2020 Election Profile: Susan Sosnowski, RI State Senate District 37
Saturday, September 05, 2020
Meet Sue Sosnowski who is running for reelection in Senate District 37 (South Kingstown, New Shoreham).
Read what she has to say about why she 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?
The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest issue of the campaign. It is both a public health and an economic crisis, and we need to respond effectively to keep Rhode Islanders safe and rebuild our economy now and when the crisis is over. To meet these needs, I have worked to connect residents and small businesses with available supports such as unemployment insurance and small business grants, to increase access to health care, such as requiring insurers to cover the cost of telemedicine, and to enable businesses to adapt and reopen by working collaboratively to change regulations, such as allowing fishermen to offer dockside sales of their daily catch.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
I have worked hard over the past several years to make it easier to do business in Rhode Island, reducing taxes, including the corporate tax rate and the minimum corporate tax, increasing the estate tax threshold, which makes it easier to hand down a business to the next generation, and eliminating the tax businesses used to pay on energy. I also sponsored the law providing online permitting, and worked to reduce unnecessary regulations. We need to maintain this progress to improve our business climate as we work to overcome the challenges of the current economic crisis. We need greater job training and retraining opportunities, affordable housing so the workforce has somewhere to live, investment in infrastructure, and, most fundamentally, a quality education system at all levels, from pre-k through elementary and secondary and higher education.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
Dealing with the impacts of the COVID crisis is the greatest challenge facing our state, as well as other states and nations. Among the biggest challenges related to getting through and recovering from the pandemic are: planning for a safe return to school, averting an eviction and foreclosure crisis, improving the health care system to better serve all Rhode Islanders, ensuring that social supports are available for people in need, providing needed job training and retraining programs to help Rhode Islanders return to work, and rebuilding our economy. Long-term, the greatest challenge facing our coastal community is climate change and sea level rise. I am committed to addressing all of these complex challenges, and I believe we have made some significant progress in each of these areas.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
I am a South Kingstown farmer, and I see everyday the challenges of operating a business, and the tremendous importance of preserving the environment in our Ocean State. There was a time when environmental interests and business interests seemed at odds, but today I think most people see the intersection of the two. I have worked to build a strong green economy, such as making our state a hub of wind development and finding opportunities in resiliency. In addition to economic and environmental issues, I have a track record of bringing people together to achieve progress, and I hope to build upon those successes.
5. Who is your inspiration?
My inspiration for public service comes from my father, the late Herbert L. Arnold. He was elected Treasurer of the town of Richmond, RI, and served several terms on the Richmond Town Council. He was an active member of the Carolina Volunteer Fire Association. The Richmond-Carolina Fire District's newest facility on Route 112 in Carolina, was named in his honor.
Bio:
My name is V. Susan Sosnowski, a resident of South Kingstown, I am running as the endorsed Democrat for re-election to Senate District 37. I was born on December 20, 1955. I am married to Michael Sosnowski and have four children. A native of South County, I graduated from Chariho Regional High School and attended the Ocean State Business Institute. I am a self-employed farmer at Sosnowski Farm. My husband and I have owned and operated our farm for 37 years. We grow vegetables, fruits, flowers, hay, grains and Christmas trees on about 60 acres. I was first elected to represent South Kingstown and Block Island to the R.I Senate in 1996. In January 2003, I was appointed chairwoman of the newly-formed Senate Committee on the Environment and Agriculture, a position I continue to hold.
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