One of the good things about Rhode Island’s small size is the ease of making connections. Things can get done in the blink of an eye.
But there is a dark side to the intimacy that is so much a part of the state’s fabric. And that is, if someone isn’t known widely, it can be easier to mistrust them.
Case in point is Laura S. Olton, the nominee by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to chair the R.I. Public Utilities Commission. Ms. Olton withdrew her name at the end of July from consideration after a brushfire started regarding her residency in Rhode Island.
Apparently she had not yet moved to the Ocean State when put forward. Instead, she was living with her sister in Barrington while looking for permanent housing somewhere in the state.
Is the state so distrusting of outsiders that it would erect a wall to keep them out, even as they want to move in and contribute to the public good through government service? Are we so full of talent that we can afford to say no when those with it say they will move here?
Ms. Olton may not be coming here, but the questions her aborted candidacy raise will linger.
