RI State Senator Dawn Euer

In this episode, Rhode Island State Senator Dawn Euer shares insights on recent legislative changes, climate and economic policies, urban development, and community revitalization efforts. Her perspectives offer a clear view of the complexities facing Rhode Island today and potential pathways forward.

Key topics:

• The impact of recent leadership shifts in the Rhode Island Senate and House on legislation and legislative camaraderie.
• The intersection of climate action, energy policy, and economic affordability in Rhode Island’s legislative agenda.
• The balancing act between development and environmental preservation, especially around wetlands and housing.
• Tax policies, including the Millionaires Tax and the Taylor Swift Tax, and their influence on affordability and business climate.
• Federal funding cuts and their implications for Rhode Island’s services and vulnerable populations.
• The importance of regional cooperation, especially in education and infrastructure, versus traditional fragmentation.
• Community vitality issues in Newport, including tourism, housing affordability, and local investments.
• The potential for reform in the Rhode Island Inspector General’s office and government accountability.
• The strategic considerations around regionalization of schools and the focus on educational outcomes.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and overview of Rhode Island's new legislative leadership
02:20 - How leadership changes affect legislative decision-making and camaraderie
04:08 - Climate legislation and energy policy’s role in Rhode Island’s economic future
06:02 - Rhode Island’s tax policies and their effects on affordability and business
07:21 - The relationship between taxes and small business health
08:49 - Federal funding cuts and impacts on state services and vulnerable populations
10:48 - Strategic investments in infrastructure and economic development
11:38 - The debate over Rhode Island’s Inspector General and oversight reforms
13:28 - The importance of independent oversight and transparency
15:15 - The race for Rhode Island Attorney General and key issues like criminal justice reform
17:26 - Community challenges and opportunities in Newport’s revitalization
19:27 - The debate over regionalization of schools and community outcomes
20:35 - Reflections on regional cooperation, community identity, and investments

Resources & Links:

• Rhode Island Senate
• Rhode Island Climate Legislation
• Rhode Island Tax Policies
• Rhode Island Inspector General Office (Legislation & Reforms)
• Newport Community Development Initiatives
• Regional School Districts & Education Reform

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

State Senator Dawn Euer. Hard to believe it, but other than a live event we just did at the Avon Cinema, this is your first time on Bartholomew Town. Welcome to the show. Thanks for having me on. I can't believe it's been my it's my first time either. Yeah, it's shocking. But you know what? You're out there doing the work. So you got things got better things to do than come on here. What are you seeing right now as this session wraps up? It's a unique session. Change is certainly in the lower chamber with Speaker Shikarchi becoming, so to speak, just a representative. Leadership changes there. You're also in the first full year of leadership change at the Senate. What are the big takeaways this year? Um, you know, I think the big takeaway, there's a lot, um, there's a lot when there's those types of leadership changes to kind of see how things are gonna settle, um, you know, see how decisions are gonna make be made, how information is going to flow. Um, and so I think that that, you know, there's really been a shift in an approach and um, you know, how how that all flows on the on the Senate side, and obviously um, you know, kind of thrown in the mix on the House side with that very recent leadership change. But, you know, I think the um I think my colleagues in government as well as the advocates are trying to trying to kind of figure that out right now. Right. What has that led to in terms of just a camaraderie change or just the sort of the the behind the scenes ebb and flow of how how legislation actually comes to life? Uh is that has that changed at all in at least on the Senate side from over the last year and a half? Yeah, I mean, I think there certainly has been, you know, not surprisingly, some some tensions that need to continue to get ironed out. Um, but you know, I think it's like anywhere else, right? Like it's a workplace and you go, you, you go to work every day and um, you know, other people chose who's working with you. And at the end of the day, you're trying to get your job done. And so I think really, um, you know, I know a lot of my colleagues are really focused on that and they have different opinions on um, you know, uh legislation or policy ideas that I may have. But, you know, being able to kind of talk those things through, I think has uh continues to be really key and really important. Um, but yeah, it's it's kind of like any other any other workplace in that way. You're uh well known for your work on the Act on Climate. And we're in a moment right now where, to me anyway, it feels like climate has become in some circles, I don't even think, a top five issue in some people's minds, where at the same time we may be talking about the survival of the species. Where's climate legislation and climate-related activity right now, in at least from your standpoint in the Senate? Yeah, I think for for me, this year was a big um defense year. It was um, as as you said, I think the the conversation has shifted. Um, and I think a lot of folks um are really focused on the affordability conversation. Um, to me, those things go hand in hand. And as I've worked on um climate legislation and specifically on energy policy, I have always focused on um, you know, that intersection of how do we how do we build an economy and how do we build a future that works for everyday Rhode Islanders, for everyday Americans. And I think in order to do that, we need to tackle climate and affordability needs to be integrated in every conversation we're having around policy. Yeah, there's an intersection that's kind of not maybe not uniquely Rhode Island, but it's it's an important Rhode Island discussion, which is affordability, housing, development, but where? And when we look right now at the delicate ecosystems, not not so not talking about the delicate mental ecosystems of towns like Johnston that decide they don't want to have affordable housing, but the actual landscape of Rhode Island, how do we strike a balance going into the next hundred years of a maybe stagnant population, but one that certainly needs housing and at some point is likely to grow in one way, shape, or form? I mean, how do we where do we build? Yeah, I mean, I do I'm somebody who thinks that building is only part of the conversation because we also have a bunch of dark homes. I mean, I live in and represent a coastal community, and there's so many homes that used to be year-round residents for families, year-round residents, um, even for renters that are now treated as second, third, even fourth homes for the uber wealthy who want to call Rhode Island, you know, their second home or third home. Um, so I think that the I do think that building is part of it. And I think you're you raise a very good point. We need to be smart about that. I mean, for example, I voted against uh some of the housing legislation that would allow builders to encroach on wetlands because, you know, we don't want to um build um we know enough, right? We know enough science, we know enough about policy, we know what the smart decisions are. And I think we can make smart decisions about how and where we're building. Um, I do, I am a fan of um, you know, streamlining government services. Um, you know, as long as I've been in office, I've talked about building a government that works for people. And when you have to do anything in business and talk to three different part uh departments at different levels of government, and probably a fourth and fifth that you didn't even know existed, um, you know, that just makes it really hard to navigate. And I think that there have been efforts in that direction in the housing space that I've been really glad to see. Yeah. It's in no doubt about it that there the wetlands issue is one that was a bit of a fitness test, if you will, of how far are we going to go? And it's a legitimate question, though, in terms of where we build. No your position that it is not exclusively a matter of building more is well heard. And to that end, it kind of ties into things like the millionaires tax or the Taylor Swift tax. And generally speaking, what's wrong with Rhode Island's taxation policy right now that exacerbates the affordability crisis? Yeah, I mean, I think we are, you know, it's it's funny because I'll do my taxes and then I'm like, that's all that I owe to Rhode Island. And, you know, nobody, nobody wants to pay taxes, right? Taxes are not cool. Um, nobody wants to pay them, but really it is the cost of existing and surviving in a in a functional society. And I think, you know, there have been a series of austerity measures in Rhode Island for decades, quite frankly, where we're just um the the tax structure that we have here is very um out of balance. And so when when we're balancing our budget on these um obnoxious little uh nitpicky fees here and there that really are setting up um, you know, lower income folks and lower um smaller businesses to take to bear the burden and to bear the brunt, um, I think that's that's problematic. So I I would really like us to see, I'm I'm glad to see um some level of the um millionaires tax come in even as a phased-in amount. Um, but I think some of the history of taxation and how that has shifted in our state has isn't really understand and appreciated. So looking forward to trying to re reverse some of that austerity approach that we've had in the state for far too long. Yeah. It's interesting to hear people talk about small business development. And then the first thing that I'm hearing from not everybody, but from some of these groups or people is well, if you do a millionaires tax or if you do whatever, any any large-scale tax the rich rich measure, what's going to drive people out of Rhode Island? Okay. But what is not looked at enough is that that can surplant some of the fees and some of the things that you just raised right there, which actually impact a lot of people who may be entrepreneurial, but there is a legitimate impediment to just basic self-start or never mind small businesses or even medium-sized businesses. So do you think that there's a a lane where this kind of pro-business movement in Rhode Island that we're seeing manifest um politically this year, in fact, in some cases challenging many of your colleagues, uh, this league of businesses, you know, they're really a MAGA group, but they're trying to portray themselves as pro-business. But on a business level, do you think there's grounds to say, hey, we need these taxes, but we can make cuts in other places? Yeah, I think I think that's exactly right. And um, you know, it's funny because I agree with your assessment there. And I, for a long time, had my own business as well here in Rhode Island. And so, you know, I and have helped advise other small businesses on how they how they operate and how to navigate, you know, the state systems and things like that. So I think at the end of the day, the biggest thing is that people want to feel like they're getting a value for what they are paying for. That's that's true in the private market and it's true for taxes. And I think, I think a lot of people that I talk to, they feel like they don't get the value. And I think that's where that austerity mindset becomes problematic because once you're boiling government down so it's small enough to drown in a bathtub, you're also not able to provide services in any way, shape, or form that people are recognizing a value for what they're paying. So I think that that's something hopefully that can get addressed as you know, we continue to look at millionaires tax, Taylor Swift tax, and talk about the revenue raised. But I am sensitive and appreciate the concern that people have of, well, you just got all of this extra revenue. You shouldn't just add a billion dollars to the budget. Um, but I will say the the kind of um challenge as well that we're dealing with on the state level is that so many services that were handled by the federal government are being gutted and have been gutted and are can are going to be phased out because of um, you know, federal government policies. And um, if you folks understood that probably about a third of Rhode Island's budget and revenue comes from federal sources. And so to lose that or any um serious amount of that becomes a problem um for us on a state level. And that's that's truly not something that we can backfill using um state taxes, but it's something that we have to be mindful of uh because it could leave um our vulnerable populations as well as small businesses and pretty much everybody in the lurch in ways that they're not even realizing just yet. That's right. And it it's it's a conversation that there's no rainy day fund in any, probably any government anywhere that can make up for a third of a budget being obviously it wouldn't be a third of a budget that would be slashed, but cum significant components of a third of a budget. So it's a huge factor that has to be assessed. Speaking of assessment, well, you're actually sorry, if I could just add something too, you know, one of the things, because I have talked to a lot of businesses over my time and I've also studied a lot of places and policy. One of the things that businesses often talk about, if you're talking about larger businesses and where they want to uh locate, they care about housing, transportation, education. And so it is really important that as a state government, we're looking at how to meet those needs as well so that we can be an attractive place for some of those larger anchor businesses to come as well. And I'd rather us invest money in that approach for economic development as opposed to some one-off tax incentive deals, which is typically what our approach has been in the past. Yeah, and doesn't seem to even be working right now in terms of the major corporations that have left. That's right. What do you make of inspector general fever here? I mean, come on. John Laughlin puts in this convoluted idea, we're gonna have the lieutenant governor's office, then the speaker puts in an idea, it's obviously there's separation of powers issues, it's modeled after Delaware. That's a brand new thing. That guy in Delaware was literally sworn in May 5th or something like that. So it's the only way to do this to have a constitutional convention and have an independent appointed officer, otherwise, just don't do it. Or am I missing something here that there is a value to a legislatively enacted inspector general that doesn't oversee the legislative branch? And then what? Are we gonna have John Laughlin's gonna have one that looks over you guys and it just it seems like it's become convoluted quickly? Is that fair? Yeah, I think that that's fair. And also I think that um I think though the thing that I appreciate about that is that at least it's being taken seriously that additional proposals are being offered. Um so I I do think that I I am somebody who's long supported. And in fact, I had, I believe when um Dennis Algier was in office, I'll have fact check me on this, but I believe I've I've co-sponsored efforts at Inspector General um during my time in service. I've certain certainly spoken in favor of it. Um but I do think uh I do think that it should be all inclusive. And I think the the fact that it's being taken seriously enough that people are offering their own pathways and their own ideas about how it should be structured, I think is actually a good thing and shows progress on the issue and the idea, um, even though it's probably you know a little bit away from being enacted. But I do think something um I do think uh inspector general should cover all branches of government. And so if it takes a constitutional amendment to do that, um, then we should do that. Yeah, and it just feels like it is a job for Steve O'Donnell more than somebody that gets appointed by a put like through a political connection. And that sounds disparaging of the political process. I don't mean it that way. I just I feel like from a transparency standpoint, Rhode Islanders are gonna say, we if we're gonna have this, we want it to be as independent and have as much investigative experience as possible. Otherwise, it's gonna become a subject on WPRO and on Twitter, and then that's gonna seep out further and further. That's what I that's just my take on it. If if you're gonna do it, do it right and get the right person in there. Yeah, no, I think that that's totally a fair assessment. And I mean, to my part, to you know, be self-critical, I think that us in the in the General Assembly in our role that we could make more use of the oversight committee, um, that process to look at it, you know, separation of powers, you know, that that's why we're there and we do have an an oversight committee, but um I I don't think we've utilized that enough. And I think that that criticism of us is fair. Um I think, you know, I I will say it's it's it is challenging as a part-time, um, as a part-time body to oversee a branch that is not only full-time, but has many, many, many full-time um aspects. Uh, but you know, I I I think that there's there's more there that we could be doing. So last question here, uh, or actually what two more questions, if I may, if you have time. First of all, um attorney general race. You got four candidates, all of whom are qualified, all of whom are quality people in our community, all of whom could do a great job as attorney general, as my assessment. But you've got nobody who has exceeded 9% in terms of polling numbers in the latest poll. That's WPRI and Quinnipia, pardon me, Quinnipiac Emerson to put that poll out. Uh the You can register, you can, you can get into this thing still. Do you have any interest in running for attorney general? You've long been rumored to be somebody who would be of state service on a constitutional office or beyond. Does that interest you? Um I am interested in I am interested in that office because I think it's just it's such an important office. Um I give Nerona a lot of credit that he really showed the breadth of what that office could do. But I I'm not gonna be jumping in for this cycle. Like you said, I think we have a lot of good candidates. Um, what I would like to see though from the candidates, I I think that there's a mix of things that I'm seeing. Um, I think that's still time, obviously. You know, the most of people, most folks haven't paid attention to that race and don't know what's going on there. Um, but I'd like to see more of a focus on um, you know, uh criminal justice reform. I think that's become really a bipartisan approach, especially recognizing this as a democratic primary for the most part. Um, you know, so I do think, sorry, I don't know if you can hear my dog in the background playing with this toy. Great. We'll have to make sure we give a credit in the guest column, you know. Exactly. Um, but I think, you know, the the focus on continuing like the criminal justice reform approach, I think, um, as well as um, you know, combating Trump, but there's gonna be a life for this office after Trump. And I think what is that office gonna do um in the full scope and range of their abilities? Um, I think I'm I'm still interested to hear uh from all the candidates on on that approach. So yeah, and certainly likewise, and we'll be hearing from them here on the podcast, and we're actually gonna be doing a special forum on what each candidate would do on healthcare in this state, which is a whole we could go a lot of a lot of rabbit holes, criminal justice justice reform, though, definitely something to include in that conversation. All right, lastly, uh I'm a newport uh Newport, I love Newport, didn't grow up there. I know I'm not allowed on the island officially because of that, but uh it does feel like one of my second homes, the place I live, still were just there yesterday. Um what is going on in Newport right now that could help revive some of the feelings of community that this is an intangible, but it feels like between Airbnb, school population is decreasing, businesses closing, you go down Broadway, it looks a lot different than it did six months ago. It really does. Consolidation of restaurants into and by the way, Wally's Wieners, they make a great vegan dog. I'm not gonna complain, you know. But yeah. What do we do? How does is Newport gonna get back the thing that made it a world-renowned destination, or is it gonna become the Disneyland of Rhode Island? Yeah, that's a you know, that is such a good question. And I do think that um some of the efforts that have been done, quite frankly, in the housing, um, because I do think that displacement of so many locals from when I first ran to now, so many of my good friends and supporters have had to move out of the district because they can't afford to live here. And now the home that they used to live in is a second home, third home. Um, so I do think that some of the work that's been happening on the level of the city council around, you know, the homestead tax exemption and uh registration for registration requirements for Airbnbs. Um, I'm hopeful that that will help kind of curb that problem a little bit. Um, and then I also think um I would like to see more investment from the city in our schools. There's a huge budget debate locally right now, um, and even a proposal of closing um Thompson Middle School, which I I find uh to be not the right path forward. Um and I think we need to invest in our schools, and this goes back to, you know, you said that the the school age population is declining. The reality is we're also looking at the Coast Guard expanding, um, and we're looking at uh NOAA coming in. And so there's an opportunity um for us to have more families move in and also more families won't make that choice if we're not investing in our schools. So yeah. Your gut on regionalization, it seems like that ship has sailed for a long time. Is that a mistake that that didn't go to voters? Um, I don't I think that I I mean I opposed the last uh effort at regionalization. And the reason I did is because I didn't see how it was having a good, uh, a better outcome for the kids. Um, you know, I and I think that a lot of what gets talked about is monetary savings. But, you know, I'll talk to I talked to folks in the regionalized school districts that we have, Bristol Warren, Cherrihoe. Um, and those communities are always fighting about what the investment is and should be in the school, if each community is putting in their fair share or not. Um, and so, you know, I think that I think that there's a way potentially to do regionalization that could have benefit for the kids. But for me, I'm I'm holding out for a plan that's that's um educational outcome focused that'll help our youth. Wow. I think uh you're the first person who has specifically said that in 15 conversations I've had on this topic over the last couple of years. And that's an amazing thing. I think that people have been so focused on selling this to the tax base as this is what it's and and and not the opening salvo that you basically put put forth with taxation, which is you gotta throw down if you wanna live where do you want to live? What kind of world do you want to live in? You know, that's right. And that's a big difference. Uh uh State Senator John Oyer, not getting in this time for attorney general. That's right. That's right, that's right. Yeah. Thanks for your time. Thank you. Appreciate it.