By Bob Plain in Rhode Island’s Future - See more at: http://www.rifuture.org/angel-is-in.html#sthash.86b8TsdM.dpuf
Providence Mayor Angel
Taveras makes it official on Monday as the Providence Journal reports he’ll
announce he’s running for governor next week. WPRI also reported the news
last night.
Taveras, the “Head
Start to Harvard” first Latino mayor of Providence is a champion of progressive
values and local liberals are inspired by his candidacy in the same way we were
with Barack Obama in 2008.
A key difference is Taveras has executive political
experience as mayor of the Capital City. He averted a financial crisis in
Providence by negotiating compromises with organized labor and local tax-exempt
nonprofits.
Taveras will likely
square off against General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, who has come under fire
lately for cutting public sector pensions and then reinvesting those savings in
volatile alternative investments with high fees for money managers.
Yesterday, Taveras
personally asked Raimondo if she would sign a People’s Pledge and disavow
anonymous out-of-state donations. Her campaign has yet to respond to the
overture though it did distance itself from the idea on Wednesday.
Clay Pell is also
considering running for governor as a Democrat. The wealthy grandson of Senator
Claiborne Pell, it’s unclear how his candidacy could affect the
Taveras-Raimondo race.
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's
Future. Previously, he's worked as a reporter for several different news
organizations both in Rhode Island and across the country.