Stewart is one of a number of progressive lawmakers who have joined the legislature over the last decade, moving the General Assembly a bit more to the left. But Rhode Island still faces familiar challenges in building a stronger economy and improving public schools. What will it take to make more progress? And do progressive lawmakers have the vision to make it happen? I’m Ian Donnis and this week I’m going in-depth with State Representative Jennifer Stewart.
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Donnis: You won election in 2022 running on the idea that state lawmakers should do more to help everyday Rhode Islanders with issues like housing and health care. We see how it’s difficult to move forward on housing. There’s pushback from cities and towns. It takes time to build housing. So I wonder what your experience has been trying to make change in the general assembly on some of the issues that you championed.
Stewart: Thank you for that question. There’s some interesting things I’ve noticed. The first is that progress is being made, with respect, especially to facilitating the building of new housing. For example, the package of bills that was passed last session 2023 and the bills that are being put forward under the speaker’s leadership this year all facilitate, I think, what should be the result of, of more housing coming online at some point. I guess the issue is the some point aspect of that. And so some progress is being made. I’m, along with many Rhode Islanders, are anxious to see that housing come online. I think it’ll take a few to several years before that happens. And I think in the meantime, we also need to prioritize where we can make more immediate impact for folks. And that would be with respect to the existing rental market.
Donnis: Another key issue in Rhode Island is the state’s underperforming public schools. There’s been talk about this for decades. Your day job is as a teacher at the Moses Brown School. I wonder what your perspective is on what should be done differently to improve public education in the state?
Stewart: Well, I’m interested in learning about two areas that I’ve heard many of my colleagues focus on for improving schools. One is changing the funding formula in order to better resource our public schools. And the other is a right to an education in the state constitution as leverage to try to ensure well performing schools that do well by our students.
Donnis: Let’s switch gears and talk about the Washington Bridge, which remains a big issue in the state clearly. Governor McKee’s administration announced this week that it’s going to take more time than expected to complete a forensic audit explaining what went wrong with the westbound Washington Bridge. I wonder, are you satisfied with Governor McKee’s handling of this crisis?
Stewart: Well, I don’t know if I would say I’m satisfied with it. I, along with most Rhode Islanders, want to learn as quickly and as clearly as possible where the mistakes have been and what’s, what’s the plan moving forward? I think there’s a lot to still be done on those fronts, for sure.
Donnis: You’ve been an advocate of more funding for RIPTA.
Stewart: Yes.
Donnis: We see how RIPTA has struggled for adequate funding throughout virtually all of its existence. What will it take to create a more sustainable funding stream for RIPTA?
Stewart: You know, I think it’s gonna take many of us joining up to press for that funding in the budget process. I think there’s a broad concern and focus on that in the House and in the Senate. And I think we just need to keep making the case and Rhode Islanders need to keep pressing us and pressing leadership.
Donnis: Your counterparts in the State Senate earlier this year passed an updated version of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. That legislation seems to have stalled in the House where there’s more disagreement about which course it should take. Are you optimistic that a bill that would improve LEOBOR will get passed this year by the House of Representatives.
Stewart: I’m not sure. I would like to think that something will happen, but I think, I don’t know if you were there for the caucus statement, or the Black Latino Indigenous AAPI caucus statement on what its members are looking for in the LEOBOR Reform. I’m hopeful that as long as there continues to be conversation, maybe something can happen.
Donnis: The budget is the most important issue addressed every year by state lawmakers. We’ve seen how Rhode Island’s budget continues to grow somewhat dramatically from where it was even five years ago. Do you think the state has the right spending priorities? Because after all, most of the money in the budget does go for social services and education issues that are close to your heart.
Stewart: I think it has many of the right priorities and I think at some point there’s a question about whether there’s sufficient revenue and whether revenue needs to be, further revenue needs to be raised.
Donnis: You have sponsored a bill to rename Victory Day as Peace and Remembrance Day. That has supporters and opponents. Critics say it would be a disservice to veterans. Supporters say it’s time to move on. Tell us about why you supported that bill.
Stewart: Oh, sure. It was a piece of legislation that I felt really strongly about. It was one that I formulated myself after getting elected and it really comes out of my experience being a history teacher, teaching Second World War related issues in history class, and feeling a kind of a strange disconnect when moving to Rhode Island, I learned about Victory Day. I think that the bill for me is really about acknowledging a fuller picture of that past and also acknowledging what our veterans were fighting for, which was peace, ultimately. And I think that it’s important to acknowledge that actually many veterans have been some of the most eloquent supporters of the bill in hearings. It’s been heard twice now in the House Committee on Special Legislation, and veterans have been part of that hearing and support. So, we still have Veterans Day, we still have Memorial Day. It’s not seeking to take something away from anyone, but to provide a fuller picture and also create a more inclusive Rhode Island.
Donnis: Some progressive elected officials in Rhode Island voted in the presidential primary this week for “uncommitted” as a way of protesting U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. I wonder, would you be comfortable sharing whether you supported that?
Stewart: Well, yes, I would be comfortable sharing that, in this case, I did vote uncommitted.
Donnis: Any concern that this kind of splintering of support for President Biden will make it easier for Donald Trump to win his way back into the White House in November?
Stewart: I think there is a concern with respect to can you motivate, can the voters who Biden need, be motivated to turn out? I think, ultimately it’s a turnout question. And, I will support President Biden in the general election, for sure. And I think that the uncommitted vote in the primary is really about sounding an alarm to Biden that this is something that is going to create further problems in the general election if it isn’t tended to by his administration.
Donnis: You were one of two Rhode Island Political Cooperative candidates among 14 running for the Rhode Island house in 2022, who won election that year. Are you still aligned with the Rhode Island Political Cooperative?
Stewart: No, I’m not.
Donnis: Why is that?
Stewart: Well, I, they were especially helpful to me, as someone who never ran for office before, and with providing assistance for navigating that process. Now that I’m in the house and more familiar with the election process, I opted for more flexibility and being able to work on numerous issues and for collaboration.
Donnis: One of the issues of concern to you has been the fate of Morley Field in Pawtucket. Could you bring us up to speed with where that stands and what your top concern is about that?
Stewart: My top concern with Morley Field is whether community members who’d like to have the full park restored to active playing fields will actually be heard in the process of deciding its fate. Right now, Morley Field is, well, the city is going through paperwork with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and National Park Service in its application to convert part of the existing Morley field into a parking lot.
Donnis: Jennifer Stewart, state representative, a Democrat from Pawtucket. Thank you for joining us.
Stewart: Thank you very much for having me. I really appreciated it.
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Larry Lucchino died this week at age 78. He was part of the ownership group that helped end an 86-year World Series drought for the Red Sox. Lucchino helped nurture retro ballparks like Camden Yards in Baltimore and the updating of Fenway Park, with innovations like new seating on the Green Monster. But Lucchino’s legacy in Rhode Island is more complicated, since he played a role in relocating the PawSox to Worcester. You can read more about that in my TGIF column, posting around 4 this afternoon on what used be known as Twitter at IanDon and at thepublicsradio.org/tgif
That’s our show for this week. Our producer is James Baumgartner.
I’m Ian Donnis, and I’ll see you on the radio.