‘Timing’s right,’ Ferri says of Town Hall Lanes sale

Posted 2/19/15

It all looked to add up.

Former Warwick state Rep. Frank Ferri lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in September. He has since sold a property in Provincetown, Mass., …

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‘Timing’s right,’ Ferri says of Town Hall Lanes sale

Posted

It all looked to add up.

Former Warwick state Rep. Frank Ferri lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in September. He has since sold a property in Provincetown, Mass., and bought a condo in the Fort Lauderdale area in Florida. In a letter to friends and customers earlier this month, he announced the sale of Town Hall Lanes in Johnston to Rich Fraielli, who has worked as the general manager of the duckpin bowling lane for the past four years.

But Ferri, reached by telephone in Florida on Monday, has no intention of leaving Rhode Island or the waterfront home he has in Warwick. If anything, he is expanding his community involvement. He recently was named to the board at Thundermist Health Center, based in West Warwick.

“We don’t have any intentions of moving to Florida,” Ferri said. “We need a place in a warmer climate.”

Not only does the condo allow Ferri and his husband Tony Carparco to escape winters like this one, but it also puts him close to his parents, who also live in Florida.

As Ferri says about a lot of things – whether it’s the sale of the business he has run since 1984, the purchase of the Florida condo or the decision to run for representative or lieutenant governor – “the timing was right.”

In his letter, Ferri writes: “The past decades have seen changes in the bowling industry that have presented unique challenges to our business. Bowling centers are becoming full service ‘Family Entertainment Centers’ focusing on food & beverage and many other forms of entertainment, such as redemption games and laser tag.

“When I hired Rich, his focus was to learn the business, its new direction and to prepare us for the future. He has worked hard to get to know every aspect of the operation, and has now started that journey, bringing new energy and ideas to the Town Hall Lanes experience. He is determined to continue to serve our league bowlers and recreational customers, as well as doing all he can to meet the challenges of a new generation.”

Ferri still owns the property and, as he puts it, “I plan to stay involved.”

Involvement is a Ferri trademark. After taking an interest in marriage equality in 2004, Ferri was elected chairman of Marriage Equality Rhode Island. Then, when Peter Ginaitt announced in 2007 he would be resigning from the House of Representatives, Ferri’s friends urged him to run. It was not something Ferri was seeking. At first he dismissed the idea, but the more he thought out it, the more it seemed the timing was right. It was a turn in his life that he hadn’t planned for.

Ferri won a spirited Democratic primary and went on to win a special election.

“I put my heart and soul into it,” Ferri said of his commitment to public service.

While marriage equality legislation – which he spearheaded and was signed into law by Gov. Lincoln Chafee – is seen as his major accomplishment, Ferri doesn’t view it as the “sole focus” of his legislative tenure. He found himself engaged in numerous issues. In an effort to get the information and differing points of view, he attended seminars and presentations and read as much as he could. It consumed a lot of time.

Looking back, he says he neglected his business, and he was distraught to discover as league play started at the lanes, he didn’t know people. He hopes to be more involved when he gets back from Florida and his travels. He and Tony will be joining friends on a trip to China this winter.

Ferri hasn’t missed being at the State House for the first time in seven years. It’s an experience he enjoyed, although he also found it frustrating, especially “how long it takes to get things done.” He said he found proposals would surface that seemed logical and desirable. They would be promoted and then encounter criticism.

“It seems like planning is something we should be concentrating on,” he said. “When it doesn’t happen, it sabotages the process.”

Ferri doesn’t regret his run for lieutenant governor, although he admits, “it wasn’t on my radar early enough.” Nonetheless, he said, “I just felt right about it. When I talked to people, I got their endorsement; it seemed like the natural progression. Sometimes you follow a path and it’s the right path.”

As for his former colleagues in government, Ferri says, “most of those people want to do the right thing.” One bit of unfinished business, and a regret, was his legislation to cut interest rates on payday lending. The measure never made it through both the House and the Senate.

Asked to rate Gov. Gina Raimondo, Ferri said, “you can have a dialogue with her; I hope she continues that.” He thinks she is going in a “good direction.” But he also said she faces challenges with the issue of pensions and “she has to get by that.”

Ferri said he and Tony “love our house in Warwick too much” to sell it. He remains active in the neighborhood Riverview Association and is interested by developments at nearby Rocky Point.

For the moment, however, he’s happy to be in Florida, although he added, “It’s cool, it went down to 47.”

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