To the editor:

Like many Rhode Islanders, I have not paid much attention to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in the past. The occupants, except for Elizabeth Roberts, have been essentially anonymous and silent. One local eccentric, the late Bob Healey of Warren, even ran for the office to abolish it. However, my thoughts about the office have changed considerably with the candidacy of Sue Anderbois.

I have heard Sue speak several times and I follow her email updates. One of the things that I learned from her is that the Lieutenant Governor actually has mandated duties: the Lieutenant Governor chairs the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, the Emergency Management Advisory Committee, and the Small Business Advocacy Council and is charged with advocacy and leadership in areas including veterans’ affairs, education, economic development, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, long-term care, health care, and older adults. These all address issues which matter to me, to all Bristolians and to everyone in the State.

Sue was appointed by Governor Raimondo at be RI’s first Director of Food Strategy. She developed a statewide strategic food plan, addressing nutrition insecurity, food waste, and how our state is supporting local food businesses. Following this, she worked in environmental conservation and sustainable energy, and has served as a Providence City Councilor. In all these roles, Sue has demonstrated the ability to get things done.

What I am especially impressed with regarding Sue is that she is not just a person with ideas, she is a doer. Yet she is not someone who tries to be a solo act. She gets people involved – the perfect person for a position charged with heading statewide councils or with organizing commissions. If you drive on North Main Street in Providence past Branch Avenue you experience what she can accomplish. The once confusing and treacherous roadway is much better and safer because she knew how to bring the community and traffic agencies together to solve the problem.

Sue would be an important ally for our local legislative representatives, like June Speakman, who have been working on the problems of affordability, especially regarding housing. Addressing living costs, sustainable energy and food insecurity are social problems which I am particularly interested in. But if you look at the listed leadership areas assigned to the Lieutenant Governor it is easy to find other subjects that will enhance the lives of Bristolians and strengthen our community.
I urge all of you to look closely at both Sue Anderbois’s record of accomplishments and her potential to do even more for our state. I believe she will, once in the office, change our thoughts about the Lieutenant Governor by making it into the effective, active position we need rather than a backwater for officeholders marking time.

Howard Rotblat-Walker

Bristol