How Rhode Island can turn Civic Friendship into Hope – Vincent Marzullo, commentary

By Vincent Marzullo, commentary

Rhode Island is too small for its problems to feel distant—and too full of talent to accept drift as destiny.

Yet too many families struggle with housing costs, infrastructure needs attention, educational opportunity remains uneven and public confidence in government is fragile. The next governor must do more than reorganize agencies or commission another study. The state needs a governing creed equal to the moment: civic friendship.

Civic friendship is not sentimental, nor does it demand agreement. It asks citizens, officials, businesses, unions and neighborhoods to recognize their shared fate and act accordingly. In America’s smallest state, proximity can become a governing advantage: it can speed collaboration, make accountability visible and deliver results residents can feel.

The governor should act immediately by creating regional civic cabinets that give residents and frontline workers a real voice before policies are locked in. Every agency should issue measurable promises, publish progress in plain English and hold rotating problem-solving sessions across the state.

Municipalities should be rewarded—not penalized—for sharing services, approving housing together and coordinating transportation instead of protecting turf.

The governor must also make public service a statewide expectation. A Rhode Island Compassion Corps could mobilize students, retirees and working adults for tutoring, checking isolated seniors, coastal resilience, food security and neighborhood renewal. Small grants should back local partnerships that bridge political, racial and geographic divides. The administration must model the conduct it seeks: listen before announcing, embrace good ideas from rivals and admit failures without excuses.

Rhode Island does not need artificial harmony; it needs the courage to believe that neighbors who disagree can still build a future together. A governor who turns that faith into daily practice can help families find homes they can afford, strengthen the schools their children attend, reduce time lost in traffic and ensure that government answers when residents ask for help. That is more than efficient governance; it is the security of knowing a child can build a life here, a parent can make ends meet and an older neighbor can remain in the community they love.

From Providence to Westerly and Woonsocket to Newport, Rhode Island can become a true beacon of hope by proving that, when we choose one another over division, every family has a fair chance to belong, thrive and stay.

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Vincent Marzullo served for 31 years as a federal civil rights/social justice Director in Rhode Island with the Corporation for National & Community Service. Vin is a former volunteer President of AARP RI. He has served 3 Rhode Island Governors, 5 Presidents, & is the Founder of USA Compassion Corps.