2020 Election Profile: Angel Subervi, House District 7
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
Meet Angel Subervi who is running for election in House District 7 (Providence).
Read what he has to say about why he is running for office.
This is part of an ongoing series by GoLocal featuring each of the candidates for House and Senate.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
The biggest campaign issue to me continues to be the health and safety of our Rhode Islanders due to the Coronavirus. There is a continuing concern of how we are going to protect our children and families from COVID-19 while trying to reopen the economy and return our work force to employment in a safe environment. Our front-line workers, who are the heroes in this pandemic, need to be protected and fairly compensated for their work. They run the risks everyday of fighting against the many unknowns of this terrible disease. Our nursing home employees are working everyday caring for our seniors and most vulnerable, while putting themselves at risk. Many of our residents are fearful of their children returning to school and worrying about the best ways to protect them while in school. Our businesses are struggling to remain open under limited circumstances while the virus is still a lingering threat. So many of our businesses have closed and many are struggling to stay open. All of these challenges face us as we end the summer months. I pledge to work tirelessly to make sure our residents are safe, protected and well informed of all state decisions.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
We need to improve the Rhode Island Economy by offering more job opportunities to our residents. We also need more career training programs to prepare our young people for the future. We need to promote our small businesses in our neighborhoods who are struggling to stay open by helping them survive the recent Coronavirus crisis. We need to attract new businesses to Rhode Island by promoting our own Providence waterfront and other locations in Rhode Island as economic engines to start a growing business. We also need to support the stores and businesses in our state by promoting them. We must encourage our residents to buy local and support our local businesses, which would increase job opportunities and help businesses. By doing these things we will be promoting and increasing our economy,
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
The biggest challenge Rhode Island faces now is recovering from the past six months of the Coronavirus pandemic. We need to be careful not to hurt our businesses with too many regulations as we reopen. We need to watch out for the upcoming fall reopening of schools and universities. As we struggle to recover from the economic and social impact the virus has had in our lives, we face a new challenge of how to live our day to day lives safely and effectively. This comes as a challenge to all. Our previous way of life has been changed to a life with social distancing, masks, rules and regulations. All of us are learning to safely adjust and we all face the challenge of not being able to hug, shake hands and gather with our families as we are used to. Our lives are changed but our hearts remain the same to stay stronger together to face the challenges that may arise.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
I am running for office because I believe I can help our district. My wife Alma and I love our neighborhood and plan to stay here. We love our neighbors and I would be honored to represent and advocate for them at the state house as their voice. As I walk our district, many do not know who their State Representative is, and many are not aware of state policies and business. I plan to have monthly open forums in the district to inform my constituents of what’s happening at the state house. I will also keep a constituent office in the district so that residents can come to see me with their concerns. My focus will be economic opportunities for our residents, affordable housing opportunities, and quality of life issues. Our seniors need tax relief, so they can afford to live in their homes and our residents need permanent car tax relief that cannot be rescinded pending budgetary changes. We have to preserve the quality of life for our neighborhoods by ensuring safe cleans streets, rodent and graffiti control, and eliminate the blight cussed by absentee landlords. We must pave the way for a better future. I will work hard to keep an open honest dialogue with my constituents. Their voices will be heard through me.
5. Who is your inspiration?
One of my inspirations is my father, who has been a public servant for many years. He has taught me the value of public service. His commitment and love of his community has taught me how to care for others. His values of life and caring for others have made me a better man with the same hope for my son, Angel Jr. Through my father, I learned the meaning of community service and have spent the last ten years working and volunteering at many community events. Whether it be giving toys to children at Christmas time at local community centers and the Community Angels Christmas event, or giving masks for people to wear to protect against COVID-19; I have learned the importance of giving back to my community because of him. I look forward to taking my values of good ethics and good government to the State House.
