With little daylight between them on the issues, the five Democrats vying for the Senate District 28 seat outlined their priorities once elected. The Aug. 29 forum, which was standing room only, was hosted by the Cranston Public Library and the Cranston Herald. 

With no Republican or independent in the race, the winner of the Sept. 10 primary will replace outgoing Sen. Josh Miller. Miller has represented District 28 since 2007 and decided to retire earlier this year.

The forum was moderated by the Honorable Edward C. Clifton, who served as an Associate Justice on the Rhode Island Superior Court for more than 20 years, before retiring in 2015. He was joined by Rory Schuler, Herald editor, and Barbara Polichetti, formerly of the Providence Journal and a contributor to the Herald. Forum questions were developed by the Herald and from reader submissions. 

Top priorities

What is the first bill you'll work on if elected? And why? 

This reader-submitted question had candidates giving answers aligned with their resumes.

Darrèll Brown, the vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation, and Melissa Carden, the executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, said that they would work on an environmental justice bill.

Brown noted that the impacts of pollution are disproportionately felt by Black and brown communities.

Both Carden and Bernice Morris, the senior director of education and employment services at Crossroads RI, said they would pursue passage of an assault weapons ban and a “bottle bill,” which would create a return program for plastic bottles. Morris added that she would introduce a bill capping rental increases at 4% or under annually. 

Councilwoman Lammis Vargas, vice president of the Cranston City Council and chief administrative officer of the City of Somerville, said her top priority would be introducing a bill to help with the transition from Medicaid to Medicare. 

John Croke, Jr., a systems administrator at Providence College, said he would look at the Rhode Island Department of Education’s takeover of Providence Public Schools. During the forum, news broke that RIDE will control the city’s schools for three more years.  

“It doesn’t seem to have worked, taking over the school systems,” Croke said. “I’d like to take a better look at that and see how we can move the needle a little bit more in those schools and give those kids a better education.”

Potential cuts

Another submitted reader question asked, “What is an area of state government for which funding should be reduced or eliminated?”

Morris said that while she could not think of anything off the top of her head, passing the “Taylor Swift tax” — a luxury tax on those with second homes in the state worth over $1 million — could help increase funding for government programs. 

Vargas said most government waste comes from spending on companies that aren’t being held accountable for their work, mentioning the Washington Bridge as an example.

“It’s really [about] holding these companies more accountable,” Vargas said. “Every penny spent — if we’re having a company build something, they come back, they’re rebuilding it again — it’s really a penny spent that’s costing us more.”

Brown said he believes that there could be cuts to the Department of Transportation, calling it an “absolute mess.” Carden called for an audit of state agencies. Croke said municipalities and the state sharing resources could help cut costs.

Building affordable housing

When asked how the state could increase its affordable housing supply, Carden noted the state needs to provide more incentives when it comes to building affordable housing and introduce penalties for communities that don’t.

“I was speaking to an advocate for the unhoused, and she was saying right now, there’s no carrot and there’s no stick,” Carden said. “If we incentivize the cities and towns to build more affordable housing, that could be something we could do very quickly.”

That sentiment resonated with other candidates, with Vargas saying the state needed to be looking at currently existing affordable housing in high-rise apartments and Morris saying that reducing the amount of bureaucratic red tape for affordable housing projects was key.

“It’s not sustainable for folks to pay more than 30% of their gross income in housing, whether it’s rent or mortgage, and so we’ve really got to pay attention to that and we’ve got to get that down,” Brown said. 

Quick hits

Do you support a constitutional convention? All five answered NO.

Are you supporting the Senate President, if he chooses to run again?  All five answered YES.

Do you have faith in RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr.? Brown, Carden and Morris replied NO. Croke, calling himself the “eternal optimist,” said that he still has faith in Alviti. Vargas answered “no” but noted her view could change with more information. 

Name one thing Gov. McKee could be doing better. Each candidate mentioned the westbound Washington Bridge’s near-collapse as McKee’s greatest failing. Croke added that McKee needs to do a better job of revitalizing the Superman building in downtown Providence. Brown and Morris noted that he could have addressed the state’s housing and homelessness situation better.

“More transparency from the governor’s office, among all issues, is necessary,” Morris said. “He did start his office of housing, but they’re not engaging enough with the community. In order to do good work, they have to talk with the people that are doing the work and build those coalitions to really address the issue.”