Election puts future of the House on the line

The future of the Rhode Island House of Representatives is on the line in Tuesday’s election.

If Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D-Cranston) prevails in his rep race with GOP rival Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, he remains the favorite to retain his powerful post. Yet if Fenton-Fung wins – or perhaps even if the outcome of the House District 15 race is a squeaker – all bets are off. A mad scramble to secure enough support to win the speakership could ensue, with an unpredictable outcome.

For now, House Majority Leader Joseph Shekarchi (D-Warwick) is well positioned, progressive Rep. Liana Cassar (D-Barrington) says she’s running for speaker regardless of what happens in HD15, and other potential aspirants include Reps. Gregg Amore (D-East Providence) and Robert Craven (D-North Kingstown). (The GOP bloc in the House has nine votes to cast, a number that could tick up a bit by January.)

Even without a change in the speakership, the growing progressive presence on Smith Hill will spark a sharper debate on Rhode Island’s budget, particularly with an unresolved $900 million deficit awaiting lawmakers in November. Still, the outcome of the House District 15 race will determine whether the House continues the pro-business posture of Mattiello’s tenure, move in a decidedly more progressive direction, or wind up somewhere in between.

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From my report from Cranston last week: Fenton-Fung is running as the change candidate, while Mattiello contends it would be unwise for Cranston to relinquish the speakership.

Other recent developments: In a message seemingly aimed at women voters, Mattiello’s campaign highlighted the speaker’s wife Mary Ann … Rep. Gregory Costantino (D-Lincoln), a fellow Catholic, Italian-American and conservative Democrat, has consistently voted with the speaker, so does Costantino’s exit from Mattiello’s leadership point to softening House support for the Cranston Democrat? … Lots of factors are in play in the HD15 race – ranging from abortion to the elevated vote of a presidential cycle. If Mattiello wins, will an overlooked local issue (his opposition to a Costco proposal) be a significant factor? ***

The emergence of two progressive women, Rep. Cassar and Sen. Gayle Goldin (D-Providence), moving toward campaigns for the top posts in the General Assembly is significant in itself. It points to a rising progressive tide in Rhode Island. And it may show that significant changes to Smith Hill’s prevailing culture – typified for years by conservative Democratic leadership – are a matter of when, not if.

Goldin and Cassar are policy wonks. In the case of Goldin, her possible run against Senate President Dominick Ruggerio raises the question of whether that office or something like secretary of state is a better platform for making policy change, while also boosting her profile. Whether she has a path to victory is another question.

On the surface, Cassar seems to face an even steeper climb. Yet her push is drawing notice, particularly given the abiding reluctance of lawmakers to make waves. In a message to colleagues, Cassar spelled out her values, writing in part: “We, together, can create a chamber in which there is trust and a commitment to collaboration and problem-solving. We, together, can model good government with inclusive decision-making, diplomatic communication, and transparency that upholds the ideals of ethics and democracy. We, together, can guarantee that all representatives sent to this chamber are treated equitably and with respect, and in a manner that values the unique perspectives and expertise we all possess.”

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So it continues: With most forecasts giving the edge to Democrat Joe Biden, is Gov. Raimondo’s tenure in Rhode Island winding down? Using unnamed sources, The American Prospect reported last week that Raimondo is under consideration as Treasury secretary. That’s an unlikely landing spot, although the smart money expects her to have a place elsewhere in a Biden cabinet.

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While the outlook on control of the U.S. Senate could remain clouded for months after Nov. 3, due to the specter of run-off races in Georgia, a Democratic takeover would certainly benefit Rhode Island. Sen. Jack Reed is in line to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse already has a seat on Finance, which deals with such significant issues as taxes and healthcare.

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Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung has cited a variety of points in making her case against Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, including the $1 million for Cranston chiropractor Dr. Victor Pedro that was tucked in the state budget with little scrutiny until it became a controversy in 2019. At the time, critics said the situation illustrated a lack of transparency in the state budget process.

For his part, Mattiello insists that criticism over Dr. Pedro is misguided. “That’s not a controversy, that’s a policy choice,” the speaker told me during an interview two weeks ago. “I’m not going to debate the merits of that – that’s a medical issue. I believe that’s a very valuable service. It’s helped a lot of people. It’s been politically manipulated and the treatment is so valuable that the administration asked the federal government for a code to be able to authorize payment for it. It looked at the time like it would possibly be a new type of industry and treatment in the state of Rhode Island, and we were looking to build that up. Dr. Pedro treated the most difficult cases, people that were having brain issues, connection with the body issues, people that their equilibriums were way off, that could not perform their jobs [and] were basically bed-ridden. I’ve seen him help a lot of people. I still have people that say it’s such a shame what happened to him. At the end of the day, I stand by that treatment. We took it out of the budget because I just didn’t need anything controversial in that budget. People want to politicize a medical treatment. We can move on. He’s probably in New York now. I don’t follow him, but that service is going somewhere else.”

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In the waning days of the 1972 presidential race, Richard Nixon campaigned in … Rhode Island?!? Yep, in a winning gambit for the Ocean State’s jackpot of four electoral votes, Nixon spoke during a Providence rally on Nov. 3, 1972 – part of a same-day dash that included trips to Illinois and Oklahoma.

In part, Nixon praised the experience of immigrants in the Ocean State: “No state better typified this great American tradition than Rhode Island. Small in size but great in spirit, it has absorbed immigrants for over three centuries, from the first small group of religious refugees fleeing persecution to the massive influx of Italians, Irish, Poles, and other peoples seeking a new life on these shores in our own century. And Rhode Island teaches us all the important lesson that while we are a diverse people, drawn from many sources, there is far more that unites us than divides us. All of us want the same basic rights and opportunities; all of us want the same kind of future for America.”

Such pleasant rhetoric aside, irony sticks out from Nixon’s remarks. He praised the Quonset air station and Newport Naval Base – before proceeding to slash them. He spoke against deceptive wars. But Nixon probably helped himself by visiting Rhode Island. As part of a big landslide across the nation, he won 53 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to take Rhode Island since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

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From Phil Eil’s piece on Uprise about Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea’s quiet reappointment of Patrick Conley as state historian laureate (a development first reported in this column): “Now, to be clear, I don’t think that [this ….] is the most pressing issue facing Rhode Island right now. But it’s not insignificant either. First, this whole episode calls into question what other public business is being conducted by our elected leaders without much public scrutiny or announcement. Although no money was involved here, in the local marketplace of ideas, this was the equivalent of a no-bid contract. It was a glimpse of a Rhode Island that’s still very much tilted in favor of the powerful, wealthy, and politically connected.”

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The conservative Gaspee Project has enlisted former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey as part of its support for Republican candidates like Maryann Lancia. On the plus side, Laffey is a clear communicator. During a circa 2010 speaking appearance at the Quonset ‘O’ Club in North Kingstown, he likened himself to the Liam Neeson character in “Taken.” But Laffey may be unlikely to win fresh converts in Rhode Island, and he hasn’t won an election in more than 15 years.

Ian Donnis is the political reporter for The Public’s Radio, Rhode Island’s NPR member station. Listen at 89.3 FM or visit thepublicsradio.org. You can sign up for weekly email delivery of Ian’s column each Friday by following this link: www.lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/PriKkmN/TGIFsignup.