Khatima Bulmer (seated) is joined by her parents, grandmother, and Governor Raimondo as she is named the Governor for a Day essay contest winner. Photo by Andrew Augustus, WPRO News.
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Rhode Island has a new governor…well, just for the day.
Khatima Bulmer, an 11-year-old 5th grader from Newport, won Governor Gina Raimondo’s “Governor for a Day” essay contest last month, and is being sworn in today by Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg.
Bulmer’s full schedule includes various meetings, an Earth Day event and a tree-planting ceremony at her elementary school.
“I’m really excited to plant a tree at my school because every time I go to my school I can see it,” Bulmer said in an interview with Kim Kalunian on the WPRO Morning News on Wednesday.
She also said she’s excited to meet with some of Rhode Island’s elected officials.
“Yeah that’ll be really fun seeing that usually a kid doesn’t get to that every day,” she said.
Bulmer’s schedule is also jam-packed with meetings with female leaders, like Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed (they’ll get dessert together at Newport Creamery) as well as female legislators and members of Raimondo’s staff.
The essay contest that Bulmer won was only open to young girls. Riamondo said it’s important to focus on empowering women.
“I think it’s so important that girls now can be whatever they want to be if they work hard,” she said. “And I think it’s so important that girls and women are part of the conversation and decision making.”
Bulmer said she think it’s fantastic that Rhode Island has its first female governor and that she has the opportunity to walk in her shoes for a day.
“I bet if anyone else was governor I wouldn’t be able to do this,” said Bulmer. “It’s really fun for me that I’m only 11 years old. Being 11 you can’t be a real governor like Gina Raimondo, so it’s really nice that I get to have this chance.”
Asked what she would do if she could issue one executive order or enact one law during her one-day term, Bulmer declared: “Remove potholes!”
Raimondo laughed, adding, “If we get that done today, that would be amazing.”
