With the legislative session coming to a close last week, it seems an appropriate time to give a grade to Warwick’s own K. Joseph Shekarchi, the Speaker of the House since 2021.

When Shekarchi became Speaker, we had little reason to doubt that he would bring the same type of pragmatic leadership and problem solving that he had displayed for many years in city halls across the state while advocating as an attorney for various developers. Whether you ultimately agreed with what he was selling during those sessions, there was never a doubt that every voice would be heard, and the process would be conducted in a professional and transparent manner.

At the conclusion of the 2024 legislative session, it appears that Shekarchi, now serving as one of the most powerful politicians in the state, with immense leeway to advance and curtail whatever agendas he sees fit, is exercising the same respect for the process and respect for various viewpoints that has made him one of the least controversial politicians in recent Rhode Island memory.

It is not as though Speaker Shekarchi has inherited his position in a time devoid of crises. He came into power during a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime health crisis with the economy in a state of perpetual chaos, a housing shortage that has destroyed the homeownership dreams of entire generations of Rhode Islanders, and a cultural moment where polarization and conflicting agendas clash with an intensity and regularity not seen since perhaps the 1960s.

With all of that in mind, Shekarchi has slowly but steadily advanced a balanced list of priorities to fruition, much of which has come through his own bills or the championing of bills directly through his advocacy.

He has successfully passed a slew of housing bills that — although imperfect in their over-reliance on one-size-fits-all policies — should begin to see actual increases in the production of units; the number one priority for addressing the housing crisis, according to most experts. He also successfully put the pieces together for a $120 million bond to go before voters to continue addressing that crisis.

He has taken the perilous state of Rhode Island’s educational atmosphere and increased state aid to districts above and beyond what the governor proposed, including an additional funding stream for multi-language learners and a continued focus on career and technical education, while also having the foresight to continue funding the free tuition program at CCRI and put before voters a request to build cutting-edge facilities at UTI and RIC.

In a win for law enforcement accountability, Shekarchi helped bring together all sides to pass a much-needed amendment to the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBOR), giving police chiefs more ability to transparently punish bad actors among police ranks while increasing the fairness and transparency of the due process procedures afforded to the accused.

While a safe storage weapons bill was another big win for his agenda, it was also an easy layup (as far as gun control bills go), enjoying widespread support. Shekarchi does lose some points by not being able to get an assault weapons ban passed, despite a vast majority of Rhode Islanders demanding such action.

Time will tell if his initiatives can bloom into the sort of change the state needs, but his ability as a leader to bring all sides of an issue together and force compromise is invaluable; something that goes unnoticed until you don’t have it. It is the kind of leadership that keeps a company like Citizens Bank from fleeing the state, whereas more temperamental leadership could have led to a catastrophic economic loss.

We can say with certainty that the state is better with Joe Shekarchi at the helm of its House of Representatives.