Issue Position: Good State and Local Government

Issue Position

Since we're all Rhode Islanders here, we can be honest -- Rhode Island isn't famous for good government. We joke about it. But it's not funny -- Rhode Island's reputation for corruption hurts our economic climate, for example. Sometimes it seems like it's a permanent part of the state, like the coastline, or the Big Blue Bug. But it doesn't have to be this way.

I represent you, the public, in the legislature -- and I want you to be able to understand -- and participate -- in the legislature's work. Legislators don't have a monopoly on good ideas; far from it. House District 30 has a wide variety of talented residents from all walks of life. One of the first bills I passed as a legislator was inspired by a conversation i had with a resident.

When I ran in 2018, East Greenwich had a dramatic year, in which it repeatedly violated the Open Meetings Act and lost a lawsuit after it wrongfully fired a first responder from his job. I spoke out against those things. (My opponent spoke out in favor of the Sue Cienki / Gayle Corrigan town government, and blamed residents for the turmoil.)

Since being elected, I've worked hard to build relationships with the Town Councils and School Committees governing the areas I represent -- a big departure from my opponent, who said that local government affairs were not his job. People need solutions, not finger-pointing between state and local officials. And we've shown that collaboration can work -- I worked with House leaders and the East Greenwich Town Council to pass a tax law enabling them to restructure their tax code, so that they could charge residents lower tax rates. I worked with House leaders and the East Greenwich School Committee to get East Greenwich schools nearly a million dollars in the last budget.

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