Better days may be ahead for the Red Sox, but losing to the Yankees always stinks. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go.
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1. STORY OF THE WEEK: When you’ve got lemons, make lemonade, or so the old saying goes. Gov. Dan McKee seems to be employing this approach with the Washington Bridge. During a long-form interview this week, McKee tried to put the emphasis on how the state avoided a collapse of the bridge. He talked up the potential windfall that might be won through the state’s lawsuit. When it comes to RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, McKee said Rhode Island’s overall infrastructure has improved on his watch. But the governor also showed his hand when grouped critics into two groups: 1) Democratic rival Helena Buonanno Foulkes; and 2) local Republicans. That overlooks how the Washington Bridge saga is something much worse than a basket of lemons. It’s more like the latest concussive event that has damaged the political-social psyche of Rhode Islanders, while bashing their confidence in government. While the roots of the problem extend to the time before McKee was governor, the forensic audit released by Attorney General Peter Neronha late last week found that state officials should have been aware of the need to close the bridge. Remember, McKee was sworn in as governor 21 months before the state hastily closed the bridge. Today, travel times are better, yes, but Rhode Islanders have faced worse traffic for years due to the closing of the westbound bridge. Because of that, public opinion on the issue may be largely baked. The state’s lawsuit — touted by McKee as the state’s vehicle for seeking long-promised accountability — is not expected to go to court until late 2027, and doesn’t have anything to do with any state employee who may be at fault. Democratic primary voters will have their say next September.
2. REALITY CHECK: According to a new poll from the UNH Survey Center, seven in 10 Rhode Islanders disapprove of Gov. McKee’s job performance, including — more ominously — six in 10 Democrats. The highest disapproval on any issue for the governor (35%) was on “handling of transportation/infrastructure.” Among likely voters, 35% prefer Helena Foulkes, 19% back McKee, 6% favor someone else, and 40% don’t know or are undecided.
3. NERONHA’S EXIT: Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Friday that he will not run for governor next year — a not particularly surprising move. Neronha has often talked about loving the work of being a prosecutor and there was not a clear fit for him in another role. “[A]nd politics for me was a means to an end, not an end in and of itself,” Neronha, 61, said in a statement. The AG emerged as one of the most voluble public officials in Rhode Island, after not even taking questions during his first press event in the former role of U.S. attorney. With his active approach on healthcare and other issues, Neronha flexed the muscles of his office and he rarely ducked an interview request. His second term as AG ends in January 2027.
4. AG RACE UPDATE: With more attention on the race for governor, the battle to be Rhode Island’s next attorney general is shaping up as the undercard. There was a dramatic development this week: state Rep. Robert Craven (D-North Kingstown) folded his campaign just a few days after announcing it, following media attention on two old domestic violence cases. In related developments, Keith Hoffmann, until recently the policy director for AG Neronha, announced his campaign with Neronha’s backing, and state Rep. Jason Knight (D-Barrington) is set to unveil his run at 6 pm on Monday, Oct. 6 at the Guild in Warren. State Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D-Warwick) tells me he’s seriously considering a run, and a lot of people are expecting a move by former prosecutor Kim Ahern, currently chair of the state Cannabis Control Commission. Finally, Chas Calenda continues to contemplate a GOP run for AG.
5. OVERSIGHT: A joint House-Senate Oversight hearing on the bridge last year was mostly an exercise in futility, since answers about what led to the abrupt December 2023 closing of the span remained elusive. Now, in the aftermath of the release of the forensic report, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Val Lawson are preparing for a joint Oversight hearing in November. In a letter to the legislative leaders, Gov. McKee said that RIDOT employees could not respond to questions without jeopardizing the state’s lawsuit. That didn’t put off the legislature. “We dispute the governor’s contention and have confirmed that Attorney General Neronha supports our plan to conduct oversight, including placing RIDOT and other witnesses under oath,” Shekarchi and Lawson responded in a joint statement. They added: “We look forward to a thorough and rigorous examination of the new information contained in the forensic report that was released publicly last Friday. The public deserves answers after nearly two years of major disruption due to the closure of this vital highway which connects and touches all Rhode Islanders.”
6. MEDIA: Ocean State Media launched this week as the new brand for NPR and PBS in Rhode Island. In related news, Lively (formerly A Lively Experiment), the weekly analysis show hosted by Jim Hummel, will return to our television station (formerly Rhode Island PBS) at 7 pm on Friday, Oct. 10. It will be followed at 7:30 pm by my new interview show, One on One with Ian Donnis. My guest next week will be House Speaker Joe Shekarchi.
7. COMING UP: Your humble correspondent will moderate a panel discussion on state and national politics at 5:30 pm (reception at 5 pm) on Thursday, Oct. 9 at the beautiful Providence Athenaeum. We’ll talk about President Trump, the challenges facing Democrats, how Rhode Island is faring and much more. The panel will consist of state Reps. Brian C. Newberry (R-North Smithfield) and Justine Caldwell (D-East Greenwich) and Adam Myers, professor of political science at Providence College. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
8. HUNGER: The contemporary emergency food landscape has its roots in a punishing recession in the early 1980s. That’s when a number of temporary soup kitchens and food pantries popped up with the belief they’d go away when the economy got better. The economy did get better, but the need for emergency food for hungry Americans only increased over time, and the current federal government shutdown won’t help. The number of Rhode Islanders who lack access to enough food has reached a five-year high. Melissa Cherney, the new CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, talked with my colleague Luis Hernandez about where things stand.
9. LAW ENFORCEMENT: My colleague Ben Berke reported earlier this week on how the touted overhaul of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, or LEOBOR, has been slow to address some aspects involving public transparency. A day later, the Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training, or POST, published information that was previously withheld.
10. HIGHER EDUCATION: Trustees at URI have approved a new campus plan for Rhode Island’s flagship public university. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal ranked URI the top public university in New England.
11. WOMEN IN POLITICS: As this column noted as recently as last week, women candidates tend to fare well when they run in Rhode Island. On a related note, Help Her Run — a nonpartisan training program that prepares campaign managers to support women and gender-expansive candidates in future elections. The application portal is open for a new class of trainees, and it’s open to anyone over 18 who will commit to supporting a local candidate in Rhode Island’s 2026 campaign season (tuition is $65). Training will be held in Providence on Oct. 29, Nov. 5 and 12. Click here for more info.
12. KICKER: A lot of people tend to have a negative view of the federal government — until they need it. Services are grinding to a halt. Democrats and Republicans are pointing fingers at each other. Voters are debating who to blame and wondering how long this will go on. That’s unclear for now, but the fallout will filter into the runup tomid-term elections next year.
