Raimondo’s office hours are a day at the beach, literally
Governor spends day at Lincoln Woods as a sounding board fielding questions
LINCOLN — It was probably at bit warmer than the beaches of South County, but that didn’t stop Gov. Gina Raimondo from holding her scheduled office hours at the new beach pavilion at Lincoln Woods State Park on Friday. Arriving a little bit after noon, Raimondo spent about an hour at the state beach, talking to people showing up to meet her and even buying lunch for her staff at Pepe’s Kitchen concession stand in the beach office building. Although people spending a few minutes talking to the governor, for the most part, sought help on a particular issue, such as finding a job, or chatted with her over a common concern, there was also the silent but visible presence of Sister Mary Pendergast of the Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland. Sister Pendergast had her yellow “No New Power Plant in Northern Rhode Island” sign with her that she routinely takes to the governor’s public appearances. “It’s been an issue that we have been working on for three years,” Sister Pendergast said, of local opposition to the proposed 900-megawatt Clear River Energy Center in Burrillville, a $700 million project aiming to add a second gas-fired generation operation in the community. “We’ve been doing, what to do you call it, bird dogging the governor for three years,” Sister Pendergast explained. “There are many, many people more active in this that I am.” “It is in its final stage of review by the Energy Facility Siting Board and the governor could stop it all,” Sister Pendergast said. The three-member Energy Facility Siting Board is cur- rently in its final round of hearings on the power plant, with three scheduled for Aug. 15, 16 and 17, and additional hearings in September. The
state regulatory board is expected to rule on the proposal some time in October. The protester said she probably would just say ‘Hi’ to the governor and would probably get a similar greeting back. At least her assignment on Friday was at a beach, she noted. “Oh, it is gorgeous here, this is the best duty I have had,” Sister Pendergast said. “Most of the time it is outside in the winter when the weather is zero.” As Raimondo started her meetings with the beach goers, Jenny Greenburg, bringing along her son, Leo, 5, and daughter Rose, 6 months, chatted with the governor about healthcare issues. “I asked her about protections for a woman’s right to choose and she said will be seeking to have legislation filed in the next session of the General Assembly and that she plans to make a big push for it,” Greenburg said. Kelley Holmander of Warwick said she asked Raimondo for help in finding a new job. “I’ve applied to over 175 companies and nothing,” she said. “It’s been since March and I just ran out of unemployment. It’s been crazy so I wanted to meet with her and I did,” Holmander said. Holmander also said she had previously worked in the information technology field and is still looking for something along that line. “She is going to take my resume,” Holmander said, while noting she had brought it along just in case. “I need some help, I’m desperate.” While standing with Raimondo next to the beach for her chat with the governor, Linda Evans-Green, of Pawtucket, said she brought up several issues, including the phaseout of car taxes and the recent strike at Lifespan’s hospitals. She even voiced support for keeping the PawSox in Pawtucket. A retired Lifespan nurse, Evans-Green said she questioned the hospital administration’s spending of $10 million to hire replacement workers during the strike and also questioned the money Lifespan spends on advertising. “Do they really need to advertise Lifespan? Shouldn’t that money being going to the staff that provides care to the patients?” she asked. Evans-Green said the governor agreed with her concerns about Lifespan’s spending and overall she said her conversation with Raimondo was a good one. “I’m glad she is the governor and I am really glad that she is going to run again,” Evans-Green added. After meeting with the folks at Lincoln Woods, Raimondo said she always likes to take such opportunities to hear what people have to say. “What I think is great, is people have a chance to pull over and sit on a bench and talk privately with the governor and it gives them a chance to tell me what is on their mind and how we can help them,” Raimondo said. “So for me, it is a great opportunity to just listen. To sit with Rhode Islanders and listen to them, what is on their minds, what they need a hand with.” Raimondo recounted the issues raised, the car tax, noting “people are struggling to pay it.” Some brought up healthcare, to which she commented “I’m worried, are you going to keep healthcare in Rhode Island, there were two people who brought up the Afford Healthcare Act with me, ‘will I keep my healthcare,’” she said. One man raised the opioid crisis, and said he was struggling with that, and Raimondo also noted Evans-Green’s concern about Lifespan. “And I agreed with her, and she said why is it that directors of Lifespan make millions of dollars a year. And (Lifespan is) struggling and she is absolutely right about that, people are upset about that and I agree with her,” Raimondo said. The governor confirmed that she planned to pursue legislation to protect healthcare rights, including choice through a Reproductive Freedom Act in Rhode Island, but noted, “I can’t control everything in Washington. But we can make sure our healthcare rights are protected in Rhode Island.” As for the chance to talk with the governor, Raimondo said that is a good connection to make. “I just think when the governor is out, kinda of casual at the beach, three people came specially here, they knew I was here, to talk to me. And that, I think that is great, so I’m here,” she said.