Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot & Who’s Not? - July 28, 2017

HOT

Colonel Ann Assumpico

The Rhode Island State Police Colonel took a strong position against the illegal use of all terrain vehicles (ATV’s) on the streets of Providence and elsewhere. While some Providence city police officers say that they’ve been told not to enforce laws prohibiting the usage of ATVs on city streets, Assumpico took a strong stand against these intimidating, menacing, and illegal vehicles, saying that the state police will enforce the laws prohibiting their usage.

HOT

Michael DeGrandpre

DeGrandpre and other volunteers from the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) demonstrated what civic mindedness means to our community. The DNA, with the help of about 160 volunteers, has been working with the Providence Parks Department to clean up large portions of the Riverwalk. We could all learn a lesson from DeGrandpre and the other volunteers about selflessly stepping up to improve our city by donating our time.

HOT

Sean Spicer

It seemed like much longer than it was, but after roughly 6 months on the toughest job in government, the former press secretary of President Donald Trump stepped down from his position last week. What a relief that must be! Spicer will find that his next boss will be about 100 times easier to work for than his previous boss. We can also expect Spicer to make plenty of money moving forward. Best of luck to Spicer as he moves forward.

HOT

Anthony Scaramucci

Scaramucci went from the forgotten man--the guy who was promised a job after the election but passed over because White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus lobbied to keep him away--to a media darling and the most popular man in the White House. He’s a silky smooth talker undeniably an intelligent, charming guy.

But how long can Scaramucci stay on top with a rabid press corps and a President who enjoys humiliating his employees? Time will tell. But I wish him well.

HOT

John McCain

You can disagree with US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) on political issues, but no one can deny that McCain is a great American hero. McCain, a man of principles and integrity who served his country honorably in Vietnam, and was tortured in a POW camp (one that he declined to leave early), was recently diagnosed with a devastating form of brain cancer.

That didn’t stop him from returning to work this week. McCain gave an inspirational speech on the Senate floor this week, calling on his colleagues to abandon the partisanship plaguing Congress and to work together to solve problems. That’s great advice.

HOT

United Way of RI

The organization’s Women’s Leadership Council donated $116,503 for local children’s education in the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative (HSLI). Reading is fundamental, and any program that keeps Rhode Island kids reading all summer long is bound to pay off big dividends into the future.

NOT

Jack Reed

The Senior US Senator from Rhode Island was caught insulting the President on an open microphone that fellow Senator Susan Collins forgot to turn off, calling Trump, “crazy”. It was an obvious misstep for Reed, who is normally painstakingly cautious in his approach. Further, I don’t think Reed is a licensed psychologist, so to be characterizing the President as mentally ill, he was obviously stepping outside of his depth. Imagine if a Republican senator mocked a sitting Democrat President? Reed would be calling for an apology.

NOT

Gina Raimondo

GoLocal reported Thursday that the Governor’s staff solicited donations to fund the National Governor’s Association meeting, held a few weeks ago in Providence, from big time corporations, like CVS and Gilbane and promised access to Governors and major federal government officials in exchange.

The emails, obtained by GoLocalprov, make it seem like the corporate sponsors would be getting something (access to powerful government leaders) in exchange for their donations. Does anyone think the sponsors were advocating for anyone else’s interests but their own?

NOT

Chris Pelagio

North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi has suspended Acting Police Chief Chris Pelagio after a string of high profile incidents, according to a report in The Valley Breeze, including an altercation with a Cranston Police officer in May, as well as being the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against the department by Lt. Diana Perez. It doesn’t seem like Pelagio has the temperament to lead a major police department.

NOT

The Providence Journal

Of course, the Providence Journal had its own version of “fake news”, after it had written a story, based on an anonymous source who wasn’t credible, about the Pelagio incident with a Cranston police officer. The situation underscores the fact that reporters and editors have to be extremely careful when dealing with anonymous sources.

NOT

Donald Trump

The President just loves garnering negative attention and press, doesn’t he? The President has continually demeaned his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, by sending out critical twitter messages about his job performances, particularly his decision to recuse himself from the Russian campaign collusion investigation (which was a no-brainer). Why would anyone want to work for a guy who enjoys humiliating his employees?

NOT

Road Rage

Next time someone cuts you off on the road, remember that it’s best off to just ignore the disrespect and move on. A Nissan SUV traveling north on route 146 near the route 295 on ramp shot bullets at another vehicle on Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. But let’s remember the potential danger, and maniacs on the roads next time we’re about to lose our temper.