Opening summit's doors the right move

Posted 12/16/14

As the fierce debate over the RhodeMap RI economic development plan reached its peak last week, another brief episode highlighted the current mood of many Rhode Islanders and the thirst for a greater …

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Opening summit's doors the right move

Posted

As the fierce debate over the RhodeMap RI economic development plan reached its peak last week, another brief episode highlighted the current mood of many Rhode Islanders and the thirst for a greater focus on transparency in government.

Governor-elect Gina Raimondo tonight is hosting an economic summit, designed as a chance for mostly private sector representatives – a group of 140 so-called “thought leaders” – to discuss potential steps to be taken toward rebuilding the state’s economy and creating jobs. It will specifically focus on the five pillars of the economic platform from Raimondo’s campaign: workforce development, manufacturing, infrastructure, small businesses and tourism.

Initially, plans called for the gathering to be closed to the media, aside from initial remarks from Raimondo at her transition offices at 33 Broad St. in Providence. The rationale provided by the governor-elect’s transition team was that doing so would afford those present a chance to speak as candidly as possible.

“People won’t be as open if you’re there,” Jonathan Duffy, one of the transition team’s three co-chairs, told the Providence Journal last week. “The key is, we need people to be as open and forthcoming, and we don’t want anyone grandstanding. We just want really solid contributions, and that’s the goal.”

The governor-elect subsequently changed course, however, and announced the entire summit, set to run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., would be open to the media. It is a move we applaud, both for its symbolic importance and its value in allowing all Rhode Islanders to be informed and connected to a conversation of vital importance.

Once the word was out about the meeting, the transition office started getting calls from people wanting to attend. No one was turned away, and because of fire code regulations the meeting was moved to the URI Providence Campus Auditorium, 80 Washington St., Providence.

Making state government more transparent was a frequent theme on the campaign trail this year, and the results of the gubernatorial election, in which Robert Healey’s late candidacy drew surprisingly robust support, demonstrate that many Rhode Islanders are seeking a dramatic change in the culture on Smith Hill. That sentiment, of course, extends across the nation and upward to federal leadership in Washington, D.C. The sense of disconnection, disappointment and distrust citizens feel toward their elected leaders is pervasive and palpable, seemingly more than at any time in recent memory.

We are understanding of Raimondo’s initial desire to hold a closed forum with leaders of industry. Private conversations are, of course, typically the most candid. And we are sympathetic to concerns over “grandstanding,” given how frequently such behavior can delay or derail productive discussion on all levels of government.

Such considerations are ultimately secondary, however, to the more essential mission, a truly meaningful engagement and re-engagement of all citizens in the political process.

Achieving that will not be easy, nor will it be without controversies and conflicts, as the RhodeMap debate clearly illustrated. But a comprehensive commitment to inclusion and engagement will begin the difficult task of restoring trust. And that is just as important to our state’s future as any policy proposal.

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