New Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo delivers her inaugural address on the steps on the State House. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News
By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com
On a cold and snowy Tuesday afternoon, Gina Raimodno took the oath of office to become the first female Governor of Rhode Island, promising to help spark the state’s lagging economy.
In her inaugural address, Raimondo focused on revitalizing the economy and changing the perception of the state as being inefficient.
“We’ve witnessed a growing acceptance that ‘this is Rhode Island’… it’s just the way things are. So we’ve lowered our expectations, deferred our dreams, and allowed corruption to takes root,” said Raimondo.
“It’s time to stop our decline, and ignite a Rhode Island comeback.”
- READ full transcript of Gov. Raimondo’s speech here
Raimondo said fixing the state’s economy will not be easy or swift, saying its problems were not created overnight and will not be fixed overnight. However, as she stated during her campaign, Rhode Island can take a step in the right direction by investing in education and job skills, encouraging entrepreneurship, and innovation.
“The truth is – our only path out of this mess, is to create middle-class, family-supporting jobs. And so we must foster an environment where businesses want to add jobs and where we support our workers.”
The Governor also advocated for better fiscal responsibility, saying policy makers should be focused on outcomes and not “throwing money at problems.”
Raimondo ended her speech warning Rhode Islanders of the risks of keeping the state on its current path.
“If we stay on the course we’re on, our children will be left behind, more cities and towns will go bankrupt, and other states will continue to pass us by.”
