Almond was appointed Town Administrator of Lincoln, Rhode Island, in January 1963 and was subsequently elected to three terms, serving in that capacity until June 1969.

[2] During Almond's tenure, Providence, Rhode Island, served as the base of the Patriarca crime family, leading to several high level prosecutions by the New England U.S.

[8] In the realm of higher education, Almond advocated strongly for passage of a 2000 bond referendum that included funding for a new Newport campus of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI).

With CCRI an affordable entryway to college for many lower income students, Almond was successful in having the tuition frozen there for most of his years in office.

[10] Through tax incentives and regulatory reforms, the state was able to encourage the growth of industries such as financial services, biotechnology, and the marine trades.

The historic preservation tax credit signed into law by Governor Almond in 2001 led to projects, such as the rehabilitation of the Masonic Temple as a hotel in Providence.

The Governor directed funds to many of the state's recreational areas, including the boat ramps in East Providence and Bristol, as well as fishing industry piers at Galilee and Newport.

[15] During his tenure as governor, Almond was active in planning and authorizing a number of infrastructure projects in Quonset Point, including construction of Rhode Island Route 403.

[16][17] Almond was a strong opponent to the expansion of gambling in the state during his eight years as governor, despite the growth of two major casinos in nearby southeastern Connecticut.

[18] In the realm of environmental issues, as a result of the 1996 North Cape barge oil spill, Almond negotiated a safe dredging plan for Narragansett Bay with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The dredging project was important to allow direct delivery of petroleum products by ship to the ports of Providence and Fall River instead of barges that pose greater environmental risk.

However, Almond generated controversy in the fall of 2001 due to his refusal to declare a state of emergency when the town of Pascoag's water was contaminated with MTBE.

[21] In 2006, the Rhode Island General Assembly approved a voter referendum to allow Harrah's Entertainment to operate a casino in partnership with the Narragansett Indian Tribe.