Lynch Prata applies for judgeship; Merolla to seek Senate seat

By JOHN HOWELL
Posted 4/30/20

By JOHN HOWELL Saying it is time for her to "give back to the community in a new way," state Sen. Erin Lynch Prata (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston) announced Tuesday she is a candidate for the prospective vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court and will

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Lynch Prata applies for judgeship; Merolla to seek Senate seat

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Saying it is time for her to “give back to the community in a new way,” state Sen. Erin Lynch Prata (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston) announced Tuesday she is a candidate for the prospective vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court and will not seek reelection to her current seat this fall.

Barely 24 hours later City Council President Steven Merolla announced he would not seek reelection in Ward 9 and declared as a candidate for the Dist. 31 seat. Merolla, who has served on the council for 20 years, called Lynch Prata a “great advocate of our community” and that he looks to follow in her footsteps.

“I want to bring that same approach to this race, working closely with the Mayors and councils in Warwick and Cranston, [the senate district covers portions of Warwick and Cranston] while providing the experience we need to help Rhode Island get back on the road to economic recovery after the coronavirus crisis,” Merolla said in a statement.

Lynch Prata, who will have served in the Senate for 12 years as of this fall, disclosed that she filed a request with the Ethics Commission for an advisory opinion on her application for an appointment to the Supreme Court.

“As a sitting Senator, I thought it important to request an opinion from the Commission to provide legal clarity relative to the concept of the revolving door to those who will consider my application. I believe my application is clearly within the parameters of the law, as any individual may apply at any time for an open constitutional office,” she wrote in an email to the Beacon.

She goes on to say, “I am committed to serving the law and my community and have always hoped to serve as a member of the Judiciary. I am excited to submit my application today and look forward to going through this extensive process.”

Lynch Prata is applying for the seat of Justice Gilbert V. Indeglia, who is retiring June 30. The deadline to apply for the position with a base salary of $189,424 is this Thursday.

Sally Dowling, chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission, outlined Wednesday the procedure for reviewing candidates for the position, which starts with reading applications.

As they can be lengthy, she said, “I give them [commission members] a lot of time to do that.” The process involves background checks, and once the commission arrives at the point of interviewing candidates, the names are released. By statute, the commission is charged with forwarding no less than three and no more than five candidates to the governor for a nomination. By statute, the governor has 21 days to make a selection and forward that to the House and Senate for approval or rejection.

Merolla talked about the impact the pandemic has had on his law practice and what is has meant to people.

“As someone who runs a law firm and understands the challenges of meeting a payroll and keeping a small business running, I believe that’s the kind of expertise and insight we need in the State Senate. The immediate challenge facing Rhode Island government is going to involve listening to people, hearing their stories, understanding their concerns and putting together a recovery plan for our state that puts their needs first. We need people with relevant, real-world experience to step up and do the hard work of getting our state back on track and doing so in a way that recognizes our duty to help working people and their families get back on their feet, to make sure our seniors are protected, to focus on supporting our health care system and to develop a blueprint to get our economy up and running again,” he said in a release.

In a brief interview, Lynch Prata said her first job as a lawyer was as a clerk to Supreme Court Associate Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg and that the role of a justice “has always been a dream.”

Of her tenure in the Rhode Island Senate, where she serves as chair of the Judiciary Committee, Lynch Prata she has always sought to learn as much as possible and to make a difference. She said she would aim to do the same should she be appointed to the Supreme Court and after talking with her husband, made the decision to apply for the post.

“I have been honored and so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Warwick and the State of Rhode Island and to work with such a committed group of elected colleagues and staff,” Lynch Prata said.

In her letter to Jason M. Gramitt, executive director of the Ethics Commission, Lynch Prata reasons the Supreme Court is a constitutional office and therefore justices hold constitutional offices that differ from ordinary state employment. Under state law members of the General Assembly shall not accept or seek state employment while in office nor for one year after leaving legislative office.

In her letter, she asks the Ethics Commission to “provide me with guidance as to whether I am correct that the revolving door provision does not apply to a member of the General Assembly who seeks appointment by the Governor to the constitutional office of Supreme Court Justice.”

Lynch Prata was born on May 17, 1975. She is a graduate of Toll Gate High School and Boston College, where she earned a B.A. in history before earning her J.D. from the Catholic University School of Law.

Prior to either Lynch Prata or Mellora’s announcement, Kendra Anderson, a Democrat, and Sal Caiozzi, a Republican announced their candidacies for Dist. 31 and Zachary Colon is running in Ward 9.

Comments

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  • Justanidiot

    the doors swing in, the doors swing out, where senators pass in, and judges pass out

    Thursday, April 30, 2020 Report this

  • Drew

    So the guy that wanted to reduce or strip Warwick City employees of their healthcare is going to slip out the door with his free lifetime healthcare courtesy of the Warwick taxpayers? Hopefully Ladoceur speaks up and objects to this (sarcasm)!

    Thursday, April 30, 2020 Report this

  • JamesBruder

    Also the FBI should be investigating Steve and his no bid audit that a firm he had ties to got from the city. Aannnddd never produced the results.

    Thursday, April 30, 2020 Report this

  • Warwick_Resident1998

    Sal Caiozzi Needs to be voted in. Merolla can’t even be effective as a city councilman, never mind the Senate. Anderson is a liberal moonbat.

    Thursday, April 30, 2020 Report this

  • bill123

    The commenter who posted yesterday (mentioning "FBI", among other things) apparently adopted my same screen name. The Beacon should not be giving posters the ability to duplicate another’s screen name. I’ve previously engaged certain city officials in online conversations, and although done anonymously, they should not be mislead, as to what my true comments are.

    Friday, May 1, 2020 Report this

  • bendover

    “Give back to the community in a new way,” and in return receive $200K in salary and benefits for life....As the late Chris Farley would say, "Well la-di-friggin dah." Perhaps the good politician can post her most important pieces of legislation which she can claim authorship or prime sponsorship status which got passed into law and helped all the citizens? After 12 years, there must be many. I guess in Rhode Island, slothfulness is an attribute to have when applying for a judgeship?

    Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Report this