McNamara aims to lead state Democrats

John Howell
Posted 9/30/14

Rep. Joseph McNamara has been tough to get in touch with ever since the House Speaker said he wanted him to chair the state Democratic Party.

“Had 35 call-backs to make,” he said Saturday …

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McNamara aims to lead state Democrats

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Rep. Joseph McNamara has been tough to get in touch with ever since the House Speaker said he wanted him to chair the state Democratic Party.

“Had 35 call-backs to make,” he said Saturday morning.

It’s no wonder McNamara is in demand. He’s been getting congratulatory calls, and calls of support for the upcoming State Committee vote on Oct. 9 at the Cranston Portuguese Club. And there may be some vote counting going on, too, although McNamara didn’t name who were likely contenders for the post, which Rep. Grace Diaz has filled on an ad hoc basis since the sudden resignation of former Rep. David Caprio in July.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello issued a press release Thursday saying that McNamara, 64, a retired Pawtucket school administrator and teacher, was his choice for the job.

“Joe McNamara is a dedicated, well-spoken and hard-working member of our party who will do a terrific job as chairman,” Mattiello said. “He recently retired after a distinguished career as an educator and he will have the time and energy to devote to the party.”

For Mattiello, the Warwick-Cranston legislator looked like a natural choice. McNamara worked behind the scenes to line up the votes for Mattiello, who was house majority leader at the time Gordon Fox abruptly stepped down as federal officials carted boxes of records from his State House office. No charges have been brought against Fox, although the action is alleged to be linked to investigations of the $75 million loan to Curt Shilling’s 38 Studios.

The son of first generation Irish immigrants who moved from Providence to Warwick, McNamara grew up in the Lakewood section of Warwick. He says he was introduced to politics at an early age, and a time when Warwick Democrats “were few and far between.” He remembers the “fun” of party events, the buttons, balloons and the cookouts.

“The adults were all in such a good mood, even though they often lost,” said McNamara.

A dilemma he faced as a kid in a Democratic family came during the contest for the Ward 2 Council seat.

“Walter Richardson,” he said of the Republican incumbent, “had a marvelous ice cream truck.”

Richardson drove through the neighborhood, handing out free ice cream. McNamara didn’t know what he should do, so he asked his father, who gave him the OK.

At Pilgrim High, where McNamara played football and wrestled, he ran for class vice president, a position he held for all four years. That interest in politics persisted at Boston University, although it took some convincing from another Warwick native, Kevin McCarthy, who later ran as a Republican and won a House seat.

“Kevin approached me and wanted me to run as a team for [class] president and vice president,” said McNamara. McNamara couldn’t imagine how he was going to do it. He was on the BU football team on top of a busy class schedule.

“‘I guarantee you, you won’t have to do anything,’ Kevin told me,” he said.

The team from Warwick won the top two class posts and, as McNamara recalls, “Kevin was 100 percent correct.”

McNamara earned a Bachelor of Science degree at BU and a master’s degree in education from Providence College.

McNamara said the first attorney he met was Joseph Walsh, who at that time was a state representative. Walsh ran for the state Senate, winning in a Republican stronghold, and then running and winning the mayor’s job.

Meanwhile, McNamara, who was teaching in Pawtucket, remained active politically, serving on the district committee of the late Rep. Paul Sherlock. He said Sherlock was an inspiration and an example of how public service can affect positive change.

McNamara stepped into the political ring when the Rep. District 19, James Langevin’s district, opened up in 1994, when Langevin ran for Secretary of State.

“Friends said, ‘You should go for it,’” McNamara remembers. McNamara thought he had a shot, and he understood the mechanics of a campaign. He put together a $2,500 budget and went for the post he has held ever since.

McNamara sees leading the party as a means of extending his public service, not that he isn’t already involved. He chairs the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare and he sits on the New England Board of Higher Education. He also serves as the secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the Joint Committee on Health Care Oversight.

Legislation he sponsored that he feels could have a dramatic impact on the economy and Warwick has been called the “medical tourism bill” designed to attract companies that provide specialized services to a global market and are not subject to the certificate of need demanded for Rhode Island and the immediate region. With Green Airport, hotels, the state’s institutions of higher learning and its medical community, Warwick is seen as a prime location for the development of medical tourism.

“We have the vision and the infrastructure and where the laws make it easy,” he said.

McNamara has been working to bring a company to the city, which looks promising, but “I’ll let the mayor and the governor make that announcement,” he said.

In his campaign for party leader, McNamara said he has reached out to several prominent Democrats for assistance and advice. He said he plans to lunch with former party chairman Bill Lynch and, “I’ll be taking notes.”

McNamara already has a three-point plan if he gets the party’s endorsement. There is no term limit for party chair and McNamara doesn’t have any idea of how long he would hold the office if he is elected.

His first objective is to get the first woman governor, Gina Raimondo, elected, who would be the first Democratic governor in 18 years. On this issue, he praised Senator Jack Reed in his role at the top of the ticket as “perfect for the state and the nation.”

Second on his list is upgrading technology available to candidates. He noted that it is possible, with the use of smartphones, to know the voting history of residents while canvassing a neighborhood and that that should be available to candidates. That will take funding, which he views as a related goal.

Third on the list is bringing young people into the party.

“I’m looking to encourage young people,” he said, “and make sure they have a voice in the party, and that we listen to them.” He said he is bothered by the cynicism young people have about politics and he hopes to have them “realize that it’s fun.”

He’s also troubled by the personal attacks and meanness he’s witnessed in politics.

“The level of decorum has reflected some of the negative trends in society,” he said. “We’re role models.”

He said elected officials have a responsibility to maintain logical and reasoned debate.

“It’s not the Jerry Springer Show,” he said.

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