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Productiveness or pretense? Our first year with Gina

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Last January, the 75th governor of the state of Rhode Island was sworn in. Our new governor had impressive credentials and an intellectual brilliance that was the diametric opposite of her immediate predecessor. After enduring four years of contending with the inert idiosyncratic mass that defined Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island was clamoring for a proactive leader.

Elected with a slight plurality, Gina Raimondo held no mandate. Yet she had a myriad of ideas that had a two-fold purpose – first, to actually affect positive change in the Ocean State, and second, to organize a resume to run on when Gina inevitably seeks higher office or a post in a Hillary Clinton cabinet in the future.

However, the road to governmental change in Little Rhody moves at a glacial pace due to the constitutional imbalance between the more powerful legislative branch and often relegated executive branch of government. Our new governor brutally faced this excruciating reality often in her first year in office.

Moreover, with the 49th weakest governor’s chair in the nation (Texas has the weakest executive branch constitutionally), Raimondo would need to make use of the “Bully Pulpit” to gain grassroots support, which would theoretically in turn push their legislators to support her agenda in the General Assembly.

Along with the limitations of unilateral executive power, Raimondo promoted a politically nuanced and sometimes presumptuous agenda that was not necessarily embraced by the public or the General Assembly. Her final budget proposal begrudgingly yielded in great measure to the stated wishes of Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello. Her truck-tolling proposal was initially vague, grandiosely presented, and severely flawed. Also, her catalog of new government committees were overtly formed to examine existing problems but are to date benign think tanks that demonstrate appearance over substance. Additionally, she has commented publicly about national news issues in an attempt to position herself on Democratic Washington’s radar.

Last week, Raimondo presented via social media a videotape exclaiming “It’s Working,” meaning her efforts as our chief executive. That assertion is open to debate. Nevertheless, it is worth examining whether “It’s Working” is referring to positive change in our state or the feathering of her political nest so she may take flight in the future.

As a candidate for general treasurer in 2010, Gina Raimondo’s portfolio was a dizzying list of Gibraltar-like achievements. With a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard, a doctorate of philosophy in sociology from Oxford, and a JD from Yale Law School, she was perhaps the most academically endowed candidate to ever seek the job of treasurer.

Following her educational triumphs, she was a law clerk in New York City, a venture capitalist in Massachusettes, and a partner in an investment firm in Portsmouth. When she ascended to the governor’s chair after she prevailed in a tight three-way race, the most pertinent question was whether her skill sets as a finance specialist the right fit for the charge of a chief executive. Captains of capitalism make autonomous decisions. Rhode Island governors must pedal in tandem on a bicycle built for two, with the speaker up front and the governor in the backseat.

Specifically, the first significant task of the Raimondo administration was to conjure a state budget proposal. Knowing that like God and Man in the Ocean State the governor proposes and the General Assembly disposes, her budget was largely reflective of the speaker’s stated desires.

As Mattiello stated after her budget proposal was announced: “This is a pro-economy, pro-jobs budget that reduces the structural deficit in the out years, which has been my consistent message since becoming speaker a year ago.”

Within the budget was a School Building Authority plan to assist in updating antiquated school buildings; the elimination of low-income Social Security recipients paying Rhode Island income taxes; a surcharge cast upon the insured to keep operating Health Source Rhode Island; a lowering of the state minimum corporate tax by 10 percent; an elimination of sales tax paid by commercial building owners when they purchase electricity; and a levying of new taxes on small lodging establishments.

All in all, the budget was a mixed bag of revenue enhancements and ever so slight business incentives. However, what was not in the budget was any attempt as austerity, streamlining, and reorganizational cost-saving measures, or substantial governmental dynamism that might actually foster a sea change in our state’s trajectory. The very enormous size of the budget, which was $8.7 billion – twice what it was 15 years ago – tells the tale of an engorged, recklessly spending government continuing to run amuck.

In other words, a governor concerned with political appearances could refer to the mild, tepid gestures to commerce in the budget in a future campaign without those changes having much positive effect to the business climate. Thus, the final budget rendered itself more pretense than productiveness.

As a woman of a studious nature much contrary to the incurious nature of her immediate predecessor, Raimondo has formed several study committees to examine problems. Whether the information derived from these meetings of minds will garner any implementable changes in law or policy is yet an unanswered question. Gun control, controlling publicly supplied medical expenses in our Medicaid program, revamping education, spurring job growth, creating a more attractive business environment, and an attempt at organizing some sort of cooperative sharing of expenses to eliminate duplicative expenditures (spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Dan McKee) are all on the radar for the governor. Apparently, the committee formed to examine regulatory control has completed its work and we might see some beneficial action soon.

Perhaps constructive plans can be formed from the exponents of these efforts. At the very least, they can be termed as a gallant attempt to address Rhode Island’s difficulties, and most likely the efforts of the committees would be mentionable tidbits in any future political campaigns.

The governor has made some prideful comments about her first year in office.

“You know we’re hard at work at it, and I’m pleased where we are.”

“There is no silver bullet.”

“The thing that people need to know is we’re getting up every day, focused exactly what we said would do – making a predicable tax climate, an easy place to do business, a good place to live, tapping into the talent of our colleges and universities. We’re starting to see momentum and we’re just getting going.”

Well, that would make a good cheer at a sporting event, and certainly it is a fine example of lofty and empty rhetoric. However, there is no evidence that prosperity is just around the corner, or that thus far any real positive change has occurred.

In fact, in the upcoming months the governor will have to deal with some prickly situations in which the studying will have to cease and bold action will have to be practiced. After several versions of the truck-tolling plan, she will have to negotiate a deal which will most likely be a hybrid plan involving some bonding, some cost-saving measures where the exponents can be shifted to infrastructure repair, some fee and tax adjustment on class 8 trucks and higher, and abandoning the idea of erecting a blood-sucking gantry every few miles.

She will have to decide to dissolve Health Source Rhode Island or find some way to save the costly enterprise. Also, she will have to confront growing cries over a lack of transparency from organizations like the ACLU and ACCESS RI regarding her administration. And of course, another budget proposal will have to be crafted.

Without question, Gina Raimondo is an intelligent and capable woman who could conceivably help change our state for the better. Although a change in paradigm may be the predicate to that betterment. Tweaking the peripheral is not the answer.

Using a governor’s voice in an inspirational tone to rally the citizens in favor of ones’ ideas is the answer in this constitutionally imbalanced state. Acting in a manner that bolsters one’s political presence can be accomplished simultaneously while earnestly trying to affect positive change. Hopefully that will be the plan in year two with Gina at the helm!

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  • RISchadenfreude

    "Gina Raimondo held no mandate"...you can say that about of other recent Governors- she had a slightly larger percentage of the vote than her predecessor, Gov. Gump.

    The General Assembly will not vote on a provision for runoff elections in RI, so the next step is a ballot referendum. As long as not having runoff elections benefits the Democrats, there won't be any; after RI deteriorates further and voters wake up to the fact that the problem is those in power, an Independent or Republican will win by 30-something percent and the General Assembly will announce that runoff elections "are an idea whose time has come" or are more "fair", or some other self-serving rhetoric.

    It's a disgrace that the highest office in RI can be held by anyone who does not receive at least HALF of the votes, but, hey, that's business as usual in the State of Corruption; Giner sold you down the river to her pension fund buddies.

    Whoops! The State Pension Fund "under-performed" again; don't worry, though, the brokers are getting their cut.

    Thursday, December 17, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    As if the Governor in Rhode Island held any real power.

    Government is money and the General Assembly holds the purse.

    Want anything done? Better pucker up while the House Speaker and Senate President bend over.

    Thursday, December 17, 2015 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    Justanidiot, you are correct- RI is unique in the way its power structure is set up with the GA leadership holding the power and the Governor being a titular figurehead. The GA is excellent at enriching itself at the expense of its residents while claiming to "represent" them.

    It's a sad "State" of affairs...voters should be able to see a list detailing the net worth of all members before being elected to the General Assembly and what they're worth now- that would be a start to weeding out some cronyism.

    How about it, Beacon, Journal or Politifact?

    Thursday, December 17, 2015 Report this