Happy Tuesday! I'm Dan McGowan, and I think my top three HBO shows are now "The Wire," "The Sopranos," and "The Penguin." Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, on Threads
@DanMcGowan21, or send tips to dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
There is now one week until Election Day, but some of the most interesting political races in Rhode Island won’t be settled for days or weeks after the dust settles on Nov. 5.
That’s because races for top leadership posts in the various legislative bodies across the state are more likely to be settled behind closed doors than in the voting booth.
Here’s a look at four key races to watch.
Rhode Island Senate leadership
There’s a high-stakes battle about the future of the Rhode Island Senate, not because everyone is dying to know who the next majority leader will be, but because that person will be the odds-on favorite to eventually succeed Dominick Ruggerio as the Senate president. Ruggerio, whose health issues kept him out of the State House most of last session and off the campaign trail all summer, has tossed his support behind Senator Val Lawson following a much-discussed rift last session with current Majority Leader Ryan Pearson.
Pearson maintains he has the support of more than half of his Democratic colleagues, but that doesn’t mean he has their votes to remain leader.
Warwick City Council president
With Stephen P. McAllister stepping away from the City Council, the race for council president in Warwick appears to be down to Vincent Gebhart and Anthony Sinapi, although Edgar Ladouceur could still mount a challenge for the top job. Gebhart is viewed as a potential mayoral candidate some day, and council president can be a good stepping stone.
Newport mayor
Whether he remains mayor or not, Xay Khamsyvoravong has already established himself as having one of the brightest futures in Democratic politics in Rhode Island. But the title still matters, both for the vision Khamsyvoravong has for Newport and to continue having momentum if a statewide office opens up in the coming years. Keep in mind that Newport mayor is equivalent to City Council president in most places, so it’s his colleagues who would have to reelect him. Traditionally, the councilor who gets the most votes citywide gets to be the mayor, so Khamsyvoravong will look to run up the score on Election Day.
Providence School Board president
The city is moving to a half-elected, half-appointed school board beginning in January, so five members will be elected next week and then Mayor Brett Smiley will likely make his five appointments (with City Council approval) before the end of the year. Smiley is largely staying out of the elected school board races, although you can expect him to have more influence over the presidency. Ty'Relle Stephens, a current board member who is running for one of the elected spots, is lining up votes for the top job.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
Who is credited with first using the phrase a "lively experiment" to describe Rhode Island's commitment to religious liberty? (You can find the answer below.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Shoot me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ My latest column: Classical High School won the boys high school basketball state championship last season. Now a financial dispute between Mayor Brett Smiley's administration and the Providence school department threatens to end Classical's chance at repeating before the season even begins. Read more.
⚓ After years of fighting a commercial-scale solar field proposed next to their homes in Cranston, residents thought that City Hall had their back when the plan commission and platting board rejected the developer’s application last year. Then, a state Superior Court judge reversed that ruling in late August, and the residents heard nothing from the most important voice in City Hall: Republican Mayor Kenneth Hopkins. Read more.
⚓ A Warwick Water Division employee who is Jewish has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the department claiming his civil rights were violated when his boss slapped him in the face as the “punchline” of a “Nazi joke.” Read more.
⚓ Rhode Island-based Citizens Bank will close more than a dozen branches across the country, including six in New England, a move that it says is a strategic response to how customers engage with the lender. Read more.
⚓ Brown University has temporarily suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter for disorderly conduct after a rally protesting the governing board’s decision not to divest the school’s endowment from certain companies that support Israel. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ A Globe analysis found that lobbyists’ spouses are among the most generous donors to the most powerful lawmakers on Beacon Hill. Read more.
⚓ Katherine Clark is already one of the most powerful women in Congress, but her influence will be magnified if the Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives on November 5. Read more.
⚓ The naming process for a sports team sometimes can stray from the process used to brand most consumer items, where an ad agency follows a fairly standard set of research protocols before zeroing in, along with the company, on a choice. Read more.
⚓ Don't forget to fill your picks in the 2024 Rhode Map General Election contract. Click here.
⚓ If you want to get a head start on trick-or-treating, you can stop by Spooky State House between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
⚓ The legislative commission that is studying whether to create a medical school at URI is meeting at 5:30 p.m.
⚓ The state Council on Elementary and Secondary Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Here's the agenda.
🏆 Pop quiz answer
John Clarke of Newport, who co-founded the Baptist church in this country, is credited with describing Rhode Island as a "lively experiment."
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST
Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson about the future of the Rhode Island Senate. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
Please tell your friends about Rhode Map! They can sign up here. The Globe has other email newsletters on topics ranging from breaking news alerts to sports, politics, business, and entertainment –
check them out.
Boston Globe Media Partners thanks its sponsors for supporting our newsletters. The sponsoring advertiser does not influence or create any editorial content for this newsletter. If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact us here.
You are receiving this because you signed up for Rhode Map. Unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter.
