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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. McKee staffs up for 2026 reelection bid
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee sent a clear message to Rhode Island politicos on Tuesday: I'm running. McKee's political operation announced that he has hired a new campaign manager, Rob Silverstein, and a new finance director, Neil Spencer, to pilot his 2026 reelection effort. It follows a campaign launch video that McKee released back in March. 'Nobody will outwork us on the trail, and Rob and Neil embody that ethos,' McKee said in a statement. 'With their experiences on highly competitive races and excellent track records of success in state campaigns, I am confident that we are well-positioned to continue delivering results for Rhode Island for years to come.' McKee, a Democrat who turns 74 later this month, took office in 2021 when his predecessor Gina Raimondo stepped down to become U.S. commerce secretary. Those first two years in office don't count toward the state's term limit rules, so McKee is eligible to run again in 2026. Still, the governor has faced persistent speculation that he might not be on the ballot as his poll numbers remain weak. In recent months, his job approval rating has ranged from 43% in a Morning Consult survey over the winter to 19% in a UNH Survey Center poll last week. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, McKee called the UNH finding 'an outlying poll.' 'The most important thing for us to do is to do the work we're doing and continue to show the progress that we're showing in the state,' he said, citing a newly released WalletHub analysis of the best state economies in which Rhode Island rose 12 spots, to rank 33rd. McKee is facing a rematch against former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who nearly wrested the Democratic nomination from him in 2022. Foulkes has not made her candidacy official yet, but she already had over $1.5 million in cash on hand as of March 31, while McKee had about $750,000. The governor's new campaign hires are both newcomers to Rhode Island politics. Silverstein served as deputy campaign manager on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2022 campaign, and has served as her political director since then. He is a New York City native who attended Georgetown University and Columbia University. In a statement distributed by McKee's campaign, Hochul praised Silverstein for 'bringing sharp political instincts, tireless commitment, and a deep understanding of what it takes to win tough races.' 'Governor McKee is gaining a skilled and strategic leader, and I'm proud to call Rob a trusted former member of my team,' said Hochul, who like McKee was a lieutenant governor when she became governor unexpectedly in 2021, in her case after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo. Spencer has worked for the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee for the last eight years, raising money for state legislative candidates in the Sunshine State, according to the McKee campaign. Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell called Spencer 'an outstanding choice' by McKee. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Hannah Cotter contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City residents support zoning changes to promote affordable housing, walkable neighborhoods
Mar. 4—Data released this week by the UNH Cooperative Extension detailing feedback for proposed zoning ordinance changes in Manchester shows support in all 12 wards for affordable housing and walkable neighborhoods. The report is the second half of a Community Engagement Report on zoning update efforts. The first half of the report, released in December by the UNH Survey Center, showed 77% of city residents saying more housing is needed. City officials say the zoning update initiative looks to modernize land use regulations, streamline development and support community priorities like housing, economic growth, and sustainability. "This report underscores the community's vision for a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Manchester," city Planning Board Chairman Bryce Kaw-uh said in a statement. "The input gathered will be instrumental in shaping zoning policies that align with residents' needs and aspirations." Manchester is undergoing a comprehensive review of the city's land use ordinances for the first time in more than two decades. In June, the city published a draft with updates to the land use code and a schedule for outreach efforts, including public meetings and a city-wide survey. The report is based on outreach efforts including community meetings, surveys and stakeholder discussions. Key findings reveal that Manchester residents overwhelmingly support zoning changes that promote affordable housing, walkable neighborhoods and mixed-use development. Beginning in July of 2024 and continuing for more than 60 days, city planning staff — assisted by UNH Extension — took feedback from Manchester residents and stakeholders through a series of 12 two-hour work sessions. More than 90 residents, on average, attended each meeting. UNH Extension received about 1,100 open-ended comments from work session participants. Work sessions were held in each ward and were open to anyone who wanted to attend regardless of residency — though UNH Extension said the majority of participants were Manchester residents. Housing affordability was identified in all of the wards as a critical issue. A review of the comments shows there is significant support for granting more flexibility for residential uses in order to enable more residential developments and increase the city's number and range of housing opportunities. Strategies supported include lowering the minimum dimensions for residential lots and reducing the minimum floor area required per residential unit. Participants preferred to see more housing in the form of accessory dwelling units, duplexes and triplexes, upper-story residential over existing buildings with street-level commercial, and smaller single-family homes. Several comments voiced the need for more apartment buildings, but some felt strongly about limiting multi-family buildings to existing multi-family districts and downtown. There was support for increasing the city's walkability options. Comments supported allowing limited neighborhood businesses in proximity to residences, safe sidewalks, traffic-calming devices and pedestrian-scale streetscaping. Participants showed strong support for making sure future development is compatible with the character of existing neighborhoods. Residents supported design standards and more code enforcement as ways to preserve and enhance the quality and character of the city's neighborhoods. When considering new development, residents shared concerns over the city's capacity to accommodate the increased demand on services, including water, sewer, police, first responders and teachers. Residents expressed concern about the costs required to mitigate impacts from new growth, and wanted assurances the cost of living for existing residents would not increase in order to pay for the public improvements and services sought by new developments. There were also comments in support of streamlining the development review process, particularly for changes that would improve predictability, shorten review timeframes, and reduce the need to go through the variance process. When asked what kinds of development they would like to see in Manchester, respondents most often mentioned small retail and service, small residential, restaurants and entertainment. Most felt that duplexes, apartment houses, and townhouses fit very or somewhat well in their local area, but relatively few feel that large, multifamily apartments or stacked flats fit well. Clear majorities feel it is important to preserve the natural areas and historic charms of Manchester.
