With the heat on the rise, 1) it’s time to hit up Sunshine Creamery; 2) go to the beach; and 3) the end of the General Assembly session looms. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go.
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STORY OF THE WEEK: As the philosopher Mike Tyson once noted, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. For Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, the signature-gathering controversy that overwhelmed her CD1 run last year was the political equivalent of a knockout. But Matos got back up on her feet. She played good sport by graciously cheering on CD1 winner Gabe Amo during his victory event last November. And after processing her fall from frontrunner to a fourth-place finish — the type of defeat that some pols say can feel like a physical wound — Matos has resumed doing interviews and she’s looking ahead to seeking re-election in 2026. It was Gov. Dan McKee who picked Matos to be lieutenant governor from a large field of applicants back in 2021, when McKee fulfilled the dream of LGs everywhere by being in the right place, at the right time, to move up to governor. Of course, the late Robert “Cool Moose” Healey, who popularized the idea of abolishing the LG’s office, still lives in the collective consciousness of many Rhode Islanders doubtful about the merits of the role. To some, it may appear that Matos has yet to unveil a bold initiative, such as making a signature issue out of healthcare, in the run-up to the next statewide election. But during an interview on Political Roundtable, Matos said her efforts reflect a focus on key statewide issues. Regarding a policy plan on Alzheimer’s disease, she said, “You won’t believe the amount of people that are dealing with relatives, loved ones that are suffering with Alzheimer’s or are caring for someone that is suffering with Alzheimer’s.” Matos said issues involving small business ownership, and the possible expansion of ownership by employees, are also significant since 12,000 businesses in the state are owned by people over age 60: “If they don’t have a succession in place, what could happen is that those businesses could be closed or could be moved out of the state.” The prospective field of challengers for Matos in 2026 has yet to gel, so the incumbent and her would-be successors have a lot of time to make their cases.
STATEHOUSE: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has been absent from Smith Hill for a few weeks, slowing down the pace of the state budget process a bit. Spokesman Greg Pare said Ruggerio is bouncing back from an illness and expected to make his return to the Senate chamber in the coming week. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi was mostly opaque on the direction of the spending plan following a Democratic caucus meeting on Wednesday, although Gov. McKee’s late-session pitch to buy a Citizens Bank-owned building in East Providence and convert it to state offices sleeps with the fishes. The House budget could hit the Finance Committee as soon as Thursday, May 30, setting up June 13 as a possible last day of the 2024 legislative session.
POLITICS OF COMPROMISE: If you’ve given up hope for bipartisanship in American politics, read David Leonhardt’s recent NYT piece on the rise of a new centrism. While hyper-partisanship remains very much in play, Leonhardt points to a series of issues on which DC Democrats and Republicans have worked together. Interestingly, one of the topics he mentions is semiconductors, a subject championed by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. “On many high-profile issues, especially connected to economics, most Americans share a basic set of views,” Leonhardt writes. “They favor both capitalism and government intervention to address the free market’s shortcomings.” Although he doesn’t mention Raimondo, that description aptly sums up the politics of our former governor, a pro-business Democrat who was criticized by the left for being too conservative and by the right for being too liberal.
DC REPORT: The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act got on the U.S. House floor this week because of a discharge petition signed by U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo and other Democrats. The House passed the measure, meant to provide tax relief due to federally declared disasters since 2021. In a reflection of what one observer called a “pseudo-bipartisan governing coalition” (the new centrism!) more Democrats than Republicans signed on to get the measure to the floor of the GOP-led House.
TAXING MATERS: Rhode Island supporters of imposing an additional 3% surtax on taxable income over a million dollars a year point to $1.8 billion in new revenue in Massachusetts. “With these results over the border, now is the time for Rhode Island to do the same,” state Rep. Karen Alzate (D-Pawtucket) and Sen. Melissa Murray (D-Woonsocket) said in a joint statement. “Rhode Islanders across the state are struggling on a daily basis and our state’s much-needed services are already being stretched thin due to lack of funding. By enacting a ‘millionaires tax’ in Rhode Island, we will be helping to uplift our schools, invest in our children’s educations and futures, fund the rehabilitation of our crumbling infrastructure and provide the social safety nets that too many of residents are relying upon to survive.” Boston Globe columnist Larry Edelman’s view is that it will take more time to assess whether the so-called “Millionaires Tax” in Massachusetts is more of a blessing or a bane. Back in RI, legislative leaders have held the line for years against hiking taxes on the well-to-do, and that appears unlikely to change any time soon.
MARIJUANA: It has been almost two years since I reported on questions about whether the social equity component of Rhode Island’s adult-use legal marijuana program would live up to its billing. To bring things into the present, Gov. McKee, who moved slowly in filling out the Cannabis Control Commission, this week announced the nomination of a medical marijuana official from Oklahoma, Michelle Reddish, as the state’s first administrator of the Cannabis Office. And with a series of new cannabis retail licenses (including the social equity licenses) yet to be issued, the ProJo’s Tom Mooney reported on how a lawsuit filed by a California woman could toss chaos into that process.
WOONSOCKET: State Rep. Robert Phillips (D-Woonsocket), who announced last December a run for mayor, has reconsidered, saying this week that he will instead seek re-election to his House seat. Fellow Reps. Jon Brien (I-Woonsocket) and Stephen Casey (D-Woonsocket) decided against running for mayor. The difference for Phillips is that he faces a Democratic primary with Woonsocket Councilor Garrett Mancieri, who announced his House run after the incumbent rep said he was running for mayor. Mancieri’s campaign team includes longtime activist and consultant Margaux Morisseau.
HEALTHCARE: The invite-only (open to press) healthcare summit being staged by Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio is on for Tuesday. You can see the agenda here.
NEWS AROUND TOWN: General Treasurer James Diossa, who lacks the base in the financial sector of his recent predecessors, has been an outlier among state general officers in his quantity of out of state travel, report Ted Nesi, Tim White and Eli Sherman … Via Patrick Anderson, Breeze Airways plans a significant expansion in flights to and from Rhode Island … Kathy Gregg reports on the return of Keith Stokes to state government … Ed Fitzpatrick has the deets on Rhode Island’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline, which has helped a lot of people … Nancy Lavin updates the state of play on the previously contentious ADU bill.
VULNERABLE KIDS: In an interview with my colleague Lynn Arditi, Marty Sinnott, CEO of Middletown-based nonprofit Child and Family Services, said there’s no quick fix for the various crises involving young people in Rhode Island. Excerpt: “We are so overdue for an evaluation of what the capacity needs are of our child welfare system. And I think to have that homework done by an outside third-party objective organization is absolutely key.”
MEDIA: The Public’s Radio won a first-place regional Edward R. Murrow Award for our series Underage and Unprotected, about the seafood-processing industry in New Bedford.
GARDENING TIP: Rhode Island Resource Recovery sells dark 40-lb bags of rich compost for $8 (but you need to wear a safety vest to pick it up at the Johnston facility).
BOOK CORNER: The Providence Athenaeum is a local jewel. Come along for a visit by our morning anchor, Luis Hernandez, as he describes Edgar Allen Poe’s visits and other details.
KICKER: One can only wonder what Pete Rose, the all-time hit leader in MLB, would think of the fact that you can’t watch a baseball game on TV these days without being bombarded by commercials promoting gambling. Once the province of bookies, wagering is gaining more and more traction in American life, as seen by Bally’s wanting to allow more credit for high rollers in Rhode Island. The late former Gov. Lincoln Almond, a one-time federal prosecutor, was a staunch opponent of expanded gambling, prophetically likening it to how a camel would try to get its nose under a tent. So-called prediction markets, though, are facing blowback from federal regulators.