Having an educated populace and good economy in a sustainable environment alone does not build a great future for our state. Good government that is responsive to the common good and needs of society requires an extraordinary effort to build consensus by working with many initially competing interest groups to develop a common vision. We are all interdependent upon one another and that good ideas can come from many unexpected sources. I am of the strongest belief that working together to understand others’ points of view can lead to new ways of integrative thinking to find solutions to our state’s most challenging problems. Differences of opinion should not be feared, as Senator J. William Fulbright once put it, “I think we Americans tend to put too high a price on unanimity, as if there were something dangerous and illegitimate about honest differences of opinion honestly expressed by honest men.”
The most successful legislative programs are those that have spanned several years in time and have involved hundreds of participants from multiple stakeholder groups. Good policy formation demands time and patience. In 1996, I served as an appointee the Legislative Commission on Aquaculture, formed by Rep. Eileen Naughton D-Warwick. The Commission held multiple hearings and testimony from dozens of stakeholders, which eventually led to comprehensive legislation to foster greater commercialization of aquaculture as a ‘green’ industry in our state. The development of this industry also provided considerable supplementary income source for fishers and allied support industries and suppliers. Since I began my efforts, the farmed value of seafood in our state has grown from less than $50,000 per year in 1996 to over $1.7 million in 2007.
Some of the most challenging problems faced by our state are those that are still ahead of us. A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts has shown that by many measures Rhode Island is behind most states in state government efficiency and responsiveness. Many of the problem areas reported included: state fiscal planning and management; workforce planning and training; infrastructure maintenance; and information services planning & budgeting. These identified major problems will require considerable hard work and a cooperative effort to be successfully solved. I pledge my hard work and cooperative effort to the task of reforming our state government systems for the better while recognizing and celebrating the hard work and dedication of the vast majority of our state workers.