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Three Assembly primaries in city |
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Sunday, 07 September 2008 |
PAWTUCKET — Although most of the city’s General Assembly delegation is running unopposed, or won’t have opponents until November, there are three districts that will see Democratic primaries on Tuesday, two for the House of Representatives, one for the Senate.
In District 59 on the west side of the city, Rep. J. Patrick O’Neill is defending his seat against a challenge from John Arcaro. The District 63 House seat being vacated by Rep. Henry Rose is being contested by three Democrats: Bob DaSilva, Tommy Rose and George Russo. The lion’s share of District 63 is in East Providence; it covers a small section of Pawtucket near Slater Park.
Likewise Senate District 16, most of which is in Central Falls, but it also straddles two borders to encompass pieces of Pawtucket and Cumberland. There, incumbent Sen. Daniel Issa faces a challenge from City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley.
O’Neill is perhaps best known for toppling then-House Speaker John Harwood, who was at the time embroiled in a scandal, in the 2004 Democratic primary in District 59.
He also had a high-profile role in passing legislation making it a crime for drivers to refuse a breath test for drunk driving.
“Rhode Island’s old breath-test refusal law was always used as a ‘get-out-jail-free’ card – a way for people to get away without criminal charges no matter how much they had to drink before they got behind the wheel,” O’Neill said at the time.
“As a result, we’ve always been at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to just about every bad drunken-driving statistic – rate of refusals, drunken-driving fatalities and the strength of our drunken-driving laws. Changing our refusal law is probably the most effective way we can get people to make the right choice and stay off the road when they’ve had too much to drink.
O’Neill, 37, a former prosecutor, is now a criminal defense attorney in private practice,
Making a second bid for the District 59 seat, but the first in a Democratic primary, fashions himself as a conservative Democrat.
Arcaro asserts that what he calls “the biggest hypocrisy” at the State House is the “blatant conflict of interest abuse.
“Our alleged representative sponsors a DUI bill with loopholes in it, yet continues to defend drunk drivers,” Arcaro says, coming out swinging. “And he was the only sponsor for legislation which automatically quashes and destroys certain criminal records, not only for repeat offenders, but even for an admitted child molester! There are hundreds of landlords and employers who live in this district who would like to know someone’s entire criminal background before hiring them or having them live in their home.”
“The deeply-held American belief of equal opportunity for all just doesn’t apply to certain members of the General Assembly,” says Arcaro. “Hardworking Rhode Islanders are making difficult choices in an economic recession, but some legislators – including the current ‘representative’” do not co-pay for their health insurance benefits.
“With many of us struggling to pay medical bills, General Assembly members don’t have to pay a dime for their $17,000 insurance package,” he said in a written statement, noting that he has heard the issue raised by “outraged” citizens while walking door to door.
Arcaro, 48, also takes a strong stand on illegal immigration.
“My Portuguese and Cape Verdean neighbors despise the fact that their taxes pay for welfare benefits for illegal aliens. That is not the American way,” he said, adding that “My wife is an orphaned missionary from Haiti, and we’ve been waiting for her paperwork for two years now. We’re following the rules, while others break them and then live off law-abiding taxpayers.”
The winner of the District 59 Democratic primary will be unopposed in November.
In District 63, Thomas Rose is one of the three candidates looking to succeed his uncle, Rep. Henry Rose, the district’s longtime incumbent.
A newcomer to electoral politics, Rose says his family boasts deep roots in East Providence.
“My grandparents (Mary and Henry Rose) started a business in this city many years ago,” Rose Furniture, he said in a press release. “Through their example, I not only learned all of the important details of how to run a small family business, but also how to be an active member of the East Providence community.”
“I’ve watched my uncle work hard for citizens over the past sixteen years, and I’ve learned a great deal from him,” said Rose, 36. “But now I feel it is my time to give back to my community. I believe I can be a strong voice for the residents of Kent Heights, Riverside, Rumford and Pawtucket.”
“I’m like every person in this city. We’re all struggling with the current economic situation, wondering how we are going to put food on our tables, afford our energy costs, and improve education so that our children will see a better future. My strong business background along with the Rose family values of honesty, integrity and courtesy will be at the heart of my campaign.”
Rose’s MySpace page said he is “in a relationship” with Diane Medeiros.
Bob DaSilva, also vying for the District 63 seat, says that when he looks around Rhode Island, I see a state in dire need of a new direction; unemployment at an all time high; families losing their homes; people on fixed incomes being taxed out of their homes and; I see a highway infrastructure in need of serious repair.
“The governor’s solution to balancing our budget is to slash programs that aid our children and elderly,” DaSilva said. “Instead of focusing on developing new sources of revenue I see a state government targeting our most vulnerable citizens. Balancing the budget on the backs of the blue collar, middle class citizen and those in most need of aid is not a strategy I would endorse.
DaSilva, 39, a Pawtucket Police lieutenant, said if he is elected, I will fight for and advocate for property tax relief for home owners; economic development initiatives that create jobs for Rhode Islanders; clean energy policies that benefit consumers and protect our environment; and implementation of a state funding formula that delivers to East Providence and Pawtucket adequate and predictable funding that benefits both taxpayers and the children of our community.
He is married to the former Karina Pena-Jose.
George Russo, 61, believes that the cost of gasoline and home heating oil have helped plunge the state into a recession. One solution he offers is tax credits to spur research and development of new energy sources.
Running his campaign on a shoestring, Russo is relying on face-to-face visits with voters. He said he has managed to meet most of the Democratic voters in the district and is working on the independents.
When he gets to the State House in January, he expects to deal with problems such as unemployment, skyrocketing fuel costs and home foreclosures.
An engineering draftsman who retired from the Pawtucket Gas Co., Russo is married to the former Bernadette Souza.
The winner of the primary will face Republican Edmund Leather and Independent Maryann Gobern in November.
The victor in the Senate District 16 race will be opposed by Republican Albert Paul Larivee.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 September 2008 )
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