It was a stunning scene, one fit for a Hollywood film – but not in the way anyone would have hoped.

On Friday, state and federal officials moved in and out of Gordon Fox’s State House office as members of the media camped outside. At his Providence home were more law enforcement personnel, carrying out a stream of boxes.

Fox has since stepped down as speaker of the state’s House of Representatives, often called a position more powerful than that of governor, and the media focus has largely turned to the fight to be his successor. There are no more details at present as to what was behind the search warrants, but it is clear the situation will continue to have major implications for Rhode Island, particularly in the midst of an election year.

Fox, who also said he will not seek re-election to his House seat, has made history as speaker. He has also been no stranger to controversy.

The son of an Irish father and Cape Verdean mother, he became the first openly gay person and first black person to rise to the House’s top position. He has twice been fined by the state’s Ethics Commission, most recently in connection with unreported income from work done on behalf of Providence’s economic development agency.

As speaker, Fox oversaw the disastrous loan guarantee made to former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios video game company. He also presided over passage of the groundbreaking – but hotly debated – 2011 law overhauling the state pension system and over the legislation legalizing gay marriage in 2013.

For most, Friday’s developments brought to mind the Ocean State’s long, unfortunate record of public corruption. Buddy Cianci, Edward DiPrete, Joseph Bevilacqua – these are just a few of the more prominent names in Rhode Island politics marred by scandal over the last several decades.

It is, of course, highly premature to include Fox’s name on the list. There is little concrete information about the ongoing probe, and Fox has not been charged or publicly identified as a target. The now former speaker will, however, forever carry the dubious distinction of having had the first office at the State House to be raided by law enforcement – certainly not what he would have imagined as a key piece of his legacy.

The situation is likely to play a major role in setting the tone for the current election season, in which Rhode Island’s ongoing economic malaise was already a dominant theme. Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Ken Block and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, for example, have quickly used the developments surrounding Fox as a platform to call for broad reform of state government. That link – between political culture and progress, between government reform and economic growth – is likely to be made again and again in the coming months.

Whether such rhetoric can lead to results, regardless of who is chosen to lead, is anything but clear. But as Rhode Islanders face the all-too-familiar specter of their trust being betrayed, we must hold onto the hope that a brighter course lies ahead.