EDITORIAL

Farewell to ‘Cool Moose’

Posted 3/22/16

For the second time this year, Rhode Island has unexpectedly lost a political icon.

Robert J. Healey, founder of the Cool Moose Party and a perennial candidate for governor and lieutenant governor …

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EDITORIAL

Farewell to ‘Cool Moose’

Posted

For the second time this year, Rhode Island has unexpectedly lost a political icon.

Robert J. Healey, founder of the Cool Moose Party and a perennial candidate for governor and lieutenant governor over three decades, was found dead Sunday night at the age of 58. Warren Police and June Speakman, president of the Barrington Town Council, confirmed the sad news on Monday.

Healey began his political career on the Warren School Committee in the 1980s and went on to mount four bids for governor and three for lieutenant governor. He chaired the Cool Moose Party from 1996 to 1998.

Less than two years ago, Healey upended the race for governor with a late entry under the Moderate Party banner. Defying even the most bullish expectations – and after spending just $35 on his campaign – Healey captured 21 percent of the vote on Election Day, finishing a strong third behind Democrat Gina Raimondo and Republican Allan Fung.

Healey became known to many Rhode Islanders for, and drew some of his following because of, his iconic image – the long hair, the beard, the decidedly un-flashy attire. He certainly did not look like a typical politician and clearly had no interest in doing so.

But his ideas have had far more impact than his aesthetic. His voice was truly independent, and his intellect unquestionably deep. He was often sharply critical of the political establishment, with a strong libertarian streak, and sought outside-the-box solutions to the state’s problems and issues. In 2010, for example, he ran for lieutenant governor with the stated objective of abolishing the office, and garnered just less than 40 percent of the vote.

During a televised debate in the 2014 governor’s race, Healey spoke to those who might not have taken his candidacy seriously, seeking to position himself as the truest advocate for the citizens of Rhode Island.

“I’m only relying on the people and free media to get my message out…as governor, I would only answer to one boss, and that boss being you, the people,” he said. “You might say that you’re wasting your vote if you vote for me, but if you don’t vote for the person who best represents you, you’re wasting your vote then.”

Healey’s greatest legacy, perhaps, will be his example. Working outside of traditional partisan structures, with a focus on policy and ideas, he showed citizens that connections and money are not the only means to become involved and make a difference.

In a presidential election year defined to date by frustration with elites and the establishment, we remember “Cool Moose” Healey as an exemplar of the outsider spirit – a serious person with serious ideas, who cared far more about our state and its future than his own ambition.

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