Pryor passes first Assembly test

STEFAN PRYOR, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's nominee to be secretary of commerce, received a unanimous endorsement Tuesday from a Senate committee reviewing his appointment. / COURTESY CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
STEFAN PRYOR, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's nominee to be secretary of commerce, received a unanimous endorsement Tuesday from a Senate committee reviewing his appointment. / COURTESY CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

PROVIDENCE – Stefan Pryor, nominee for state Secretary of Commerce, received a unanimous endorsement Tuesday from a Senate committee reviewing his appointment as Rhode Island’s first executive officer overseeing all aspects of economic development.
The 7-0 vote by the Senate Committee on Commerce followed a 90-minute hearing that included testimony from several of his former colleagues, as well as chamber of commerce officials in Rhode Island. Most recently, Pryor served as secretary of education for Connecticut. He also was a deputy mayor for economic and housing development in Newark when that city was trying to attract new business investment.
In his statements to the Senate committee, and in answering committee member questions, Pryor emphasized that his experiences had prepared him for the challenges facing Rhode Island. He spoke bluntly at times, saying the land being presented for development as part of the Interstate 195 relocation had not been marketed effectively.
“It’s important to listen to the market as it stands. It’s also important to present an aspirational vision,” he said. The 19 acres of developable land, which fall under the jurisdiction of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, have not yet reached their potential, he said.
“We have yet to articulate a vision for what’s possible, and we have yet to pursue it with the intensity [it should have,]” he said.
The I-195 lands will become an intense focus under his leadership, he told senators.
The Commerce Secretary, a new position created by the legislature in 2014, was designed to create an umbrella office to oversee the disparate commerce functions for the state, providing a more streamlined, predictable and responsive office for the state’s business community.
If appointed by the full Senate as secretary, Pryor will oversee the Executive Office of Commerce, the R.I. Commerce Corporation, the R.I. Port Authority, the Department of Business Regulation, as well as housing and community development functions currently overseen by the state’s Department of Administration, according to a Senate policy office description of the position.

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