Radio. Our producer this week is James Baumgartner. I’m Ian Donnis, and I’ll see you on the radio.
