Regional News Roundtable: The surprising departure of Rhode Island Rep. Cicilline

<p>In a surprise announcement, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline said he is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-state-government-david-cicilline-providence-b51e932ebce2ee902c641435fe54d081" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stepping away</a> from politics. <br> <br> Cicilline has represented Rhode Island in Congress for over a decade. During his time in office, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/technology/David-Cicilline-antitrust-tech.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">he took on Big Tech </a>and served as the House impeachment manager for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. He is also openly gay and an advocate for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-marriage-united-states-government-and-politics-1cb2d3f4ae76528c0f7d43daceeba974" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LGBTQ rights</a>. <br> <br> So with all that apparent success, why is Cicilline resigning?<br> <br> "There were a couple factors. One, he was offered a job as CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, the big nonprofit funder here in Rhode Island. He's going to more than triple his salary to $650,000 compared what he made in Congress," WPRI politics and business editor Ted Nesi told <em>Under the Radar</em>. "And he acknowledged it was just less appealing to stay in Congress, in the U.S. House, as a Democrat who is now in the minority, with a Republican majority who has very little he agrees with them on. And if we're being honest, Cicilline tried and failed to get into senior leadership position when the House leaders were changing over." <br> <br> Nesi said Cicilline's resignation was a shock to "everyone in Rhode Island" given the fact he was only a couple months into his latest term.<br> <br> Cicilline officially steps down on June 1. The special election to replace him will likely happen in November, so there will be several months without Rhode Island's 1st District represented in the U.S. House.<br> <br> Also on <em>Under the Radar's</em> Regional News Roundtable, guests discussed the aging Bourne and Sa