Making the right investments

If you’ve spent any time watching the Red Sox this year, you’ve probably caught yourself chanting “we need a pitcher, not a belly itcher”. You are not alone. While Porcello and Buccholz have been decent, I have been left with the feeling that the Red Sox should have invested more money in the offseason to fill out the rotation after trading Lester, Lackey, Peavy and Miller late in the ’14 season. The team has a history of proving people wrong (lots of writers are still eating their words over the mini 2^nd baseman) but I’ll go on record wishing we’d grabbed Max Scherzer when he was a free agent.

While regrets in baseball usually last a season — 86 years in the case of the Babe Ruth trade would be the exception — the ramifications in politics and government can be felt far longer. I recently talked to someone about how upset they were about the Navy leaving Newport in 1973 and there’s no doubt that singular event shaped — and damaged — Rhode Island’s economy for a generation. As Rhode Island looks to move ahead, we need to make sure that we invest smartly in the things that make us stronger and fix our weaknesses along the way.

Last weekend I joined more than 125,000 others who spent some time in Newport to attend the events around the Volvo Ocean Race at Fort Adams. The weather was amazing and the event was jammed with sailing enthusiasts from all over the world. Newport was chosen as the ONLY North American stop for the race and was chosen in large part because of the infrastructure upgrades (read: investments) made at Fort Adams in recent years that were championed by local legislators with the hopes of attracting big regattas like this one. While we’ve been following the Volvo Ocean Race for every mile because of our hometown skipper (go Charlie!), I will admit that seeing thousands of people enjoying a perfect day gave me a little jolt of Rhode Island pride and the sense that “if we build it, they will come.”

Investments need to make sense of course. We’ve thrown public money in the wrong direction before and we’ve also been pennywise and pound foolish. The “we don’t do incentives” policy of the Chafee administration contributed to our sloth-like recovery from the great recession while other New England states leveraged resources to land new companies. There’s a balance between rolling out the welcome mat and giving away the store and it’s budget time, so we need to find that balance and invest in our assets that will lead to growth — just like we did at Fort Adams.

The great news is that the Newport Volvo stopover wasn’t just a success in my eyes. Newport had four times as many visitors as the last North American stopover and the race organizers announced that Newport has first dibs on a stop in 2018. While the race isn’t over yet, Newport and Rhode Island are already winners. P.S. Go Alvimedica!

Seeing where the game is played

Whenever I go to a baseball game I love to see children when they catch sight of the field for the first time. It’s not a “Field of Dreams” moment because I don’t think they are so much mesmerized by the grass or fascinated by the game. They’re usually thinking “how’d they get THIS in HERE?” What goes on during the game is probably an afterthought too and any love of the game is fueled by memories of cotton candy, hot dogs and a stuffed green monster. One of my earliest memories is of Fenway Park, but not because of the glory of the 1977 team. I overheated in the summer sun and had to be taken to the first aid station to cool off.  There was a TV mounted on the wall and I remember thinking how neat it was that what I was watching was happening right outside the door. I’m sure my father was thinking the same thing (not). Still, that early exposure is probably why I still love the game today.

Last week I chaperoned a group of children representing Colt-Andrews Student Government on a field trip to the State House. Most of them had never been there and were in awe of the architecture, art and number of light bulbs in the chandelier. Thanks to Representative Gallison the students had the opportunity to learn about some of the issues that are currently being debated and even had a chance to cast a vote.  We also had coveted guest seating on the floor of the House Chamber to listen to the evening’s proceedings. While I’d like to say that the students understood the whirl of activity that occurred as they whipped through the agenda, I’d be lying. I think most of them just enjoyed the opportunity to watch the goings on and to hear their names being read into the record. I hope that some of them thought about how they’d like to be there again someday.

As our little group of 25 left the building I thought about the thousands of other Rhode Island school children who have never been to the State House — and about their parents — who have not idea about what goes on inside the building. The truth is that we rely on a very small group of people in the media to keep us informed on what happens in state government. There are few Rhode Islanders that run for office, leaving far more of us outside the process and for the most part unaware of the decisions that impact all of us. Many legislators get little or no feedback from their constituents and don’t have staff, making session a grueling and frustrating time. State government is also decidedly inconvenient — the children weren’t home until 6 and legislators are often there well into the evening — a long day for those with “real” jobs and families that would like to see them.

Our behind-the-scenes look was like a trip through the locker room — pretty cool, even if it can be stinky. I just hope some of these will might grow up and want to play the political game.

Not sweating the sweep

The Yankees swept the Red Sox at Fenway this weekend and I awoke to my favorite Yankee fan’s predictable taunt, “bet that hurt.” My response: nope, not really. With three championships in recent memory, there’s not much to whine about even if we get trounced by the evil empire and have a starting rotation that’s pitching only slightly better than a JV high school team.

Don’t get me wrong, I wish the team was starting the season better, but I am conserving my whining for more important things. As an obsessive observer of Rhode Island politics, sometimes I wish others would do the same and quit trying to make the Johnston landfill into Mount Washington.

I witnessed the latest mountain-making last week I was surfing through radio stations and paused briefly to hear about the supposed “scandal” where Speaker Mattiello leases office space to the Cranston fire fighters union. The talk show host was breathless about the “obvious conflict” because the Speaker has a financial arrangement with the firefighters union. Huh?  Speaker Mattiello doesn’t negotiate their contract or benefit in any way from the union’s objectives or mission. It didn’t take long to find out that not only have the firefighters been a tenant for far longer than Mattiello has been in the Assembly, but that they have not been terribly pleased with his voting record either — and let him know that his support of pension reform as House Majority Leader was not particularly appreciated. Of course, I am sure that the talk show host will not go back and cover this again — it’s much easier to flap your lips and cry foul than to analyze something thoughtfully.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to complain about here in the biggest little. We should complain that our investment in our education system does not adequately educate the children we entrust to it. We should be concerned that we educate some of the brightest minds in the country and then can’t offer them opportunities to stay. We should fret that despite being first in the country with a statewide recycling program, our landfill is almost full. We’ve got limited time, resources and brainpower being spent on dealing with the important issues we face, let’s not waste any effort on the small stuff — whether it’s a rental agreement or an early-season sweep.

Hooking foul

The Pawtucket Red Sox opened their season under a cloud. Fans of Pawtucket know that this is likely the second-to-last home opener at McCoy and all Rhode Islanders are hearing the clock ticking on this beloved franchise remaining in state.

When the new owners of the minor league franchise that will soon-be-formerly-known as the Pawtucket Red Sox revealed their “ask” a collective groan was heard from one end of the state to another. In exchange for locating the team in Providence and financing the stadium and a parking garage where the team will play, the team asked the state for $4 million each year for 30 years. This state lease allows the owners to get financing for construction of the project, estimated to cost $85 million. The new ownership group also released an economic development study that showed new park would generate approximately $2 million each year in new tax revenue. If the study is accurate this would make the net cost to taxpayers about $2 million each year. The General Assembly and Governor Raimondo would need to approve any deal and the new ownership made it clear that they have between now and the end of the legislative session to get it done.

In the immortal words of Swift (Taylor, not Jonathan) “haters gonna hate” so even before the specifics were revealed, naysayers were pledging to oppose any taxpayer investment in the new stadium, arguing that the 195 land was too valuable to use for a venue that will host less than 80 games a year. While discussion of alternative sites and the promise of a multi-use facility, capable of hosting Brown football and baseball games have quelled some of that debate, other concerns continue. Let’s face it, asking Rhode Island’s fragile tax base to cough up any money to support a private business owned by multimillionaires seems a bit “out of left field” for many.

I will admit I am torn: the PawSox are part of Rhode Island’s identity and a source of pride and happiness. I’ve seen great games and watched players at McCoy — and even got Jon Lester’s autograph one day when he was hanging out in the parking lot after practice. I understand why the new owners want a new park in a new city. McCoy is only vaguely charming when you are staring at the green grass — otherwise it’s like sitting in a giant cinderblock bandshell. And Pawtucket, oh Pawtucket. “Let’s grab dinner at that great restaurant next to McCoy,” said no one ever. Having a new stadium built in our capital city would make Providence and more vibrant and would add some cache to the Red Sox’ farm team too.

The bottom line is that there will be a cost to keeping the team in Rhode Island. As Rhode Islanders, we are used to making trade offs — we live here because we love the state and what it means to be from here. For some of us that means summers on the water, family close by, baseball hats filled with ice cream, a certain parade and readily available clam cakes. The price we pay: cold winters, higher taxes and a lot of potholes. While it’s unlikely that the cost of keeping the team here will be low enough to make every taxpayer happy, I am hoping that a agreement can be made that doesn’t violate our collective sense of fairness. Right now, the plan is hooking foul.

Tossing us a screwball

While I know that baseball can be slow — and I admit to sometimes dozing off during late innings —baseball is exciting because that you never know where or when the action might happen. Whether it’s an unlikely hero with a walk-off home run or a surprise no-hitter, baseball can offer surprises every game.

While it was hardly a thrill, followers of Rhode Island politics got a bit of a surprise last week when former Governor-Senator-Mayor Lincoln Chafee announced that he was launching an exploratory bid for president. That’s right, president, of the United States of America. Because his announcement arrived just a week after April Fool’s Day, it took a few hours for the news to sink in as real and for the discussion to turn from utter amazement to a discussion about what a Lincoln Chafee campaign for president might look like.

It’s clear from his announcement and the quick media tour he has taken since that his primary reason to enter the race is to take aim at Hillary Clinton. He has no real message of his own, just a few talking points saying that as a man of principle and one who voted against the Iraq war, he is a better candidate for president than Clinton who voted in favor of the Iraq resolution (along with 76 of 100 other U.S. Senators). While we can debate whether a single vote taken in the U.S. Senate 13 years ago should have any bearing on the president we choose in 2016, I can say with some certainty that Chafee is could be a dream opponent for most candidates in the right situation. If a candidate wants to look smooth, smart, outgoing and quick-witted, Chafee is the perfect opponent to be compared to since he is awkward, speaks poorly and his gestures are either robotic or erratic. Having said that, he could be an effective “truth-teller” during the Democratic primary season, working only as an attack dog and ripping Clinton down at every turn. While this could be a nightmare for Clinton, it is a gift for another candidate poised to enter the race (perhaps Martin O’Malley) but who might struggle against the Clinton machine in a head-to-head matchup.

What a Chafee candidacy means for Rhode Island could be a bit of a headache for the rest of us. A few gaffes and awkward comebacks into the campaign and the national media will be wondering aloud how he managed to get elected (and re-elected) to various offices in Rhode Island. They will quickly learn that his only term as governor was a bit of a disaster and that while the state suffered with the worst economy in the country, Chafee chose instead to try and change the name of the evergreen that graces many homes over the holidays. Instead of growing jobs, he changed the state license plate and instead of trying to attract businesses to move to Rhode Island, he changed the name of the Economic Development Corporation to CommerceRI. While all of this attention might be exciting to at first, it may also be a painful reminder of a bad four years with a bit of screwball.