Incumbent State Rep. Gregory J. Costantino, a Democrat, represents District 44 (Lincoln, Smithfield and Johnston). He will face Republican Peter Anthony Trementozzi in the General Election.

Gregory J. Costantino

"My Name is Gregory Costantino and I am your State Representative. I consider myself fiscally conservative and I have fought for the taxpayers of district 44.  I have never voted to raise taxes. I voted to lower the corporate tax rate. I voted against the gas tax hike. I voted to finally eliminate the car tax. I will always vote to support our police. I have never accepted a campaign contribution from anyone.  I respectfully ask for your support once again. Now more than ever we need to put differences aside and work to battle the high costs of electricity, heating and gasoline."

1. Now that a federal judge has ruled truck tolls unconstitutional as a means of financing bridge and road repairs, what would you do?
   The State of RI had a 800 million dollar surplus last year, the truck tolls brought in an average of 40 million dollars. The Federal Government funds 80 percent of all road construction. I believe we would be able to fund DOT through the budget process.
2. Do you think the state’s gun laws go far enough and if not, what would you favor?
   We have some of the strictest gun laws in the nation already. We need to keep guns out of the criminals hands and increase the penalties for illegal possession of guns. I also would like to allocate more funds for mental health support.
3. Do you plan to introduce or support legislation that would be specifically beneficial to Johnston and what would that be?
   I have a great working relationship with the Mayor of Johnston and the Town Council. I have and will continue to support and introduce legislation that protects the tax payers of Johnston.
4. Do you favor term limits for state legislators?
   Yes, I do. I would like to see 6 two year terms for a total of 12 years.
5. Is Rhode Island heading in the right direction and why?
   I believe Rhode Island needs to do better. Better for our children and their education. Better with our job growth. Better with our tax structure. Better with our cost of living. So no I do not believe Rhode Island is heading in the right direction.
6. What more can we do to provide for affordable housing?
   This year the general assembly has allocated 250 million dollars for affordable housing and I believe this is a good start. Rents right now in the State are out of control for the average family. There needs to be a discussion on what is considered an affordable rent when corporations receive tax breaks these projects. Perhaps there should be tax incentives for longstanding landlords to offset the real estate tax increases to be able to offer affordable rent.
7. Do you think the Act on Climate calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2033 is realistic?
   I think we would need to have the infrastructure in place to accommodate the increase in usage. Until we have a clear vision on how to address the multitude of gas and oil homes and the costs to convert them I think that 2033 may be too aggressive. I did come out against the Johnston solar farm because of the loss of acreage and its future environmental impact is unknown. I am in favor of doing our part where we can.

Peter Anthony Trementozzi

1. Now that a federal judge has ruled truck tolls unconstitutional as a means of financing bridge and road repairs, what would you do?
   Now that a federal judge has ruled truck tolls as unconstitutional, we need to use the funds which have been collected from fuel tax, safety/ emissions inspections, and all the registration fees for their intended purpose. This revenue should be allocated to maintenance of the roads and bridges which we drive on every day.
2. Do you think the state’s gun laws go far enough and if not, what would you favor?
   We do have some pretty tough gun laws here in Rhode Island and our firearm violence statistics are low compared to many other states. I do feel we need to increase the penalties for gun related crimes and prosecute criminals who use firearms to commit crimes to the fullest extent we can. No more plea bargains.
3. Do you plan to introduce or support legislation that would be specifically beneficial to Johnston and what would that be?
   As a state legislator I would have the best interests of all the tax payers in the state in mind. I would like to introduce legislation to protect the citizens of Johnston and the state from tolls and also work with the PUC to attempt to lower astronomically high utility bills.
4. Do you favor term limits for state legislators?
   I do favor term limits for state legislators. As a taxpayer in the state I have seen the same people elected continuously year after year and its politics as usual. Term limits would be beneficial and I feel a 5 term maximum for state legislators would be ideal. This would ensure we don’t have career politicians. We need fresh eyes and ears in the state house and new ideas from people who look at things in a different way.
5. Is Rhode Island heading in the right direction and why?
   Rhode Island is not heading in the right direction. Higher taxes, inflation, and cost of living is skyrocketing. Rhode Island isn’t the most business friendly state in the country either. Making Rhode Island more attractive to businesses would assist in lowering taxes in this state. As Rhode Islanders we pay some of the highest tax per capita in the country. We also need to stop spending so much of our tax dollars on special interests that bear no fruit for the tax payer. We need to get our general fund under control and have complete transparency as to where our tax money is being spent and make sure it doesn’t get re-appropriated.
6. What more can we do to provide for affordable housing?
   We need to take the abandoned properties throughout the state and turn them into affordable homes and apartments. Make it a state sponsored program funded by federal grants. Working to revitalize the unused buildings throughout the state and remodel/restore them into affordable housing. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their head.
7. Do you think the Act on Climate calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2033 is realistic?
   I do not think calling for 100% renewable energy by 2033 is realistic. While I do have solar panels on my house they aren’t 100% efficient and they will only last 25 years. Also, solar panels are not 100% recyclable. Something else to consider is our electrical infrastructure would need a major overhaul in order to handle the amount of electricity that would be needed to power everything. As a result of upgrading the infrastructure, utility costs that are already too high, will skyrocket even more. We as taxpayers can’t afford that. I do feel we can do better and I think it’s going to take much longer than anyone anticipated to fully utilize renewable energy.