A candidate worth considering
Sue Anderbois: I made that decision this past
fall after a lot of thought. It was a lot of wrestling with where I can be most
effective. It’s a chaotic time, Steve. In Rhode Island, we have so many
enormous problems. I honestly love my time on the Providence City
Council. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and feel positive about what
I’ve achieved. Most days, I’d say it’s the best job I’ve ever had. It was a
hard decision to run for Lieutenant Governor and give up my seat, which I’ve
never taken for granted. Elections are important. I was not concerned about
reelection because I’ve delivered a lot for my constituents, but if someone ran
against me, I would welcome it. That’s democracy.
I was trying to decide whether to run for reelection or do
something else. Am I going to do none of this? I had a great day job that I
loved, and I got a big promotion. I was traveling a lot for work. I talked with
a lot of folk, asking, “How can I be most effective?” And the one thing that
came up was the real opportunity in the lieutenant governor’s office. There,
someone can lead without authority, because there aren’t very many statutory
requirements for that job.
The job allows you to say, “This is an important thing, a
hairy topic that we need to dig in on. We need to bring people to the table. We
need to know how to work the legislature. We need to know how to work with the
administration. We need to know how to bring in the community.” The job has
room to solve some things. And honestly, my main skill in life is blowing
things up, taking a larger view, and asking, “What is this? Transportation is
never roads and bridges. How do we access healthcare? How do we access food and
tourism?” It’s like all the things.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I had my own conversation with Sue, though hardly as long and in depth as Steve's. I was very impressed with her and think she's worthy of support. You should read Steve's extended interview below. Though the office of Lieutenant Governor is often thought of as an almost useless position (current LT Sabrina Matos and her predecessor Dan McKee are good examples of that type), it can also be a productive one. Charlie Fogarty showed that during his 1999-2007 term as did his successor Liz Roberts when she served from 2007-2015. It takes the right person. - Will Collette
