by Doug MacGunnigle, WPRO
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo has been named one of the “Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune Magazine in a ranking released on Wednesday.
Raimondo was ranked #38 on the list. According to Fortune: “America’s smallest state just tackled one of the country’s biggest fiscal problems. Countless state and local governments struggle with underfinanced pension plans, and Rhode Island’s was one of the worst before 2014. That’s when Gina Raimondo, then state treasurer, engineered an overhaul that slashed cost-of-living increases and pointed the system toward solvency. Public-sector unions fulminated and sued, but voters rewarded Raimondo by electing her governor. In 2015 she negotiated legal settlements that preserved her pension reforms, inspiring hope in cash-strapped statehouses everywhere.”
When asked about being placed on the list, the Governor told WPRO’s Anita Baffoni that “my mother called this morning and said, ‘Way to go, Gina, you’re on the list with the Pope…but I don’t think my kids have gotten the memo because they’re still not listening to me as much as I’d like.”
As far as how Fortune chose the list of leaders, “It isn’t enough to be accomplished, brilliant, or admirable. We recognize those who are inspiring others to act, to follow them on a worthy quest, and who have shown staying power.”
