The last 20 years have not been kind to Rhode Island. From 1997 through 2014, the state's real gross state product grew 30.6 percent (earlier than 1997, the figures are not comparable). In that same time period, the United States' real gross domestic product grew 45.8 percent.
And while it is unclear what effect Rhode Island's governors during that period had on those numbers, they certainly will be held accountable – rightly or wrongly – for the state's performance.
What is clear from Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's first half year in office is that she will not be blamed for more poor performance without making every effort to jump-start the state's economy.
Her first budget included a number of economic-development initiatives, including more than $40 million in incentives to attract and retain businesses, $25 million available for major projects in the Interstate 195 corridor and an ambitious program to rebuild the state's crumbling bridges and roads. Amazingly, nearly all of what she wanted was approved by the General Assembly, save the infrastructure plan, which is not dead yet.
While the politics of making so many of her plans find their way into law is impressive, more important was Gov. Raimondo's recognition that Rhode Island needs action from the public sector to pull out of the tailspin it finds itself in. Are all her programs the right ones? Only time will tell.
But the deer-in-the-headlights reaction to the 38 Studios debacle seems to have been replaced by a call to action. And not a moment too soon. •