Goodbye and good luck, Anthony!

Charlestown loses another bright, young reporter

By Will Collette

Right on the heels of losing Cassidy Swanson, the Westerly Sun’s beat reporter for Charlestown, we’re now losing Anthony aRusso who wrote the local coverage for the Chariho Times. His last day is today, September 7.

While Cassidy is off to graduate school in journalism, a brave choice given the decline of print media, Anthony has just started training at the Johnston Fire Academy. He hopes to join the Johnston Fire Department and become a full-time firefighter and EMT (emergency medical technician).

He may still show up in the pages of the Chariho Times as a stringer. I hope he keeps writing, because like Cassidy, he brought a disciplined and rigorous reporting style together with good writing.

Johnston FD answers call at the Central Landfill

Anthony’s choice to change careers mirrors what Anthony told me was “the family business.” His Dad, David aRusso, was a Johnston Police officer for 27 years and his cousin is currently a Johnston firefighter.

Anthony chose not to get into the other “family business,” politics.

He told me that some people see his name (small “a,” capital “R” Russo) and ask him if he’s related to “The Mayor.”

When I first met Anthony, I actually asked him if he was David aRusso's son, whom I know through the RI Association of Democratic City and Town Chairs. Anthony said he was surprised at how many Rhode Islanders from around the state were familiar with the "aRusso" name and story. Unmentioned was that it's generally RI natives of a certain age. Anthony thought it was strictly a Johnston thing.

"The Mayor"

Of course, we are referring to Rhode Island political legend Ralph aRusso (nee “Russo”). The story of the name aRusso goes back to 1964, and the long political relationship – once as allies, later as rivals – between Ralph Russo and Mario Russillo.

At that time, because candidates were listed alphabetically, they came up with the idea of adding a small “a” to the front of their names, assuming that some significant number of voters would pick the first candidate on the list.

It worked out for both of them until they ended up running against each other in 1968. Then aRussillo decided to escalate, and added a second “a” to his name, becoming Mario aaRussillo and jumping to the top of the list.

aaRussillo retired from politics in 1970, leaving the field open for aRusso, who ended up running Johnston for a quarter of a century. In 1995, aaRussillo dropped the “aa,” but Ralph aRusso kept his, passing it on to his son and now his grandson, Anthony, who told me that in him, “politics skipped a generation.”

He summed up his politics as “neutral,” citing the great scene in Star Wars III: “Anakin Skywalker told his mentor, Obi-Won Kenobi, that he is either with him or against him, and that is what confirmed Obi-Won's belief that Anakin had turned to the Dark Side. Before drawing his light-saber for their final battle, Obi-Won said to Anakin, ‘only a Sith deals in absolutes.’”

Well, Anthony, may the Force be with you, and please, be careful on the job.