Rhode Island, other states question the real value of Lieutenant Governor

“Abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor, save the state $1,000,000 per year”: That’s the campaign promise of Robert J. Healey, Jr., who is running for lieutenant governor in the state of Rhode Island. Healey, an attorney and former Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate, is running as an independent and says he could be endorsed by the state’s Republican Party. As states across the country struggle with budget cuts, some legislators are asking the question: “Do we really need a lieutenant governor?”

We speak with writer Kris Frieswick about her forthcoming article about the office of lieutenant governor in this Sunday’s Boston Globe Magazine: “Do we really need a lieutenant governor? Several states say no. Should Massachusetts be next?”