It is fitting as we usher in a new year to reflect on a promise – and a challenge – delivered by Gov.-Elect Don Carcieri, who will be sworn into office Tuesday (Jan. 7).
In a speech at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner early last month, Carcieri vowed to work hard on pro-business initiatives and to tap into the business community for both advice and support. His comments drew a standing ovation from the crowd of about 1,000 business and political leaders.
“We’ve got to get this economy rolling…We’ve got to create jobs. All of the raw material is here. I want to provide the leadership to harness it…I want to do everything I can to make your lives easier…,” he said.
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Carcieri promised to go to battle for business.
“But when I do, I want to look behind me and see troops,” he said. “You are the troops.”
Carcieri has already begun delivering on his pro-business promises. In selecting individuals for two of his most critical cabinet-level positions, Carcieri reached directly into the business community – finding candidates with impressive credentials in economic development and the management of big budgets.
For director of administration, Carcieri could have reached into any one of Rhode Island’s many political circles and found an enthusiastic and experienced bureaucrat. But he didn’t. Instead, he kept to the game plan he laid out last month and selected Robert J. Higgins, a former senior executive at FleetBoston Financial.
Higgins spent 30 years as an executive at the bank, most recently as president of consumer banking and investment services, a unit with $7.6 billion in revenues. Higgins will play a key role in overseeing the much-anticipated “Big Audit” of state departments.
For director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Carcieri tapped Michael E. McMahon, a former New York investment banker and venture capitalist. McMahon is a founder and partner of RockPort Capital Partners, a $100 million venture fund based in Boston.
McMahon is also expected to run the day-to-day operations of the Economic Policy Council, the Quonset-Davisville Management Corporation and the Samuel Slater Technology Fund. In making the appointment, Carcieri described McMahon as “a highly experienced business leader…who will work on a daily basis to make job growth in all corners of Rhode Island the number-one priority.”
Higgins and McMahon will have far-reaching responsibilities and will report directly to Carcieri. This is an administration being set up to run like a business.
Carcieri is surrounding himself with the right people to get the job done. His own diplomatic skills will undoubtedly be called upon early and often and the success of his administration nonetheless will be tied largely to his ability to develop a positive relationship with the leaders of the General Assembly.
We’re expecting big things from this governor – this administration. And as Gov. Carcieri delivers on his promises, the business community must deliver as well. The enthusiasm that accompanied the election of a retired business leader as our next governor will inevitably subside. Next week, the real work begins.
So forward any advice you may have to Robert Higgins or Michael McMahon. Consider joining a committee. Follow legislative activity. Visit the State House and attend relevant hearings.
Gov. Carcieri never promised that he would be doing this on his own.
