2 GOP hopefuls seek to challenge speaker

Declaration window arrives for candidates

By Daniel Kittredge
Posted 6/29/16

Summer has arrived, July is just around the corner, and the election season is again heating up in Rhode Island. This week brought the three-day window during which candidates for local offices and General Assembly seats must file

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2 GOP hopefuls seek to challenge speaker

Declaration window arrives for candidates

Posted

Summer has arrived, July is just around the corner, and the election season is again heating up in Rhode Island.

This week brought the three-day window during which candidates for local offices and General Assembly seats must file declarations of candidacy. The deadline was to arrive Wednesday afternoon.

Cranston voters will face a full slate in November’s election, with the mayor’s office, nine City Council seats, seven School Committee seats, and more than a dozen state legislative seats up for grabs.

Drawing attention as the filing period arrived was the District 15 House of Representatives seat held by Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. As he prepares to seek a sixth term, two Republicans have announced they will seek to challenge the top-ranking Democrat.

Steven Frias, an attorney, author, and Republican National Committee member, made his rumored bid official last week through a statement. This week, Shawna Lawton, a sales and marketing professional who helped found the RI Alliance for Vaccine Choice, announced her own candidacy.

On Tuesday, Mattiello said he is “very confident” in his re-election prospects, pointing to the bonds he has built with his constituents.

“I speak with regular folks in my community all the time, and I get a lot of positive feedback,” he said. “I’ve been honored to serve them ... I’ve always enjoyed my dialogue with my constituents.”

The speaker also pushed back against criticism from his prospective opponents. He pointed to what he called an “aggressive reform agenda” that has included elimination of the master lever and a new ethics plan, and to progress made on economic issues during his tenure.

“Under my leadership, we’ve really pushed the economy in the right direction,” he said.

Frias, in his announcement, characterizes Mattiello as the “chief defender of Rhode Island’s failing status quo,” and describes himself as an “articulate advocate for dramatic reforms to make Rhode Island’s economy more prosperous and its government more ethical.”

“It’s time we clean house at the State House,” he states.

Frias in the statement calls for the repeal of the truck-tolling plan approved earlier this year; “dramatic reductions in Rhode Island’s tax rates” so they are lower than those of neighboring states; and reforms such as a line-item veto, term limits, and the listing of legislative grants in the state budget.

Frias is a graduate of Brown University and Suffolk University Law School, and is employed as an attorney with the Boston firm Keegan Werlin LLP specializing in public utility and administrative law. He has been a contributor to the Providence Journal and Cranston Herald, and authored the book “Cranston and Its Mayors: A History.” He resides in Cranston with his wife and three children.

Lawton in her own statement indicates she is running for the District 15 seat “because I believe the decisions being made in our General Assembly are not in the best interest of Rhode Islanders.” She asserts that Mattiello is “steering our state off course and not working to alleviate the problems that affect our everyday lives.”

“Votes are being influenced and there is unnecessary wasteful spending at the taxpayers’ expense. I believe we need to change the way our state is run, and in order to do this, we need to change the players,” she states.

Lawton cites “improving the state of our crippled economy, fostering transparency in our local government, and strengthening education” as her top priorities. She also calls for “tax relief” and the elimination of the truck-tolling program.

Lawton is a Rhode Island native and has lived in Cranston for more than 16 years. She describes herself as “deeply committee to non-profits in Rhode Island and … a strong supporter of local businesses.” She points to her involvement in the vaccine choice group – which opposed the state’s HPV vaccine mandate – as an example of her work “in keeping government overreach in check.”

Mattiello was first elected to the General Assembly in 2006. He ran for re-election without opposition in 2014, the same year he was elected speaker. He had previously served as House majority leader.

Mattiello is a graduate of Boston College and Suffolk University School of Law, and works as a self-employed attorney with an office in Cranston. He is a member of the St. Mary’s Feast Society and Oaklawn Grange, and has been a youth baseball coach. He and his wife have two sons.

Mattiello, Frias, and Lawton had all filed candidacy papers as of early Tuesday.

A handful of other candidates had also filed their forms in the Board of Canvassers office at City Hall.

Republican Mayor Allan Fung, who is seeking what would be his fourth and final term, filed on Monday. Michael Sepe, chairman of the Cranston Democratic City Committee, announced late last year he would challenge the incumbent.

For the three citywide seats on the council, Republicans Kenneth Hopkins and Louis Petrucci Jr. had submitted candidacy forms as of early Tuesday.

Democratic Council President John Lanni and Republican Councilman Michael Farina, who switched his party affiliation earlier this year, have both said they will seek re-election. Democratic Council Vice President Richard Santamaria cannot seek re-election due to term limits.

Republican Ward 5 Councilman Chris Paplauskas, who is serving his first term, had also submitted papers to seek re-election as of early Tuesday, as had Democratic Ward 3 Councilman Paul Archetto.

The council’s other ward incumbents – Ward 1 Democrat Steven Stycos, Ward 2 Republican Donald Botts, Ward 4 Democrat Mario Aceto, and Ward 6 Republican Michael Favicchio – are all expected to seek new terms.

For the non-partisan school committee seats, citywide representative Michael Traficante, Ward 3 member Domenic Fusco, and Ward 6 member Daniel Wall had submitted candidacy papers as of early Tuesday. The other incumbents – Jeff Gale of Ward 1, Stephanie Culhane of Ward 2, Trent Colford of Ward 4, and committee chair Janice Ruggieri of Ward 5 – were also expected to seek re-election.

For House seats, Deputy Speaker Charlene Lima (D-14), Rep. Robert Lancia (R-16), and Rep. Robert Jacquard (D-17) had all filed papers to seek re-election. Rep. Arthur Handy (D-18) is expected to seek a new term.

Several House members from other communities who represent a portion of Cranston had also filed papers. They include Warwick Rep. David Bennett (D-20), Warwick Rep. Joseph McNamara (D-19) and Johnston Rep. Stephen Ucci (D-42). Warwick Rep. David Bennett (D-20) and Coventry Rep. Michael Marcello (D-41) are expected to seek new terms.

On the Senate side, contests are taking shape for two seats. Republican Jonathan Keith has filed papers to challenge Sen. Hanna Gallo (D-27) as she is expected to seek re-election. Sen. Joshua Miller (D-28) has declared his candidacy for a new term, with challenger Rebecca Faith Monroe, an independent, having also filed for the seat.

Sen. Frank Lombardi (D-26) and Warwick Sen. Erin Lynch Prata (D-31) have also filed candidacy forms.

The final field of candidates will be known later in July. Nomination papers for candidates will be available July 6, and are due to local canvassers July 15. The deadline for withdrawal of candidates is July 18, and the lottery for ballot placement is set for July 22.

The primary election will be held Sept. 13, and the general election on Nov. 8.

For additional information, visit the Board of Canvassers page on the city’s website, cranstonri.com.

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