Guest MINDSETTER™ Laura Pisaturo: Why I’m Running for State Senate

Friday, July 27, 2012

Laura Pisaturo, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™

 

I believe in public service. My parents raised me, my five sisters and two brothers, to get involved, to work hard and to do things to help our broader community. I’m running for the State Senate because I love Rhode Island and I believe we need a change.

As I walk door to door, talking with my neighbors in District 29, I’m hearing that they are struggling, they are fed up with the status quo, and they need real solutions. Solutions that include;a strong focus on jobs and the economy, on support to local businesses and keeping local dollars in our communities, education and fair and equitable tax reform.

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We must make it easier for existing businesses to access loans, enabling them to expand their operations and create new jobs. We need to streamline regulations to make it easier to operate a business, and encourage entrepreneurs to start new ventures that succeed in Rhode Island. We must rebuild confidence in our state government with transparent and accountable practices that are about "what you know," not "who you know."

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Our state has the second highest unemployment rate in the country and is last on a list of places to do business with marginal scores in such things as innovation, workforce, education, and quality of life, to name only a few. We can help rebuild our economy by investing in public education in our city and state--by hiring highly qualified teachers who are validated and supported to create student-centered learning in state-of-the-art classrooms. We must find fair and accurate ways to measure both teacher and student performance. We must close the job skills gap by ensuring that our high school graduates are prepared with the knowledge and skills they need to compete for high-paying jobs in a local or global economy.

I love Rhode Island. I’ve lived here my entire life. My partner, Maria and I own a home in Governor Francis Farmsand we love our neighborhood. I am proud to have spent most of my career serving Rhode Islanders as an attorney and advocate. For seven years I served as a prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Office under Attorneys General Pine, Whitehouseand Lynch. I worked my way through the District Court Unit, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Unit, and the Narcotics & Organized Crime Unit, until 2003 when I was appointed as a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division–the first time a woman had been appointed to this post in over 20 years.

From 2005-2011, I served as Director of Advocacy & Legal Services at Day One, a well respected Rhode Island nonprofit that supports survivors of adult and child sexual abuse. In my time there, we secured the first national accreditation of the agency’s signature program, the Rhode Island Children’s Advocacy Center (RICAC), focused on preventing child abuse and helping its survivors. Last year, I opened my own law practice.

I value equal rights. No one should be discriminated against because of who they are who they love. I have a reputation for integrity and tenacity--for making certain that those who do not have a voice are represented and heard and that those with a stake in the outcome have a seat at the table. These are some of the values and ideas I will bring with me to the State House when elected in the Democratic Primary on September 11th.

Laura Pisaturo a Democratic Candidate for Senate in District 29.

 

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