Though the 2025 General Assembly session is over in Rhode Island, all eyes remain on House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. The Warwick Democrat is a potential candidate for governor, potentially setting the stage for a three-way primary with incumbent Dan McKee and former CVS executive Helena Foulkes. Back and forth between McKee and Shekarchi over the state budget this week may be a preview of more clashes to come. This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi.
Joseph Shekarchi
Posted inPolitical Roundtable, Politics
Rhode Island House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski on the housing crisis, state revenue, pensions and more
Rhode Island has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to address the state’s housing crisis. Despite that, there are few tangible signs of progress so far, and there’s pushback from some cities and towns and even from some Democratic lawmakers. At the same time, the gusher of federal COVID aid that enabled consecutive state budget surpluses has dried up. Because of that, large deficits once again loom ahead in future fiscal years. And Rhode Island continues to struggle with issues like underperforming schools and the quest for a more vibrant economy. So what will it take to make more progress on key issues like the housing crisis and the state’s fiscal outlook? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with the number two official in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski.
Posted inArticle, Housing, Local, South County Bureau
Narragansett Town Council holds off on affordable housing vote after heated exchanges at Monday night’s meeting
The Narragansett Town Council held off on taking action Monday night on a resolution seeking the General Assembly’s authorization to ask voters whether to approve the issuance of $3 million in bonds for affordable housing development in the town. The council failed to take a vote after three councilors, Ewa Dzwierzynski, Jill Lawler, and Steven […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Politics/Media Roundup For January 4
What better way to kick off a new political year than by getting the party started on New Year’s Day? That was the case in the Biggest Little thanks to a quirk of how the first Tuesday of 2019 fell on the holiday (the General Assembly won’t start again on January 1 until 2030). So […]
Posted inEpisode, Political Roundtable
Bonus Q&A: Shekarchi On Schools, Abortion Bill, Harassment, ‘Reform Democrats’ & More
Rhode Island House Majority Leader Joseph Shekarchi (D-Warwick) joins Bonus Q&A to discuss a range of issues related to the new legislative session, including the state’s under-performing schools, the clash on a bill to codify abortion rights in Rhode Island law, and efforts to boost harassment enforcement at the Statehouse.
