With independent message, Smith running for Dist. 22

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 8/11/16

“I believe the average Rhode Islander still embraces the spirit of Roger Williams, of the Independent Man on the State House, of the men and women who acted out against the Gaspee,” Elizabeth …

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With independent message, Smith running for Dist. 22

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“I believe the average Rhode Islander still embraces the spirit of Roger Williams, of the Independent Man on the State House, of the men and women who acted out against the Gaspee,” Elizabeth Smith said. “They still embody that revolutionary and independent spirit.”

Smith, 34, is running as an independent for District 22 and hopes to re-ignite the independent spirit of her fellow Rhode Islanders. Seeking a second term for the seat is Joseph Solomon Jr., who faces a primary with Jennifer Siciliano for the Democratic nomination.

Smith grew up in a small town in New Jersey, attending Princeton University where she majored in history. It was there that she met her husband, Mark, who grew up in Rhode Island. After graduating from Princeton, Smith pursued and competed a master’s in public policy at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

She moved to Rhode Island in 2006, got married and began raising a family. She would intern in the Governor Donald Carcieri’s policy office, but then turned her focus to raising her two daughters, Julia, 8, and Caroline, often called Callie, 5.

Smith has been involved in her daughters’ school, Warwick Neck Elementary, as well as coached both Apponaug Softball and Warwick Firefighters Soccer teams.

Smith believes her “connectedness” with the public schools and the community at large gives her better insight into the district and the people she would be serving were she to be elected.

“I’m not coming off Capitol Hill in a suit, I am someone out of your neighborhood,” she said.

Although Rhode Island “feels like home,” Smith admitted that since she moved to the state she has been continually shocked by the “corruption and mismanaged governance,” of that state. Over the past year she has felt that the issues in the General Assembly has reached a “crescendo” between investigations into elected individuals, some not living in their district, and some facing imprisonment.

She also pointed out that many of incumbent officials have run unopposed doing “nothing to earn their seat”. Smith believes that voters are excited to see so many individuals running this year, to have a choice, for the “opportunity to bring more diversity to the General Assembly.”

She said that constituents have been underrepresented in the past and that legislations such as the truck toll legislation should never have been passed when it was so “frowned upon” by the citizens themselves. Smith also doesn’t agree that those officials who did vote against the legislation shouldn’t have been “punished” for speaking out.

“This just hinders progress for our state,” Smith said. “I hear everyone say ‘well that’s how it has always been; that’s Rhode Island politics’, but it doesn’t have to be. We can and need to make a change. I am confident we can.”

She has a lot of optimism for Rhode Island’s future and believes changes in leadership is the first step in getting the state moving in the right direction.

Smith intends to help move the state in that direction by running as an independent, as she feels “divisional politics” and “unwavering fidelity” to the party is a contributing factor to the issues seen in the General Assembly.

Party affiliations are polarizing the work done in the State House because rather than serving their own constituents, elected officials “doing the work” for the party instead according to Smith. This is causing a divide, with legislators working against each other rather than together, refusing to accept any idea, whether it good or not, just because it came from another party. On the contrary even if an individual is against a specific piece of legislation if their own party instituted it they are less likely to speak out or denounce it.

“We need to be focusing on the things that have to and can change and for that we need to be working together with more unity towards a common vision.”

With a background in public policy and history, Smith is passionate about “good government and governance” and as an ex-athlete, she competed in track and field in college, she has been trained to always strive for a positive team environment. She said if elected she would address the General Assembly as her team, all working towards one goal, breaking barriers and coming together.

If elected, Smith wants to eliminate legislative grants because they are an “unfair and unethical” way of distributing funds. She would also like to implement “line item veto” to make the General Assembly more accountable to exactly where money is going and how certain initiatives did or did not pass.

She also believes there is currently too many pieces of “feel good legislation” being argued in session distracting from more “meaningful” legislation that could actually have an impact on the state moving forward.

“We need to be more productive with our time. Rhode Island is facing some serious concerns. We need to address bigger issues,” Smith said.

Smith would like the General Assembly to also establish several plans for where the state should be in a year, five years or 10 years. Even if each plan is not reached exactly or the vision evolves over time, at least the legislature has a goal it can be making progress towards.

So far, Smith said people have been responding positively to her campaign; they agree with her stances on government and believe “enough is enough” with Rhode Island politics, to have a representative that actually represents their constituents.

One unique aspect to Smith’s campaign is that she will not be taking or raising any money. She agrees it is harder to run a campaign without a funding source, but if she were to be elected no one would “own” her.

“If you are taking money from different organizations or individuals, how do we know whether you are governing for your constituents or those lining your pockets,” Smith said. “Things may be bad, but the good news is we can move out state to being a great place and we deserve that great place.”

For more information on Smith and her campaign visit her Facebook at “Elizabeth K. Smith: Independent RI District 22.”

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