Chafee measures achievements of his tenure

Gov. Lincoln Chafee
Posted 12/23/14

Fellow Rhode Islanders, as my term as governor concludes, it is time to reflect on the last four years. I inherited a Rhode Island in disarray and faced many challenges. What I learned over my public …

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Chafee measures achievements of his tenure

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Fellow Rhode Islanders, as my term as governor concludes, it is time to reflect on the last four years. I inherited a Rhode Island in disarray and faced many challenges. What I learned over my public career as councilman, mayor and senator is that when faced with a daunting task, a steady stream of good decisions will bring about beneficial change.

As governor, I have been consistent in my formula of funding education, infrastructure and workforce development, the building blocks of a good economy, and we are now seeing the results of my steady leadership.

By nearly every measure, Rhode Island is moving in the right direction. Federal unemployment statistics show that we are off to one of our best starts on record. Consider these facts:

• About 21,400 Rhode Island based jobs have been created since 2011

• Rhode Islands unemployment rate is at its lowest level, 7.1%, since April 2008

• The unemployment rate is down 2.2% since the beginning of the year, the best start since 1984

• The number of unemployed has fallen for 16 consecutive months

• The number of unemployed is down 11,800 since the start of the year, the best start on record

• The number of employed is up 15,000 since the beginning of the year

Our economy is picking up steam and households are on far better footing than they were four years ago. My methodical, pragmatic approach has given Rhode Island the strong foundation necessary for students to become skilled employees, for start-ups to grow into flourishing businesses and for the state to be competitive in the region. We are doing all we can domestically and have also continued to strengthen Rhode Island’s role in global economic discussions. I led groups to France, Italy and Ireland to meet with business leaders and determine how Rhode Island could meet their needs. These visits yielded great results. Prior to my visit to Paris, DassaultSystmes had considered leaving Rhode Island after its location in Providence flooded in 2010. This month, we cut the ribbon for the new 90,000-square-foot DassaultSystmes SIMULIA location in Johnston, which houses over 350 employees. And just last week we announced that five companies from Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom have committed to opening for business in Rhode Island.

Throughout our country, states are looking beyond their borders to the international community to entice businesses to set up shop in their cities and towns. Companies want to do business in Rhode Island. I have proactively reached out to them and seized the opportunity to make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family.

It has been my goal to leave the state in better shape than I found it. We have moved Rhode Island in the right direction and are seeing the benefits of our investments. I am proud of the progress we have made over the last four years and am confident the next administration will continue to make sound, forward thinking investments that will get more Rhode Islanders back to work.

I thank all of you for your input and participation during my tenure as governor. It has been a true pleasure to serve you. May you all have a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year.

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