Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - Dec. 9, 2016
Russ Moore, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - Dec. 9, 2016
Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - Dec. 9, 2016
HOT
Peter Kilmartin
The Attorney General got some good press this week with the high profile fraud and embezzlement conviction of Dan Doyle, who ran the Institute for International Sport, which was located at the University of Rhode Island. The conviction is another feather in Kilmartin’s cap and would be an asset should he ever seek higher office.
HOT
Ray Rickman
The former state representative argues in a GolocalProv article this week that Governor Gina Raimondo’s next four to give judicial appointments should be people of color. Given the fact that there are just 4 minority judges and zero minority magistrates in a state with 85 such positions, Rickman is spot on. The state’s roster of judges should at least somewhat reflect the diversity of our state.
HOT
Kim Turner Clark
The owner of Rhody Craft on Hope Street in Providence makes an excellent point about parking meters this week. If the city is allowing free parking from 10 am on in order to encourage business and shopping the city during the Christmas season, why not just extend the program to an all year-long basis? “If they think meter-free helps business, that's like admitting that they hurt businesses the rest of the time,” she said. Great point. How can the Elorza administration refute that?
HOT
Representative-elect Ramon Perez
The state representative-elect from district-13, which encompasses portions of Providence and Johnston, deserves credit for testifying in favor of the Achievement First Charter School expansion in Rhode Island. Perez was initially opposed to charter schools, but a visit to the school forced him to change his mind. There’s nothing wrong with changing one’s mind when presented with new, relevant information.
HOT
Robert Lancia
The state representative from Cranston came out strongly against the release of serial child molester Dana Waters who served 18 years in the ACI after admitting to molesting almost a dozen kids in the late 1990’s, and he’s spot on. This type of sex offender has no business living at Cranston’s Harrington Hall, which isn’t far from a few elementary schools. I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, this doesn’t even deserve a second chance in society given the disgusting nature of his crimes.
HOT
Bryan Roberts, and Ryan Buttie
The two Providence entrepreneurs have designed and built a holiday window display called “Let’s All Help Santa,” which is located at 220 South Main Street in Providence. The two Cumberland natives are obviously in the Christmas spirit and are doing their parts to get the rest of us into it as well.
HOT
Decrease in Bullying
The Rhode Island Kids Count, which takes a comprehensive look at the data pertaining to schools in our state, has found a significant decrease in the number of students who are reporting being bullied--from 63% in 2009-2010 to 47% in 2013-2014. That’s a significant decrease and a step in the right direction, but educators, parents, and students themselves shouldn’t rest until there’s no bullying.
NOT
Dan Doyle
The embezzlement and fraud conviction stemming from misuse of the funds donated to the Institute for International Sport is a sad chapter in Doyle’s life. Yet people who misuse the public funds (as Doyle did legislative grants) and betray the trust of the taxpayers, deserve to be held accountable for their actions.
NOT
Stephen Neuman
In classic campaign consultant fashion, the former Chief of Staff to Governor Gina Raimondo took just about no responsibility for Hillary Clinton’s surprising loss in Michigan, where he served as her campaign manager, in an interview with National Public Radio’s Ian Donnis. Neuman came up with a smorgasbord of excuses (sexism, the FBI Director, Russia) for the loss. Neuman and the Clinton campaign were apparently blindsided by the loss, as he stated that they didn’t see the warning signs until “election day”. That’s interesting since consultants like Neuman normally brag about their foresight.
NOT
Legislative Grants
The Dan Doyle conviction serves as more fodder for critics of the legislative grant process since a large portion of the misspent money at the Institute was from the controversial grant program. While the vast majority of the grant money is spent on good, worthwhile programs, the bad apples like this situation cast a negative dispersion on the whole program.
NOT
Danny Hurley
The University of Rhode Island Men’s Basketball coach is obviously a talented recruiter, as evidenced by his team’s early season national ranking. But his in-game coaching capabilities are starting to become very suspect as evidenced by the team’s early season struggles--highlighted by losses to Valparaiso and even more disappointingly, in-state rival Providence College, who was expected to struggle this year.
NOT
John DePetro’s absence
The often controversial talk radio host has gone missing from his usual time slot on 630 WPRO due to what he describes as a personal health issue. Here’s hoping that DePetro gets well soon. Love him or hate him, and it seems as if everyone does one or the other, but DePetro is never boring. That makes him an asset to the local talk radio scene.
NOT
Pentagon Waste
The Pentagon, according to The Washington Post, hid the fact that it wasted $125 billion on useless desk jobs that do little and are far away from the battlefield. This is a disgrace of epic proportions as the money could’ve been used on so many other, useful programs. It’s incumbent on President-elect Donald Trump and the next Congress to rectify this wrong.
