NEW: DeSimone to Face Challenge from Providence Teacher Ranglin-Vassell

Monday, June 27, 2016

GoLocalProv Political Team

 

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Marcia Ranglin-Vassell

Marcia Ranglin-Vassell has announced her candidacy to challenge House Majority Leader John DeSimone for State Representative in House District 5, which represents the Charles, Wanskuck and Elmhurst neighborhoods of Providence. 

“Our community needs someone who will fight for us. For too long, we’ve had politicians who are only helping themselves and their well-connected friends. I have spent my entire life working, teaching, and fighting for families like mine. Families who’ve worked hard for everything they’ve got and just want a fair shot. Our neighborhood needs an advocate who won’t give up. As a mother, a Providence public school teacher, and a community activist, I have done everything I can to give my children, my students, and my neighbors a chance at success. I'm running to bring that same passion and determination to the State House, for all of us," said Ranglin-Vassell. 

DeSimone, who was first elected in 1992 and has been Majority Leader since 2014, recently paid over $18,000 in overdue taxes after a legal notice was posted at his home. 

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About Ranglin-Vassell

Ranglin-Vassell is currently a special education teacher at Providence Career and Technical Academy.

“I grew up very poor in Jamaica, in a neighborhood similar to some of our struggling neighborhoods here in Providence. I remember having only one pair of shoes and no backpack - when it rained, I would put my school books under my clothes to keep them dry. My father never learned to read or write, but he started a church and a preschool right in our front yard and taught me the power of education. That is why I became a teacher, and why I have dedicated my life to empowering young people and community members to be the best they can be. My children all went through Providence public schools, so I know public education can be successful. But I also know our schools continue to struggle, and our state continues to underfund our young people. As state representative, I will not rest until we have a fair school funding formula that ensures our youth have the resources they need to succeed."

Ranglin continued on, talking about the challenges ahead, “I know that entering this race is a challenge to the status quo, but sometimes the establishment needs a challenge. I always try to do what I think is right, whether it is easy or not. And titles aside, the truth is our current representative is not fighting for his constituents. I have lived here in our district, on Waite Street, for over 20 years, and I have never met our representative. I do not have a single friend or neighbor who can say he has ever returned their phone calls or emails. I’m sure he is great for the well-connected, for the people who know-a-guy. But he has never been there for families like mine that are working hard and just trying to get by. We need a legislator who is committed to representing all of our community, and that’s why I am in this race.”

Ranglin-Vassell has a bachelor of science degree in community health education from Rhode Island College and a master's in special education from Providence College. She is a "Woman of Acievement" award-winner from the YWCA for her work in education, a congregant at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a member of the Rhode Island Black Business Association. 

 

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