Elizabeth Roberts is ready for her close-up (continued)

ROBERTS GREW UP in northern Virginia, outside of Washington, DC, surrounded by people serving in the federal government. Because of this, she says, "I guess I’ve always been someone who’s had an interest in public policy."

Langley, her native town, was so close to CIA headquarters that Roberts knew some high school classmates who worked in a café at the agency. But it was something else happening in Washington, particularly the policies that came with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, that strengthened her profile as a progressive, in contrast to the conservative Republicanism of her parents. "I was very unhappy with a lot of what I felt was ‘blaming the victim’ behavior,’ " she says. "I remember being distinctly unhappy when [Reagan] was elected."

Although she tends to steer clear of partisan rhetoric, Roberts’s political self-identification seems to stem directly from the traditional New Deal philosophy of Franklin D. Roosevelt. "[People] pay taxes to help solve problems," she says. Asked what motivates her, Roberts says, "I guess what motivates me is solving problems that people feel don’t have a solution. I enjoy that. I enjoy the challenge."

By deliberately developing expertise on health-care policy during her time in the Senate, Roberts chose a field with more than its share of difficult challenges. She may be temperamentally suited to such vexations since, "I’m comfortable with incremental change and building on those increments," Roberts says, although she has a hard time holding still personally.

No less a consummate politician than Bill Clinton came up short when his administration proved unable to tackle the problem of how more than 40 million Americans go without health insurance. The number of the uninsured has only grown since then. Rhode Island, though, has gained recognition for diminishing the number of people without insurance through the subsidized RIte Care program (Roberts sponsored legislation to expand its reach to parents), although, as she notes, there has been some more recent growth in the uninsured. As chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, her efforts have included expanding the reach of dental care, particularly for low-income children in the state’s core cities.

Some people think Cool Moose candidate Bob Healey was on to something in 2002 when he called for abolishing the office of lieutenant governor, describing it as unnecessary in a state as small as Rhode Island.

"It’s an office, really, at this point that has no function in the state," says H. Philip West Jr., the executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island. "The role in the Senate is gone," since the post of Senate president came into being a few years back, "and there’s virtually no other role. What it has become is a nice platform from which someone can operate a freelance operation for their next campaign. There’s lots of statewide exposure," and unlike the attorney general’s office, or even secretary of state, "very few controversial decisions to make."

West notes that the office comes with 10 full-time employees and received a budget in fiscal 2005 of $865,343. "You can do a lot of stuff with that kind of independence and hardly any statutory roles, and freedom to travel around the state," he says. Still, doing away with the office remains "a non-starter politically," and "not something that strikes a lot of emotion among the citizens at large." (All this said, West, whose organization does not endorse candidates, remains a fan of Roberts, placing her among the legislators he most trusts in the General Assembly.)

Roberts, of course, disputes the view that the lieutenant governor’s position is unnecessary, citing "unique opportunities for leadership." The job, she says, offers a big "view of the state without the added burden of being governor," and is "ideally suited" for promoting policy solutions to public problems.

For his part, Lieutenant Governor Fogarty, who has made pet causes of long-term care and emergency management, echoes the prevailing description of Roberts as a hardworking health-care specialist. "I have very high regard for Elizabeth," he says. She’s a very bright, energetic person who is clearly committed to public service. When she tackles an issue, she gets in with both feet."

ROBERTS SAYS being a woman hasn’t really made a difference in terms of how she’s treated in the Senate. "It’s been great. I’ve had an enormous amount of opportunities here," describing how former majority leader Paul Kelly gave her a lot of responsibility." In fact, If there is an effect, she says, it has been an advantage in how people are more welcoming when she’s on the campaign trail.

Still, it’s somewhat telling that Roberts didn’t run for office until what she jokingly refers to as her "mid-life crisis." Things are a little different now, since Senator Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Newport) was elevated last year as the first female majority leader in the Senate, but women remain underrepresented in politics, in Rhode Island and elsewhere.

"A lot of it is we just didn’t see it as a possibility," Roberts says, describing how a female legislative intern, perhaps bolstered by the example of Hillary Clinton, aspires to be a US senator. "It’s easier to walk in someone footsteps than to create a new path," Roberts says.

Democratic activist Kate Coyne-McCoy, regional director of a program that recruits female candidates through the political network EMILY’s List, cites several reasons in explaining why more women don’t run for office. In contrast to men, she says, "The first reason is that they are not asked." A belief persists, Coyne-McCoy says, that women are not qualified for office, even though operating a household, running a hockey carpool, and navigating kids though education and health-care "are all skills that make us perfectly qualified for government service." She also cites a lack of institutional support for women candidates. (Jennifer Lawless, a professor of political science at Brown University, recently announced plans to challenge US Representative James R. Langevin in a Democratic primary.)

"To think about adding a political career," with other family responsibilities," can be daunting, but it’s absolutely doable," says Coyne-McCoy, who recruits female candidates and runs free workshops to school them in campaign skills. "Young women are becoming interested much earlier," she says, and women with college-age children are also expressing greater interest.

When it comes to 2006, Elizabeth Roberts could potentially do a number of things. She can help carry the progressive banner as Democrats try to regain the governor’s office. In a state with no small history of political shenanigans, she can exemplify the value of diligence and minding the details. Perhaps most significantly, she might make history as the state’s first female lieutenant governor, creating a fresh role model for a rising generation of girls and women.

Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com