Who Holds the Most Power in Rhode Island?

Our April cover story highlights the forty-five most powerful Rhode Islanders in business, politics, education, development, philanthropy and more.

April 20, 2023

Lauren Clem, Jamie Coelho, Bob Curley,

INDEX:

Law

Colonel Darnell Weaver

When former Rhode Island State Police Superintendent James Manni announced his departure last year, then-Deputy Superintendent Darnell Weaver was an obvious pick for his replacement. A twenty-eight-year veteran of the department, Weaver was Manni’s second-in-command and served in the United States Marine Corps before joining the state police. Still, his appointment was historic: Weaver is the first person of color to head the agency, making him the highest-ranking officer of color ever in the RISP. He prefers to stay out of the spotlight, but if he decides on a busy retirement, he’s in the right spot: Previous state police colonels have used the post as a springboard into other areas of government, from town manager to a congressional run.

Peter Neronha

Attorney General Peter Neronha has been on the offensive since taking office in 2019. In the past four years, the state’s top litigator has reviewed decades of sexual abuse allegations against Catholic clergy members, secured settlements against opioid makers and lead paint violators and openly championed an assault weapons ban. In 2022, he broke ranks with top lawmakers to deny a proposed merger between Lifespan and Care New England, a decision that continues to ripple through the state’s health care market.

Judge John J. McConnell Jr.

John “Jack” McConnell already had a reputation for taking on big tobacco and the lead paint industry as a litigator when he was appointed to a federal judgeship in 2011, later rising to the seat of chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. In the years since, he’s continued his reputation for serving the people, temporarily halting foreclosures shortly after his appointment and serving as board chairman of Crossroads Rhode Island, the state’s largest homeless services organization, for eleven years. Despite his penchant for championing underdog causes, McConnell remains the top dog in the state when it comes to the federal courts.

Justice Paul A. Suttell

Paul Suttell has heard it all during his fourteen-year tenure as head of Rhode Island’s top court. As chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, he’s weighed in on everything from the expansion of legal gambling, to upholding the Reproductive Privacy Act, to the expungement of marijuana convictions after the state legalized recreational marijuana last year. In recent years, he’s also been tasked with forging a new path forward for our court system, overseeing the closing and reopening of Rhode Island’s courts during the pandemic and chairing the Blueprint for Racial Justice, a national effort to improve racial equality in state courts.

Development

David Sweetser

Jan 19, 2016; Providence, RI, USA; Superman Building owner David Sweetser in the lobby of his downtown building. Photo of building’s owner David Sweetser sitting in the lobby of the former bank. Mandatory Credit: Kris Craig-USA TODAY NETWORK

For years, David Sweetser of High Rock Development tried to convince state legislators tainted by the memory of the 38 Studios fiasco to chip in tens of millions of dollars to convert the once-vibrant Superman building into apartments. In 2022, after years of advocacy, he finally succeeded. The announced deal combines $220 million in public and private funds, including a tax stabilization agreement with the city of Providence and bridge financing from the Rhode Island Foundation. Now all that remains to be seen is whether Sweetser can make good on his promise to fill Providence’s most iconic skyscraper with 285 money-spending tenants, breathing new life into Kennedy Plaza and delivering some much-needed housing stock for
the state.

Joseph R. Paolino Jr.

Joseph R. Paolino Jr., managing partner at Paolino Properties.
PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Not only did Joseph R. Paolino Jr. achieve the title as the youngest mayor of a major city in the United States back in 1984, but his ongoing leadership — nearly forty years later — has continued to leave a mark on how residents, businesses and visitors view Providence today. He was instrumental in the development of the Providence Place mall and the Convention Center and involved in the river relocation project. Today, he continues to facilitate many development projects that are a draw for the city’s and state’s economy and tourism industry. Those projects include the Beatrice Hotel and Bellini Restaurant, and 100 Westminster Street, which is a campus for top companies in Rhode Island including Providence Equity, Bally’s, Hinckley Allen, Hope & Main Downtown Makers Marketplace and the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, and more recently, he purchased 70 Kennedy Plaza.

“Boldness and power go hand in hand. To achieve great things, one must be willing to get off the sidelines. Whether it’s entering the political arena or pursuing a new business venture, it takes a bold individual to make a significant impact. A great leader has the ability to use that power for the greater good, to harness their influence and cultivate strong relationships based on goodwill and mutual respect.”—Joseph R. Paolino Jr.

Sports

John Gibbons

What do the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, a national cheerleading competition and the housing of 3,000 United States Naval Academy midshipmen during the Army-Navy football game have in common? All happened — or will happen — in Rhode Island thanks to the efforts of the Rhode Island Sports Commission working in partnership with local groups and venues. As executive director of the RISC, a division of the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, John Gibbons knows exactly who’s hosting their tournaments in the state and how much each of those events is expected to generate. With no major professional sports teams, Rhode Island relies on collegiate and traveling athletic events to bring in the cash, and they deliver. Gibbons estimates his efforts have drawn about $93.7 million for the local economy in the past five years.

Friartown

The lights dim, and 10,000 fans sit anxiously at the edge of their seats. In a haze of artificial smoke and high fives, members of the Providence College men’s basketball team emerge onto the Amica Mutual Pavilion court to begin their warmup. The crowd erupts.

The spectacle, repeated four times a month during basketball season, has more to it than Taylor Swift anthems and screaming freshmen. The Friars have made the NCAA men’s basketball tournament six times in the past nine years under the leadership of coach Ed Cooley, including last year’s Sweet Sixteen run that catapulted the team into the national spotlight. Combine that with a 2015 men’s hockey championship, a 2013 women’s cross-country championship and significant growth in the program’s investments, and Friartown is the strongest it’s been in decades.

“It’s one of the smallest schools in the division competing at the highest levels,” says former athletic director Bob Driscoll, who coined the term “Friartown” while heading the department in the early 2000s. “Over the years it’s driven hundreds of millions
of dollars into the state. Every restaurant is full in town, every parking lot is full in town, every hotel is full in town. It’s a huge economic driver.”

At the front of that empire is Cooley, the Providence native who boosted the program to new heights after taking over as head coach in 2011. His on-court manner and recruiting prowess drive wins, while his commitment to the city lends credence to PC’s
de facto role as Providence’s home team. Behind the scenes, current athletic director Steve Napolillo deserves as much credit for his years in fundraising, building the donor relationships that allowed the college to grow the program and keep Cooley in place when the University of Michigan came calling in 2019. Before taking over Driscoll’s position last year, he’d helped secure more than $75 million in gifts and assisted with capital projects to develop the college’s athletic infrastructure.

“If you have a successful athletic program, donations go up, admissions numbers go up, students want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Driscoll says.

The state was part of that, too, backing an $80 million effort to renovate the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in 2008. And then there are the fans who swing through downtown Providence every home game to come out for their team. According to Driscoll, it’s about trust, and this community has proven they have what it takes to stay invested even after the court lights go dark at the end of the game.