Lopes to leave Common Cause of RI

Christine Lopes, who in 2006 succeeded Phil West as the executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island, plans to leave her job in December to finish a master's degree in public administration at Suffolk University in Boston.

Lopes says a search process has begun to find her successor and that the position will be advertised this week. She says she hopes to return to public service after fininishing her degree and to continue living in Rhode Island.

"It's been an amazing learning experience," she says of her time at Common Cause. "People, when they do come together, can really make change, so that's been a really rewarding experience." Lopes pointed to the forward motion of separation of powers in Rhode Island as an example. 

For a Q+A that I did with Lopes earlier this year, click here.

In getting ready to leave the state, Lopes describes Rhode Island's reputation for corruption as overstated. While many are more cognizant of the need to get opinions from the Ethics Commission, for example, "unfortunately, the only ones we hear about are the ones who are losing their way.