2020 Election Profile: Deborah Ruggiero, RI House District 74
Monday, August 31, 2020
Rhode Island State Representative Deb Ruggiero is running for reelection in House District 74 (Jamestown, Middletown).
Read what she has to say about why she is running for office -- again.
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 EBLAST1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
Rhode Islanders deserve a safe and easy way to vote. During a pandemic, the safest and securest way to vote is by mail. Mail ballot voting should not be controversial.
It is regrettable the Senate did not pass the bill for the Secretary of State to send mail ballot applications to voters for the primary and general election; the House passed the bill. Equally regrettable is the failed bill to waive the requirement for two witnesses on a mail ballot. Rhode Island and Alabama are the only two states who even require two witnesses to vote by mail. Thankfully, the SOS agreed not to enforce the witness requirements for this year’s September primary and November general elections in a consent decree approved by Judge McElroy. The GOP appealed and during a virtual hearing was unable to provide the panel of judges any examples or evidence of voter fraud with mail ballots.
Thomas Paine said it best, “Voting is the right on which all other rights depend.”
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
Covid-19 has turned our worlds upside down. Many of the challenges facing our state are a result of this pandemic - the loss of jobs, staggering economy, and high unemployment.
As we look to our future, the state must invest in training and re-tooling workers for jobs in sectors that are doing very well during a pandemic. Manufacturing and construction never shut down. The Defense Industry hasn’t missed a beat. The marine industry is doing very well; you cannot find a boat or a kayak. The real estate market is hot with 30 year home mortgages at a low 2.8%/.
Yet, Rhode Island has serious unemployment during this pandemic because of the low wage, service jobs. 55% of the workforce is part-time or makes $40,000 a year or less.
Innovation leads to resiliency. I meet with many business owners. This one woman who makes soap products told me she was crushed by the virus in April when orders were cancelled. She retooled her manufacturing and started distributing hand sanitizer nationwide. They’re flooded with orders. One of my favorite sayings: If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
The state needs to acknowledge the value of the hospitality and tourism industry. We have fabulous restaurants from Federal Hill to Newport, tourist destinations from Blackstone Valley to the mansions on Bellevue Avenue, and our hotels are lovely and less expensive than Boston and New York. Yet, state leaders need to show more respect for the value this industry plays in our economy.
Tourism is a $6.5 billion dollar industry to Rhode Island; a $900 million in economy for Newport/Bristol County alone. People don’t just stay in a hotel when they visit; they eat a restaurant, and spend in the retail shops. This is the lifeblood of a local economy. This industry is one of the hardest hit from this pandemic. We need to support the hospitality and tourism industry and recognize that this pandemic has crushed this industry. It will take a year or two for revenues to return.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
It’s important to have a voice at the table when policy is being framed. Politics is about policy and policy is about making a difference. As a successful business woman (owner of DR Communications Group), a broadcaster, TV sales manager, and community leader, my communications skills allow me to frame policy issues in a clear way.
During my decade as a State Rep, the 4 E’s have framed my policy work in the legislature – ECONOMY, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT, and ELDERLY. We need to support our small businesses, the lifeblood of our economy. As an environmentalist, I’ve framed many of the state’s renewable energy laws and now we pivot to the Climate Crisis and Community Resiliency. I’ve been an advocate for our seniors by increasing state funding for senior programs. We need to do more to keep our seniors safe in nursing homes.
As a champion for education, I sponsored the state’s anti-bullying law because no child should feel unsafe in school; worked to keep guns out of schools, and voted for computers in grades K-12. We need to encourage more innovation and collaboration. During this pandemic we must do everything possible to keep our students and teachers safe.
5. Who is your inspiration?
My parents. They married after graduating Hope High School. They’ve been together for 61(as my mother has my father say) “glorious” years. He has to always say ‘glorious’!
How blessed am I to have my parents at this hour of my life. I was the first in our Italian family to go to college. They worked hard to send me to Boston College where I graduated with a double major in English and Communication.
My first job was on-air at CBS radio in Boston. I remember going home and telling my grandmother, Lillian Angeloni, that I was going to be a disc jockey. She looked at me, finger waving in the air, and said, “We spend all that money to send you to college and you’re gonna ride horses!” It was a great career on-air, in the newsroom, and then in TV sales management. It all began with my parents’ love and encouragement.
My parents have never stopped believing in me, and they still do today; and for that I’m forever grateful.
Campaign Info:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @RepDebRuggiero
Website: www.debruggiero.com
