According to this week’s Providence Business News Executive Poll, Gov. Lincoln Almond’s “State of the State” address last Thursday evening, Feb. 3, failed to deliver a knockout blow – while some respondents considered it a fair or even good speech, others panned it (see results below). The reaction at the State House broke along party lines, with Republicans praising the governor’s vision and Democrats questioning whether a sense of vision was even included in the address.
The governor spoke of an improving infrastructure, a wildly successful airport, electrified trains and his determination to enhance the state’s educational system – from pre-school through college. He also emphasized health care and the environment.
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The highlights of Almond’s address included:
”There is a gap between child care and first grade because most school districts only offer half-day kindergarten programs. That’s why I will be proposing additional incentives to expand full-day kinder-gartenwe’ve raised academic standards; we’ve strengthened accountability and we’ve implemented statewide testing of studentsI am pleased to announce that education funding will be the number one priority in the budget I submit next week. We cannot afford to have a single failing school. We cannot afford to leave one child behind. Period.”
“In the coming years, I want to see even more improvements at our institutions of higher education. I want to see the day when the Community College has a fourth campus in Newport. I want to see renovated dorms at URI and Rhode Island College. I will be proposing new bonds to accomplish this.”
“The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts sets the stage for the arts to flourish in our state. That’s why I’m proposing to nearly double the funding for the Arts Council. These grants will benefit Trinity Repertory Company, the Newport Art Museum, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Providence Black Repertory Theater to name a few.”
”While the arts enhance our state, casino gambling will destroy it. It’s bad for economic development. It ruins communities. And it tears families apart. We are not going to put the future of our state in the hands of Lady Luck.”
“We are maintaining our highways, paving roads and repairing bridges. We are also moving forward with projects like Interstate 195. When that’s completed, we’ll have a safer route to travel and more land open for development. Without question, this new highway will change the face of our state.”
“We’re continuing to develop options for a successful port plan. I believe we need the middle-income jobs that a port will generate.”
“We’ve learned a lot from the departure of Harvard Pilgrim. That’s why I will be introducing legislation to strengthen the regulatory power of the Department of Business Regulation. This will give the department the authority to have better oversight of health insurance plans.”
