Robert Craven Jr. is running for House District 32
Steve Ahlquist
When Robert Craven Jr. announced he was
running for the State Representative seat his father was vacating, I reached
out to request an interview. We met at Cafe Nero in Downtown
Providence, a place so busy neither of us had coffee. The interview has been
edited for clarity:
Steve Ahlquist: I don’t want to start on a
negative note, but in this state, we oftentimes have what I think of as
“inherited” seats. That is, the child of a politician taking over an elected
position from their parent. Your father is the current State Representative
from District 32, so what do you bring to this position that makes it earned
rather than inherited?
Robert Craven: Two things. One, I’m running not
because I have his name; I’m running despite having his name. I’m running in
North Kingstown because it’s where I grew up and where I know the state and the
country best. I’m running because I have the specific experience to deliver
meaningful results for North Kingstown. My father represented well. He had his
own experience to rely on. I have some of the same skills, but a different
skill set and perspective on much of it, which will let me either expand on or
add to what he accomplished.
Steve Ahlquist: You do have an impressive resume. Do
you want to talk about that?
Robert Craven: I’m glad to. For the past three
years, I’ve been the policy director for Rhode Island’s Treasurer. In that
capacity, I’ve helped champion legislation that expanded wealth opportunities
for low-income Rhode Islanders, helped towns like North Kingstown protect
themselves from the threats of climate change, helped survivors of sexual
assault access the funds and support systems they need, and pushed Rhode Island
forward in financial well-being. Before that, I ran the Treasurer’s campaign,
as you know...
Steve Ahlquist: Which is when I got to know you
a little bit.
Robert Craven: Exactly. And before I got into
the politics and policy side of things, I practiced law for a few years at a
litigation firm in Downtown Providence, where I practiced banking law, complex
commercial disputes, and class action lawsuits.
Steve Ahlquist: That put you in the position to
be in the Treasurer’s office
Robert Craven: Yeah. It was a good foundation
for understanding the issues the office usually deals with. And I dealt with a
lot of land use and Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC)
law when I was practicing law, which gave me the CRMC’s perspective on things
and where some of these communities and their zoning boards are in terms of
being able to construct (or not construct) what they’re comfortable with, and
what’s environmentally sound.
Steve Ahlquist: Land use and the CRMC are two
hot topics at the State House right now. We’re dealing with land use issues and
possibly reorganizing the CRMC or folding it into the Department of
Environmental Management (DEM).
Robert Craven: I think CRMC needs a revisit.
That organization has served the state well enough since its creation, but the
policies surrounding it are changing. The needs of the state have shifted, and
there’s going to be a lot more urgency in what they do as we head towards an
era where we might see a dramatic change in what’s happening on our shoreline.
Steve Ahlquist: I think we’re already seeing dramatic
changes. We’re looking at parts of Newport going underwater...
Robert Craven: ... and Warren, North Kingstown,
Westerly...
Steve Ahlquist: Yeah. Whole sections of the state -
land, houses, businesses, whatever - are going to be flooded if we can’t figure
out something.
Growing up in a political household, what was that like?
Mine is a firefighter family, so we were somewhat political, union politics...
Robert Craven: My mom was a union president in
Narragansett. I grew up hearing about the Department of Education and
how it was not funding teachers. When I was in middle school, I remember
hearing about pension reform from my mom, who was one of the people affected by
it. Growing up in that kind of household with a father always interested in
policy and politics shows you that the system is accessible, right? I went
to George Washington University down in DC, but I came back to
intern in health and housing policy for Governor Lincoln Chafee.
That experience, along with what I had growing up, showed me
how accessible the system can be. And then, if you learn how the system works,
you can really accomplish something through it. There’s this impression that
politicians are inaccessible or that they’re in it for malicious intent, but
that’s not the case. You have a lot of good people out there who are trying to
accomplish something - trying to do the right thing. That’s kind of the lesson
that I learned growing up around it.
