Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - January 24, 2020

HOT

House Minority Leader Blake Filippi

Blake Filippi did what other House legislators whisper about.

He not only took on the Speaker of the House, but also forced Mattiello to rescind his "illegal audit" of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority.

HOT

Yemi Sekoni, Fashion Industry Leader

Former model Yemi Sekoni — who heads up Fashion Week RI and is now the owner of Donahue Models & Talent in Rhode Island — said that the state’s unique position in the industry presents opportunities to showcase the state’s growing multi-cultural population. 

Sekoni took over the agency started by Annette Donahue, which currently features a diverse array of talent -- a roster that she says resonates with clients. 

“Rhode Island, we’re not what you call a ‘high fashion’ state. You’re not getting the Victoria’s Secret client. But what we do have is a lot of commercial work, looking for the homegrown person next door,” said Sekoni.

HOT

Eli Dunn, Super Chef

Eli Dunn, owner of Eli’s Kitchen in Warren, is returning to the Food Network’s hit show Chopped.

Dunn’s episode will air on Tuesday, February 11 at 9 p.m.

Dunn won the show back in 2018 and joined GoLocal LIVE shortly after to talk about the experience.

“It has been a whirlwind, but fun to be a mini Rhode Island celebrity, but what I think is cooler is the provincial Rhody pride,” Dunn told GoLocal LIVE. 

HOT

Bernie Sanders, Democratic Primary Leader

Socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is leading a new Democratic national poll of likely primary voters, according to CNN.

The poll put the 78-year-old Vermont Senator ahead of former VP Joe Biden in the CNN rankings for the first time in the race. 

HOT

URI Rams

5-1 in the Atlantic 10 conference with two big road wins.

Hmm, could this Rhody team be real?

HOT

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren 

Elizabeth Warren has been calling out the exploits of the former CEO of Wells Fargo for years.

As the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, "A regulator barred former Wells Fargo chief executive John Stumpf from the banking industry and fined him $17.5 million over the firm’s fake-accounts scandal, an extraordinary sanction for a top executive at a large bank.

Mr. Stumpf agreed to the lifetime ban in a settlement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The firm’s former chief administrative officer and chief risk officer settled similar civil charges, and five other former executives, including the former consumer-bank chief, were also charged."

Warren 1, Wall Street Creep 0

NOT

Speaker of the House Mattiello

Not a good week for the Speaker. Many questions were raised about Mattiello's judgment and decision-making -- his intervention on behalf of Convention Center Security Chief and crony Jim Demers looks brutish and misguided at best.

As allegations against Demers emerged and if they are true, Mattiello's leadership looks warped.

NOT

House Majority Leader Joe Shekarchi

While the House was spiraling, Shekarchi was silent and nearly invisible. 

When asked if the Joint Committee Legislative Services (JCLS) needs to meet -- after House Minority Blake Filippi pointed out has never met during his time in office, and has faced significant controversy this week, Shekarchi offered the following.

"If there's a need, yes," he said on Thursday, after repeatedly refusing to answer questions. 

And is there a need for a meeting? 

"Not at the present time," said Shekarchi.  "No one's asked for one." 

NOT

General Treasurer Seth Magaziner

Magaziner took retribution against GoLocal for writing a story about his father's ties to convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein. 

A GoLocal investigation first published in August of 2019 unveiled that Rhode Island General Treasurer Magaziner’s father —Ira Magaziner — had repeatedly traveled globally with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

The senior Magaziner’s personal information —private phone number and email appeared in Epstein’s “Blackbook.”

Since publishing the expose of the global traveling by the senior Magaziner and Epstein, Treasurer Magaziner’s office has refused to answer press calls or respond to questions about the state's investments or the other issues tied to the Treasurer's public duties.

On December 22, GoLocal emailed the Treasurer's office about a recent change to state retirees' investments, including the decision by the State Investment Commission to invest more heavily in State Street funds. Multiple emails, calls, and texts were not returned. 

NOT

Worst Drivers

When it comes to driving, Rhode Island is one of the worst places in the U.S., according to a new study. 

WalletHub announced Tuesday that Rhode Island is the second-worst state in the country for driving.

“Everyone hates being stuck in traffic. It makes you late, and causes many people’s tempers to flare up. But it’s also quite bad for your wallet – in fact, congestion cost U.S. drivers $87 billion in 2018, as well as an average of 97 hours of their time. The U.S. also has three out of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic, and 18 of the worst 25 in North America,” writes WalletHub.

This latest ranking comes after Rhode Island’s highway systems were ranked as one of the worst in the country by the Reason Foundation in their 24th annual Highway Report.

As GoLocalProv reported, RI’s bridges also rank among the worst in the country, despite hundreds of millions in investment.