The last GOP governor was elected in 2006 and the party holds just 14 of 113 legislative seats. Now, can Rhode Island Republicans overcome their long-term challenges to play a more muscular role in local politics? This week, our guest is the new Republican chairman in the Ocean State, Joe Powers. The post Political Roundtable: Powers on next steps for the Rhode Island GOP, how Republicans can court more Latino support, and Donald Trump appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Aug 11, 2023•4 min
This week: Dr. Michael Fine who served as head of the state Department of Public Health from 2011 to 2015. He is now a writer, community activist and chief health strategist for the city of Central Falls. And Christopher Koller who served as the nation’s first health insurance commissioner. He is now president of the Millbank Memorial Fund, a public health foundation. The post Fine and Koller on the cost of healthcare, the primary care doc shortage and the reimbursement challenge for RI’s hospit...
Aug 04, 2023•4 min
The Rhode Island Association of Realtors recently reported that despite national trends, the median price of a home in the state is still climbing. The median single-family home now costs $443,000, the most ever and a three percent hike from the same time last year. That cost helps to explain why Rhode Island faces a housing crisis. The post Political Roundtable: Santilli on housing, homelessness – and where things go from here appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jul 28, 2023•4 min
The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed the most recent state budget in just about three hours last month. That rapid pace reflects strong support in the chamber for House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. But will Skekarchi’s popularity translate into progress on Rhode Island’s toughest issues, including improving public schools and creating a stronger economy? And what does Mr. Speaker have to say about the paralysis gripping attempts to redevelop the Cranston Street Armory, and the signature-ga...
Jul 21, 2023•4 min
Ana Quezada has won election four times as a state senator from Providence. Now, she’s targeting a loftier goal: the vacant seat in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. The post Political Roundtable: Quezada on CD1, what voters say, and why she’s running appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jul 07, 2023•4 min
Stephanie Beauté is hoping to translate her interest in politics into a seat in Congress. She ran as last year for secretary of state and is now part of the large Democratic field competing in the First Congressional District. The post Political Roundtable: Beauté on the economy, technology and why she’s running in CD1 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jun 30, 2023•4 min
Brett Smiley has benefited by presenting a fresh face as the mayor of Providence. But the city’s underlying fiscal challenges are never far from the surface. Smiley’s first budget proposed raising residential taxes by 5 percent. Conventional wisdom holds that the first year of a new administration is the time to raise taxes. But Rhode Island’s capital city faces other challenges, including the slowdown on development caused by high interest rates. The post Political Roundtable: Smiley on Philly ...
Jun 23, 2023•4 min
Gabe Amo is well known by political reporters and other people who play close attention to Rhode Island politics. The son of immigrants from Africa, Amo grew up in Pawtucket and most recently worked in the White House as deputy director of intergovernmental affairs. The post Political Roundtable: Amo on Philadelphia controversy, RI’s pension overhaul and why he’s running in CD1 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jun 16, 2023•4 min
“I do the work of the community for the community. And I will continue doing that if elected to Congress.” The post Political Roundtable: State Sen. Cano on jobs, schools and why she’s running in CD1 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .
Jun 09, 2023•14 min
As one of more than 15 Democrats running for the open seat in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District, Don Carlson has had a broad range of experiences. The post Political Roundtable: Carlson on renewable energy, RI’s economy and why he’s running in CD1 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .
Jun 02, 2023•4 min
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has talked for years about the rightward move of the Supreme Court and the influence of the Federalist Society in shifting the judiciary. Now, following revelations about how a wealthy GOP donor treated Clarence Thomas to luxury trips, more Americans’ share Whitehouse’s concerns. The post Political Roundtable: Whitehouse on debt ceiling showdown, Supreme Court oversight and curbing gun violence appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
May 26, 2023•4 min
Neil Steinberg is ending his time as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, the state’s top philanthropic organization. He started 15 years ago, in 2008, in the teeth of the Great Recession, after working in leadership roles at Fleet Bank and Brown University. Steinberg is credited with more than doubling the assets of the Rhode Island Foundation, and almost doubling the number of grants awarded to local nonprofits. The post Political Roundtable: Steinberg on Rhode Island’s economy, w...
May 19, 2023•4 min
The past year has been an eventful time for Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee. He won a narrow victory in a five-way Democratic primary last September. Then, in November, McKee crushed Republican opponent Ashley Kalus, to win his first full term as governor. The post Political Roundtable: McKee on his education plan, the chill on development, and RI’s healthcare landscape appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
May 12, 2023•4 min
John Goncalves describes himself as the embodiment of Rhode Island’s motto of “hope.” Now the second-term Providence city councilman is one of the 15 Democrats running in RI's 1st Congressional District. The post Political Roundtable: Goncalves on his run in CD1, Providence schools and taxes for non-profits appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
May 05, 2023•4 min
Rhode Island’s almost $10 billion state pension fund is in better shape than it was in 2011. That was when then-Treasurer Gina Raimondo spearheaded a plan to overhaul the pension. Raimondo said she wanted to shore up the under-funded pension, so the money would be there to pay future retirees. But public-employee unions sharply opposed […] The post Political Roundtable: Diossa on pension transparency, a possible extra payment for retirees, and Rhode Island’s economy appeared first on TPR: The Pu...
Apr 28, 2023•4 min
With a swing of a few thousand votes in 2018, Aaron Regunberg would have been on a path to become Rhode Island’s governor -- before his 30th birthday. The former two-term state representative from Providence is running for the open seat in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. The post Political Roundtable: Regunberg on his run in CD1, almost winning in 2018, and our partisan divide appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Apr 21, 2023•4 min
Cedric Huntley has been a leader in efforts to reduce violence in Providence for more than 20 years. He serves as executive director of the Nonviolence Institute, which deploys street workers to mediate conflicts and try to stop violence before it happens. The post Political Roundtable: Huntley on what it takes to reduce violence in Providence – and America appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Apr 14, 2023•4 min
Christina Paxson marked her 10-year anniversary as president of Brown University last year. The post Political Roundtable: Paxson on Brown, RI’s healthcare landscape and the university’s plans in the Jewelry District appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .
Apr 07, 2023•4 min
Sabina Matos made history when she became Rhode Island’s first Latina Lieutenant Governor in 2021. Now, she’s trying to make history again, as the first Democratic woman to represent the Ocean State in Congress. The post Political Roundtable: Matos on her CD1 run, being lieutenant governor, and the slowdown on development in RI appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Mar 31, 2023•4 min
Helena Buonanno Foulkes announced this week she’s not running for the open seat in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. Now that she’s not a candidate, what does the former CVS executive have to say about the top challenges facing Rhode Island? The post Political Roundtable: Foulkes on her political future, RI’s challenges, and the economy appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Mar 24, 2023•4 min
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell claims credit for boosting investment in the port and positioning the former whaling capital to be a leader in the emerging offshore wind industry. New Bedford has a gold mine in its fishing port, arguably the most valuable one in the U.S. But businesses in the seafood industry fear a negative effect from the growth of wind power. What does Mitchell have to say about all this? The post Political Roundtable: Mitchell on his political future, frosty relations with th...
Mar 17, 2023•4 min
The 35 year-old congressman has emerged as a rising star in Massachusetts politics. The post Political Roundtable: Auchincloss on Ukraine, Biden, Fall River’s economy & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .
Mar 10, 2023•4 min
Peter Alviti is the longest serving cabinet member in state government in Rhode Island. But the RIDOT chief also has a share of critics. Some of them sounded off during a state Senate confirmation hearing this week, charging that Alviti is too focused on cars. The post Political Roundtable: Alviti on highways, mass transit answering his critics & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Mar 03, 2023•4 min
Stefan Pryor started on the job as Rhode Island’s secretary of housing earlier this month. Pryor was previously the state’s top economic-development official. He has his work cut out for him in the new role. The post Political Roundtable: Pryor on next steps in confronting Rhode Island’s housing crisis appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Feb 24, 2023•4 min
Providence still faces problems that have persisted for years, including under-performing schools and an under-funded pension system. Will Smiley be able to make more progress than his predecessors? The post Political Roundtable: Smiley on his priorities, new public safety leadership, Providence schools and more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Feb 17, 2023•4 min
With an acute housing crisis in Rhode Island, Ian Donnis talks with the head of One Neighborhood Builders, a non-profit developer. The post Political Roundtable: Hawkins on Rhode Island’s housing crisis and where things go from here appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .
Feb 10, 2023•4 min
The recent death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police came almost three years after the death of George Floyd. The clear question is, what will it take to stop this? What do police need to do differently to prevent minor infractions from escalating into violent tragedies? Welcome to Political Roundtable. I’m Ian […] The post Political Roundtable: Neronha on guns, RI’s hospital landscape, the death of Tyre Nichols & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Feb 03, 2023•4 min
Rhode Island lawmakers have found themselves in unfamiliar territory in recent years, thanks to consecutive budget surpluses. The black bottom line is thanks to a windfall of federal COVID aid and higher than expected state tax revenue. Because of the surpluses, lawmakers have not had to wrestle recently with the big annual deficits that had been the norm for more than 20 years. The post DiBiase on RI’s budget, tax policy and what it will take to fix the schools appeared first on TPR: The Public...
Jan 20, 2023•4 min
COVID is bouncing back. Yeah, we’re all tired of the pandemic, but the XBB.1.5 variant really doesn’t care. This highly infectious bug is surging across the US, including in Rhode Island, where the number of COVID cases is spiking. So why does this matter, and where do things go from here? The post Political Roundtable: Ranney on Covid, RI’s hospital landscape, gun violence & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jan 13, 2023•4 min
Thirty-four-year-old Ryan Pearson is the first Millennial to hold a key leadership post in the Rhode Island Senate; he won election in November as the second-ranking member of the chamber. Pearson stopped by our studio to discuss housing, healthcare and a range of other issues, on Political Roundtable. The post Political Roundtable: Pearson on housing, education and healthcare appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio ....
Jan 06, 2023•4 min
