Primary Candidates Speak

Next Tuesday, September 10^th, there will be three contested elections on Providence voters’ ballots: US Senate, State Representative District 12, and State Representative District 9.

We asked all the Democratic candidates to answer the following question: What is your most important legislative goal and how do you hope to achieve it in Washington (US Senate) or the Statehouse (State Representative Districts)?

We expect that the candidates’ answers will help all Providence Eye readers get to know the candidates better.

Early voting is now available at Providence City Hall during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, until September 9th at 4pm.

To find your polling place to vote in person on September 10^th, go to: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/Home/PollingPlaces

 

Democratic Candidates for US Senate in alphabetical order:

 

Michael Costa

K-12 education.

Nobody needs to be told that Providence’s schools need to be much, much be=er. However, we do need someone willing to act with the urgency warranted.

There isn’t +me for 5- and 10-year plans. Kids are in school right now. They can’t wait. (If this were a failing bridge, we would fix it, quickly.)

Every year we’re condemning another cohort of children to a future that is less bright than it could be. Yes, “condemn” is a strong word. And I mean it. We are failing, and the kids will suffer.  Sure, some children will succeed in spite of the education they aren’t receiving. That’s not good  enough. We should ensure that every kid gets a good education right now. It’s the only one they’ll ever get.

Children don’t have a lobby. They don’t vote. They don’t have discretionary spending. If they did, they might get more attention.

Well, they’ve got my attention. That’s why as U.S. Senator I intend to push for federal funding for universal pre-kindergarten and for more funding in general for K-12 schools. Mind you, new funding must go to a new approach. More of the same will only get more of the same, which is unacceptable.

Sound expensive? Universal pre-K will cost 2% of the annual cost of Social Security. That’s not a misprint: two percent. Two.

Still, unlike recent Congresses, I’ll budget responsibly. We’ve seen what reckless financial management does. Excessive federal spending raises prices, hurting everyone. Those higher prices don’t go away. And America has already borrowed too much because Congress is afraid to confront real choices. Real budgeting, like most of us must face every day, means choosing what to do and what to forego. I choose new spending for kids, funded with a tax that applies only to income over $168,600.

I’ll conclude with an unusually direct observation: We hear politicians talk about improving education every +me there’s an election. I won’t doubt their sincerity in wishing for be=er schools. What they lack is the will to do what’s necessary, which means the willingness to risk losing their job. Not me. If I lose a Senate seat because of my commitment to quality K-12 schools, so be it. What’s the worst that could happen? I can always go back to teaching again.

 

Sheldon Whitehouse (incumbent)

I’m working every day in the Senate to fight climate change. That means preventing sea level rise and flooding, so Providence doesn’t become like Venice, and keeping air and water free of harmful pollution.

I’m also focused on growing the middle class. There are a lot of elements to that: preventing Social Security and Medicare from getting kneecapped by Republicans in Congress; making housing affordable; continuing our job-creating investments in infrastructure; fixing the tax code so it doesn’t favor billionaires over regular people; building on our progress lowering health care costs and improving the quality of care; strengthening schools and dealing with the student debt problem. We have to do all of those things at once, and that’s our Democratic agenda.

 

Democratic Candidates for State Representative District 9 in alphabetical order:

 

Santos Javier

My most important legislative goal of Providence is to bring more resources, funding and incentive to our school and community.

As a single parent I know the importance of our children’s education and the tough fights our educators face with depleted and diminished resources.

America spends trillions of dollars on war and Billions more fundings foreign governments. I want to tap into the resources to help ease the burden on our District 9. I will not go into detail due to the ongoing campaign but I will work hard with the top leadership to make this possible.

Enrique Sanchez (incumbent)

My work as an elected official is and always will be for the working people of Providence, not the wealthy interests that run the State House. The most important action that the General Assembly can take is blocking further tax cuts for rich people and corporations and repealing existing cuts.

So often, we’re told that we can’t make the transformative investments that our city needs — strengthening our public schools, building more affordable and low-income housing, lowering healthcare costs, and much more — because the state government just can’t afford them. Yet, again and again, the very same leaders who say that we don’t have the money to help our most vulnerable neighbors are the ones who want to use our tax dollars to line the pockets of their big donors. I think that’s ridiculous. I was one of only two Representatives to oppose the Citizens Bank tax cut, and I’ve been vocal about the need to repeal the 2006 cuts for the rich, for which my predecessor voted in committee. I also opposed the law that the General Assembly passed to prevent the City Council from undoing the Mayor’s tax plan, which shifts the burden of taxation away from luxury developers and onto the shoulders of ordinary homeowners.

Numbers aren’t my strong suit — back when I taught in the Providence public schools, my subject was Spanish — but this math problem is pretty straightforward. Working families are suffering because our state government isn’t investing enough in addressing their needs. The rich aren’t paying their fair share. It’s not hard to connect the dots!

The people of our city are struggling right now. Every day, I talk to constituents who have been hit hard by the housing crisis and soaring healthcare costs. I hear from neighbors who are working in inhumane conditions for insultingly low wages. I listen to horror stories about the consequences of systematic underinvestment in our city’s public schools from parents and teachers whose only demand is that our youth be provided the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Our city deserves a fighter who will stand up to the special interests and advocate for investments in all our communities. One of my proudest accomplishments of my first term was spearheading a coalition of legislators and activists who forced the Speaker of the House to change his position and pass increases in education funding that he had initially opposed. There’s so much more work that we have to do, and it’s not going to get done unless there are champions of the working people at the State House. That’s who I am and who I’ll always be.

 

Anastacia Williams

Declined to respond.

 

Democratic Candidates for State Representative District 11 in alphabetical order:

 

Grace Diaz (incumbent)

My most important legislative goal for Providence is to address the ongoing rental crisis that is severely impacting our residents. As I walk through my district, I hear from countless individuals who share their struggles with rent that continues to increase multiple times a year. For those on fixed incomes, such as Social Security or SSI, it is impossible to afford $1,600 for a two-bedroom apartment, especially when dealing with absentee landlords who show little empathy for their tenants.

To tackle this issue, I am committed to introducing and supporting legislation that addresses rental affordability and tenant protections. Drawing inspiration from successful measures in other states, I plan to work on:

1. Rent Stabilization Programs: Implementing rent stabilization policies like those in New York and Oregon, which cap annual rent increases and provide renters with more predictable and affordable housing costs.
2. Strengthening Tenant Protections: Advocating for stronger tenant rights, such as the ones in California, which include just-cause eviction laws to protect tenants from being unfairly displaced.
3. Incentivizing Affordable Housing Development: Proposing incentives for developers to create more affordable housing units, similar to initiatives in Massachusetts, which have been effective in increasing the availability of affordable rental options.
4. Holding Absentee Landlords Accountable: Introducing legislation that holds absentee landlords accountable for property maintenance and tenant treatment, ensuring that rental properties are safe, healthy, and well-managed.

By serving in the State House, I will work tirelessly to advance these legislative efforts and bring much-needed relief to the residents of my district who are facing these overwhelming challenges.

 

Tania Quezada

Declined to respond.