2020 Election Profile: Scott Zambarano, RI State Senate District 31
Saturday, September 05, 2020
Meet Scott Zambarano who is running for election in Senate District 31 (Warwick).
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.
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1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
I believe the state budget will be biggest issue because of the lack of revenue due to COVID-19. In addition, at this point in time the state seems to be waiting for the federal government to solve its dilemma. Rhode Island generally doesn’t have a revenue problem but always has a spending problem. This year we have both. Additionally, the local municipalities rely on money from the state and they are also in a conundrum. Unfortunately, Rhode Island has continued to expand its budget with tax and fee increases always at the expense of the taxpayer. This has to be the year that we take a more conservative approach on how we deal with state finances. Our citizens are hurting and can’t afford any increases. I am a strong proponent of zero-based-budgeting. We really need to do a deep dive into the dollars we spend.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
Our state needs to create jobs to grow the economy. Unfortunately, CNBC has us ranked dead last for business and we have hovered at or near the bottom for many years. We are also at or near the bottom of several other lists from worst state to retire to worst state for roads and bridges depending on which organization you look at. Several factors have led to this. Burdensome regulations, high taxes, high utility costs and poor infrastructure all have played a role in this. This can only be fixed by cutting excessive business regulations, eliminating significant amounts of red tape that small businesses deal with every day. We must compete with other states to attract business here and we are not doing so. Tolling trucks only added to the poor business environment. Clearly the Democrats are never going to get it. As long as we continue to have low rankings businesses will not want to come here as we can’t adequately compete with other states that have a much better business environment.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
Rhode Island has a state budget that is over $10 billion dollars and we are the smallest state in the nation. There are several states that have a higher population and a lower budget. I realize I am beating the same drum here, but until we get our spending under control, things will not change. We have a total lack of transparency in relation to our finances. We need a line-item veto for the Governor, an Inspector General to root out waste and fraud. Another area that needs to be examined is consolidation. There is no reason why many of our cities and towns can’t get together in several areas to regionalize. I could see this happening with towns that are similar and in areas that would be easy to consolidate like public works. We just can’t afford to hand out things like free college tuition and continue to approve referendum items that kick the can down the road. Rhode Island is much like a kid in the candy store with his/her parents credit card. We just can’t afford it. What about our pension obligations down the road? There really is a lot to examine here. We need fundamental change.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
My decision to run for Rhode Island State Senate was not decision I made at the last minute or take lightly. It has been a contemplated decision of mine for many years based on my robust desire to change our state government and community into a more cost efficient and effective mechanism to advance our great state to reach its full potential. Seeking the position of State Senator is an obligation that I take very seriously. I feel that I have several experiences that will help me in the public sector. These include owning and running a small business as well as being police officer. In this current environment where there is a movement on to defund the police, I feel I bring a lot to the table on the issue. Also, the fact that I have a business degree and experience owning a small business, I know what it takes to make RI more business friendly to grow our economy so everyone prospers.
5. Who is your inspiration?
My inspiration is my father. My father is the example of the American hard worker who wanted to give his family the American dream. Growing up, my father not only worked his full-time job, but took on additional work to be able to take our family on vacations and have the extra things in life. Although my father worked and did these side jobs, he also took his extra time he had and coached many of my sports teams. My father instilled family values and hard work ethic to my brother and I which I believe molded me into the successful person I am today.
