Peter Marino

Why we’re interested:
Marino is the first to serve the governor in this newly created position. “The idea was to think a little more strategically about how government operates and how it’s funded,” he explains. To that end, he will be responsible for development and oversight of the governor’s budget plan, monitoring program and service delivery by state agencies, managing federal grants, directing the remaining federal stimulus dollars, and working towards a business friendly climate through regulatory reform.

Why he’s the man for the job:
Because the guy knows public finance. He comes to the job from the top seat in the Senate Fiscal Advisory Office, but he’s also been Director of Policy and Municipal Affairs at the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, and a Senior Budget Analyst in the State Budget Office.

What’s new about this:

Marino’s office will have an unprecedented level of oversight of state finances. Not only will it monitor public expenditures and their effectiveness, but it will be responsible for helping State House departments spend wisely and keeping the public informed in a way that is transparent, accountable and accessible.

Furthermore, an administration that has struggled to sell its economic vision now has an advocate with the information and policy expertise the governor needs to push his agenda. “It allows the governor to have an individual that can coordinate the budget process, establish the necessary fiscal discipline, and work with departments to get that budget into a place where when he submits it in January it represents his key initiatives,” Marino says.

How you’ll know it’s working:
As of press time, the governor’s target date to submit his budget to the General Assembly is January 17, which Marino believes will be the earliest any governor has ever done so. That kind of timeliness and predictability is something he sees as crucial to effective economic stewardship. OMB is also intended to be a source of information and advice for both government agencies and those seeking to navigate them. “If you want to achieve goals, it starts with a sense of fiscal discipline,” Marino maintains. “OMB can help departments and agencies think about how they can get there.” The level to which it’s called upon to provide those services will be a good indicator of both how well it’s working and how seriously it’s being taken.