Political Profile: Charlene Lima, Candidate for State Representative in District 14

Friday, August 19, 2022

GoLocalProv Political Team

 

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Charlene Lima is a Democratic candidate for State Representative in District 14. Here is what she has to say.

 

1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?

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The high cost of living is the biggest issue facing Rhode Island and the country. People are really being hurt by inflation, high gas and oil prices, and shortages of almost everything we buy. As a State Representative, I’ve fought to give people the relief they need, even when that meant taking on my own party. I supported expanding tax credits for parents and seniors, which became law, and also supported suspending the gas tax, which unfortunately did not. 

In my next term, I will keep fighting for tax relief so people keep more of their hard-earned money during this difficult time. Our opponent has lived in Rhode Island less than 3 yrs and yet wants to raise our taxes, not just on high-income earners but on middle class families. I have lived in RI all my life being a 30-year Cranstonian. Unlike the federal government, Rhode Island cannot print money so that’s the only way to pay for the massive spending our opponent proposes.

 

2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?

Our economy is still strong but we face tremendous economic uncertainty from inflation, fear of rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, and the likelihood of a recession. As Deputy Speaker, I was instrumental in passing several laws that will improve Rhode Island’s economy. 

These included: raising the income level for subsidized child care raised to adjust for inflation and the rising cost of child care; using $250 million of federal ARPA funds to build affordable housing for middle class homebuyers; increasing wages for direct care workers; adding $4 million to increase the “circuit breaker” tax credit available to qualifying elderly and disabled residents; raised from $15,000 to $20,000 the amount of annual pension income that is exempt from state taxation; completely eliminated income taxes on military pensions; submitted to voters a $250 million school construction bond to improve our schools and we all know a good education is essential for Rhode’s Island economy to improve. While this is a long list, it is only some of the accomplishments I have in strengthening Rhode Island’s economy.  Still our opponent keeps misrepresenting my legislative record.

 

3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?

The greatest challenge is fixing our unfavorable business climate. According to CNBC, Rhode Island is one of the worst five states to do business. In another ranking by The Street, we are the 10th worst state to do business. Our corporate tax rate is 37 out of 50 states, income tax 31, sales tax 24, property tax 42, and our unemployment insurance tax is 49. If we do not change this environment, we will continue to see companies open elsewhere. 

Our opponent’s radical ideas will make these problems worse, since she will need to raise taxes significantly to pay for her massive new spending programs. And our opponents defund the police stance also hurts small businesses with crime loss.  The second biggest problem is political polarization, where extremists on the left and right cause voter apathy and prevent common sense problem-solving like fixing our business climate. Our opponent is part of that radical extremist movement and she constantly misrepresents my public service record for political advantage

 

4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?

I’m running for re-election for the same reason I first ran for office — to fight for the people against corruption and political insiders. When I first ran, the credit unions had closed because corrupt insider deals had allowed a mobbed-up banker to embezzle enough money to systemically damage our banking system. That motivated me to run for office and stand up for ordinary Rhode Islanders. My track record shows I have done just that. I have sponsored into law hundreds of pieces of legislation from consumer protection, middle class tax reduction, animal protection laws, senior citizen benefit laws, tough criminal laws protecting our citizens. I’ve won awards for Consumer Justice, Animal Welfare and many more. Twice in my career, I was thrown out of leadership for speaking out against special interest deals that were harmful to Rhode Island, including the 38 Studios scam. In my next term, I will continue to stand up against special interests, which our opponent will not be able to do because she was recruited and funded by a dark money group funded by secret donors. I will not be intimidated, cannot be bought and I do not ever back down to threats.

 

5. Who is your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the hardworking men and women of my district. They don’t have high-priced lobbyists. They don’t follow the minutiae of politics because they’re too busy putting food on their table, paying bills, and making sure their children have a high-quality education. Those are people whose voice is too often ignored by the insiders on Smith Hill. I have always been their voice. Some people say I’m too loud, but that’s the only way to make the voice of working people heard in the Statehouse. I have stood up for them against my own party and at great cost to my political career — whether it’s taxpayers being robbed by the 38 Studios scam; or veterans who risked their lives fighting for our freedoms and are now being “canceled” by fringe far-left extremists; or the police and first responders who risk their lives for us only to be attacked and smeared as racists by people like our opponent, who wants to defund the police. If you give me the honor of being re-elected, I will keep fighting for working people and the principles that make our country great.  Together, we remain strong.

 

BIO: Representative Charlene Lima, Deputy Speaker

Charlene M. Lima (D) represents District 14 in Cranston and Providence. First elected in November 1992, Representative Lima serves as the Deputy Speaker and is a member of the House Corporations Committee, the House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee, the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee and the House Oversight Committee.

A retired teacher and truant officer working for over 30 years. She taught for the Providence School Department at Bridgham Middle School and was a member of the American Federation of Teachers and the Providence Teacher's Union. She has also been involved in the Rhode Island Society to Prevent Blindness and the Women’s Auxiliary of the St Mary’s Feast Society.

Deputy Speaker Lima was born on August 18, 1953, in Providence and is married to her husband Frank. Her mother was Angela Gelfuso Nardolillo, and her father was Emmanuel DeSousa Lima.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University Of Rhode Island in 1975, post-graduate degree Math/Home Visitor from RIC/PC in 1982 and graduated from Classical High School in Providence in 1971 and from St Bartholomew’s Grammar School in 1967.

During the 2022 session, Deputy Speaker Lima had passed into law her Deceptive Trade Practices Act restoring the power of the attorney general to step in and enforce violations of the act that will result in greater consumer protections. Previous court interpretations of the old legislation exempted most businesses and transactions from the reach of the state and tied the attorney general's hands when it came to helping consumers.

She had signed into law legislation that reduces procedural delays that could hold up the permitting process for the development for small businesses.

She also sponsored into law legislation making it easier for the Attorney General to charge and convict fraudulent contractors-protecting homeowners and businesses from fraud. 

Previously passed into law legislation making trigger locks mandatory on the sale of handguns-sensible gun safety legislation.

Passed into law the first in the nation “Braille Ballot Law” for the visually impaired.

Passed into law legislation mandating the release of information regarding the 38 Studio scandal hidden from the public.

She has sponsored legislation on a wide variety of topics that passed into law that numbered in the hundreds. 

She has won the Attorney General’s Consumer Justice Award, twice named Person of the Year by the United States Humane Society for her tireless work on behalf of animal welfare and won the RI Health Care Association “Public Service Award” twice, among others.

She has served on an Attorney General’s Task Force on Juvenile violence and truancy.

Deputy Speaker Lima has a long history of public service. In the past, she has served on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Juvenile Justice Task Force on violence and truancy, the Secretary of the State’s Panel for Election Law Reform, and the 13th and 14th District Representative Committees and the Ward Committee.

 

Website:     CharleneLima.com

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