First anniversary: Some highs and lows of Gov. McKee's first year in office

PROVIDENCE — Gov. Dan McKee didn't campaign to be governor, didn't have long to prepare for the job and didn't get to party at a fancy ball after his inauguration.

His first year in office was dominated by talk of needles, face masks, mandates, emergency powers and truckloads of federal money.

Entering year two on Wednesday, McKee spent part of his 365th day in office doing one of the things he promised to do when predecessor Gina Raimondo would leave for Washington: channel relief dollars to small businesses that have suffered during the pandemic.

In this case, it is $8 million in grants to tourism and hospitality businesses, including arts organizations.

McKee's year-one anniversary roughly coincides with the launch of his reelection campaign and the accomplishments he celebrated Wednesday largely form the basis of his campaign platform.

"It has been an intense experience, clearly coming in at an uncertain time, getting a budget prepared and managing that budget to a $600-million surplus," McKee told reporters Thursday about his first year. "The most important thing we did were the shots in the arms. We came in with virtually the lowest vaccination rate in the country and now we are the top vaccinated state in the country."

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Highlights of Gov. McKee's first year

Vaccination: In the last two weeks, McKee has touted the state's highest-in-the-nation vaccination rate.

When McKee took over for Raimondo last March, COVID vaccine supplies were still limited and national policy debate focused on how to distribute doses as fairly as possible as fast as possible.

McKee made "getting shots in arms" his top priority and a year later 81% of residents are considered fully vaccinated, the highest rate in the country, according to the New York Times. The state says 95% of residents have received at least one shot, tied for the highest rate with New Hampshire.

Business aid: Before becoming governor, McKee called on Raimondo to provide money for small businesses.

And early last April, just as vaccines were becoming widely available, McKee launched the first of what would turn out to be a series of federal grant programs for small business.

He also pushed to lift state mask orders faster than some of his public-health advisers preferred, partially to help the economy recover.

2030 Plan: Knowing the state was going to receive $1.1 billion in largely unrestricted federal cash, McKee held a statewide listening tour to gather ideas on how to spend it and produced a 2030 plan laying out a long-term vision.

Lowlights of the governor's first year

Testing: With COVID infections low late last summer, McKee ramped down state-run testing sites just as the omicron wave was in the mail.

When cases skyrocketed around Thanksgiving, residents faced long lines for tests or paid through the nose to buy at-home tests.

Resignations: McKee inherited much of his cabinet from Raimondo and didn't have the benefit of a full four-year term ahead of him to recruit his own team.

He brought over some of his staff from the lieutenant governor's office and allies from his hometown of Cumberland, such as initial chief of staff Tony Silva.

But by last summer, Silva was embroiled in a controversy over whether he had used his position to try to get a permit to build a house on property with wetlands.

McKee defended him for weeks, but by August Silva resigned.

Other top aides have avoided the appearance of impropriety, but stepped down to pursue other opportunities, often with hints that they weren't excited about the administration's direction.

That's left a number of agencies with interim leaders, including the Departments of Health, Human Services, Children Youth & Family and Environmental Management.

Education: McKee's plan for "municipal education offices" based on what he had in Cumberland hasn't taken off, at least so far. And he came under scrutiny when a campaign donor played a role in awarding consulting contracts for the plan.

panderson@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Gov. Dan McKee reflects on first year in office COVID, budget surplus