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🎆 Send me one or two sentences on your favorite fireworks shows in Rhode Island. I'll post them in Thursday's edition of Rhode Map.
Four years ago, Governor Dan McKee and Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos were attached at the hip.
It had only been three months since McKee handpicked Matos to be lieutenant governor, and the two regularly held press conferences together. Their offices sent press releases referring to the “McKee-Matos administration.”
The alliance paid off. McKee and Matos each won four-year terms in 2022 (officially, the governor and lieutenant governor are separate statewide offices in Rhode Island).
But as they prepare to seek reelection next year, the joint press conferences and press releases are a thing of the past, and the two won’t say if they plan to run as a team next year.
Robert Silverstein, McKee’s campaign manager, said the governor looks forward to working with Matos. In a text message, Matos said, “I also wish him the best.”
The bigger picture: It’s hard to argue that McKee and Matos didn’t benefit from their partnership in 2022, but the dynamics have changed quite a bit.
McKee allies have long grumbled that Matos wasn’t sufficiently loyal to the governor, first at the end of the 2022 Democratic primary, and then when she ran a disastrous campaign for Congress a year later.
Matos hasn’t been a visible part of the administration over the last two years, although she hasn’t publicly complained about her role, either.
The governor and the lieutenant governor are both gearing up for difficult Democratic primary challenges next year, and McKee doesn’t necessarily want to have to answer questions about the voter signature scandal that doomed Matos’s congressional campaign, and Matos doesn’t necessarily want to tie her future to a governor with
low approval ratings.
An unanswered question: Will McKee and Matos endorse each other next year?
It’s no secret that some of McKee’s friends in the tight-knit mayoral community are considered potential candidates for lieutenant governor – Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva come to mind – so it’s possible that McKee will say he'll support whoever wins the primary.
It’s unlikely that Matos will back one of McKee’s opponents next year, but she could opt to focus on her own race.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
This week's question comes from Kerri Tallman: What was the original use of 334 South Main St. in Providence (where Plant City is now)?
(The answer is below.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Shoot me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ In taking over Providence schools, Rhode Island leaders pledged drastic changes to the teachers contract. Steph Machado takes a look at what actually happened. Read more.
⚓ A strike by nurses and front-line workers at Butler Hospital is dragging into its seventh week, not just because union leaders and hospital executives are far apart on issues. It’s also because of a little-known executive order signed by President Trump in March that gutted the agency that oversees federal mediators — people responsible for bringing companies and labor unions to the negotiating table. Read more.
⚓ A Providence police sergeant accused of kicking and punching a Black man in handcuffs more than five years ago will be restored to full duty at the Providence police department, following a decision by a panel of officers. Read more.
⚓ With the state budget finalized, Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority officials said the agency has narrowed its nearly $18 million budget gap to approximately $10 million thanks to savings such as a favorable lock on diesel fuel prices, but RIPTA will still face fare increases, service cuts, and potential layoffs to cover the remaining balance. Read more.
⚓ Former Mount St. Charles star James Hagens was selected by the Bruins as the No. 7 pick of the NHL Draft. Read more.
⚓ This week's Ocean State Innovators Q&A is with Eva Erickson, a former contestant on "Survivor" and PhD candidate at Brown University, who is studying seal whiskers for the US Navy Email us with suggestions for this weekly interview. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ Boston’s civic reputation, newly bolstered by a state recruitment campaign for federal workers and a relatively resilient public sector job market, has made the region a top destination for former federal workers. Read more.
⚓ Mayor Michelle Wu has a powerful ally in the state House’s likely next leader. Their partnership could reshape Boston politics. Read more.
⚓ Hockey East and the New England area were well-represented in this year’s NHL Draft, with 24 prospects with local ties selected during the two-day event. Read more.
⚓ US Representative Gabe Amo is holding a 10:30 a.m. roundtable discussion in Pawtucket with a group of manufacturers who say uncertainty around tariffs are harming their businesses.
⚓ The board for Rhode Island Housing meets at 9:30 a.m. Here's the agenda.
⚓ The Providence City Council is holding a final public hearing on the proposed city budget at 5:30 p.m. Steph has all the details on the proposed tax increase.
🏆 Pop quiz answer
The space that is now Plant City in Providence was a Civil War Care center run by three sisters. Since then, the building has been used by 23 different businesses.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Steph Machado and Jim Hummel about the state budget and the final week of the legislative session. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
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