By JIM BARON

PROVIDENCE — Newport Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed is on her way to making history, winning the nomination of Senate Democrats Monday to be President of the Senate. She would be the first woman to lead a chamber in the General Assembly.

Cumberland Sen. Daniel Connors was elected by his fellow Democrats to succeed Paiva Weed as Majority Leader.
The full Senate will elect the president when it reconvenes in January, but Paiva Weed won 29 nomination votes   from the Democratic caucus Monday, with just three “no” votes cast by Sen. Leonidas Raptakis of Coventry, Senator-elect Michael Pinga of West Warwick and Sen. Paul Jabour of Providence.
There are only five other votes, the four Republicans returning to the Senate and one Independent, Senator-elect Ed O'Neill of Lincoln.
Paiva Weed seemed almost reluctant to discuss breaking the glass ceiling and the historic nature of her nomination Monday.
She didn't mention it at all in her four-page speech accepting the endorsement, and when asked about it by reporters, she said, “I believe, coming into the Senate Presidency under these challenging times, whether you are a man or a woman, the challenges are the same,” she told reporters after the caucus.
“Certainly, it is uplifting to be a part of history, but the challenges are the same whether you are a man or a woman.”
The caucus comes just six days after the Election Day shocker that saw Senate President Joseph Montalbano defeated for re-election in his home district, which includes portions of Lincoln, Pawtucket and North Providence.
In that time, Paiva Weed built coalitions with Connors, who was attempting to shore up support for his own bid for the presidency, as well as with members who have ties to organized labor to get the number of votes she needed to seal the nomination.
Sen. William Walaska of Warwick had also campaigned among his colleagues for the Presidency, saying he would be willing to keep Paiva Weed on as Majority Leader, but his bid apparently fell short and he voted for Connors as Majority Leader and supported Paiva Weed's nomination for president on Monday.
Although both he and Paiva Weed are allied with Montalbano, Connors said, “this is not going to be the same old leadership. We have nominated today the first woman (to lead the Senate), that is not just an accomplishment for Teresa, but for all women out there. Every time a woman breaks that glass ceiling or any piece of it, it makes things a little easier for those who come after her.
“As a 32-year-old, I think that the perspective I bring to the position is different from the perspective Sen. Paiva Weed brought to the position, or pretty much any thing else. We intend to be open and accessible. We want to take some committee meetings out on the road.”
Connors said having a senator in the position of majority leader will help the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln because the office brings greater access to some of the key decision-makers in the administration as well as relationships with leaders in the House. “It will be a little bit easier moving forward with issues” of interest to the two towns.
Paiva Weed's nomination comes on the same day that revenue estimators determined the state faces a budget deficit of $372 million in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Gov. Donald Carcieri said he wants to meet with House and Senate leaders next week “to review proposals and develop plans to address our current fiscal crisis.” He said the General Assembly may be required to meet to take immediate action, adding, “we simply cannot afford to wait to address our economic situation.
Proposals that will be on the table, Carcieri said, “include a reduction to local aid, state pensions, review of all state contracts and assets, program reductions, and a revision of revenue policies."
Paiva Weed said last night she will be meeting with House Speaker William Murphy “sooner rather than later” and that the looming deficit will be among the first issues discussed.
She laid out three priorities of the new Senate leadership team:
--- Ensuring transparency in the operation of the Senate.
--- Addressing the economy and “working to make a real difference for our businesses, for our workforce and in our educational system.”
--- Working together with the House, the governor and other partners in government “to effectuate real change.”
One initiative Paiva Weed says she wants to pursue is working with the state's colleges to match what they are teaching the skills and abilities that area businesses are looking for in the workforce. “Green jobs” in the area of developing renewable energy sources “will be a continuing initiative of the Senate.”
Cote, who made it clear at the end of the last session that he was upset that Connors, then the chairman of the Labor Committee, and Paiva Weed, then the majority leader, stopped his bill that would have required Rhode Island employers to use the federal E-Verify system to ensure that newly hired employees are eligible to work in this country, abstained on both votes Monday.
He told The Call he wants to speak with Paiva Weed regarding the E-Verify legislation. “I believe there  should be no reason why it shouldn't get an up-or-down vote this session” and that is what he will be seeking from the new leaders.
Raptakis said that, although he cast a no vote on Monday, “I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and (see) if things change by January, if we see a plan to resolve the state's 8.8 percent unemployment, if we see leadership to resolve the $300 million supplemental deficit. If it is the same leadership from the past that got us into this mess – what's wrong with this picture?”