Decisions by Republican leaders Algiere and Filippi make up-coming election more intriguing
By Will Collette
Generally, legislative elections in South County don’t
produce a lot of surprises. Legislators tend to get elected and stick around for a while.
Blake, in bovine bliss
The last major surprise came with the 2014 right-wing
coup that saw Rep. Donna Walsh, Rep. Larry Valencia and Sen. Cathy Cool Rumsey
lose to a trio of Trumplicans Blake “Flip” Filippi, Justin Price and Sen. Elaine Morgan.
Eight years later, Filippi is not running for re-election. Neither is Westerly Republican and
Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, a
22-year State House veteran. Justin Price will hopefully receive his well-deserved visit
from the FBI for his role in the January 6 storming of the Capitol. And I think
three time’s the charm for Democrat
Jennifer Douglas to take out right-wing nut Elaine Morgan.
The deadline for filing Declarations of Candidacy is 4 PM Wednesday.
After that, we will know exactly who is officially seeking a place on the
ballot and who is not.
Elaine Morgan, addressing gun nuts
Meanwhile, we can take a look at who produced for their
constituents in the 2022 General Assembly session taken from the General
Assembly’s legislative data base HERE.
This legislative session produced lots of media coverage for
Blake “Flip” Filippi but no actual legislative achievements. That’s been the
story of Flip’s eight years in the House.
Of a total of 15 bills he introduced, he managed to get three bills passed for the Block Island Town Council as well as H-8311 that will “exempt from taxation the real and tangible personal property of Manissean Tribal Council, a Rhode Island nonprofit corporation.”
The tribe is indigenous to Block Island. It is not
federally recognized and does not appear to
have any major assets and reports revenue of less than $50,000. There is no property listed in their name on the tax assessor's database.
In addition to botching the shoreline access bill, Flip again failed to advance Charlestown’s bills to give it authority to regulate
mining and blasting. Flip ends his legislative career as he began it: promising
but failing to deliver on rogue quarries like the infamous Copar Quarry.
Sen. Dennis Algiere wrapped up his career by introducing
only 7 bills, of which three (all on behalf of the Westerly Town Council) passed.
Sen. Elaine Morgan (R-nut) who represents northern
Charlestown and a large swath of South County had a spectacular failure rate.
She introduced 14 bills and lost them all.
Rep. Justin Price (R-armed militia) who’s district is
adjacent to Charlestown introduced 6 bills. All of them lost except for a
resolution of condolences over the death of gun nut and former Representative
for the same district Frank Maher.
At this writing, it looks like both Filippi and Algiere will
be replaced by Democratic women. Tina
Spears of Charlestown is Flip’s likely successor and Dennis Algiere will
probably be replaced either by Victoria
Gu of Charlestown or Sharon Ahern of Westerly. I have heard a Republican
has filed a Declaration of Candacy to replace Filippi.
If you want to see what productivity looks like, just look
across to South Kingstown and check out the track record of its all-woman
legislative team. I do acknowledge that both Flip Filippi and Dennis Algiere
represent a small chunk of South Kingstown’s southwest corner but they have contributed nothing so I am not including them.
Senators Sue Sosnowski, Bridget Valverde and Alana DiMario
and state Representatives Teresa Tanzi, Carol Hagan McEntee and Kathy Fogarty,
in total introduced over 170 pieces of legislation, not counting resolutions.
Of those, 71 bills passed. While some of these were municipal bills requested
by town councils, most were substantive, such as Teresa Tanzi’s two gun control
bills.
Delegation dean Sue Sosnowski was the prime sponsor of 42
bills, with 22 passing, many significant environmental laws.
On
several bills, the SK delegation teamed up. For example, Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New Shoreham) and
Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown).that would make it
easier for senior citizens to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program benefits.
Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Alana M. DiMario teamed
up to get new legislation passed that increases the age of children who are
able to utilize recorded forensic interviews when testifying before grand
juries in cases of child sexual abuse.
If you take the time to look at the records of each of these
women, you can see for yourself the depth and breadth of the issues they took
on. Then take a look at the records for Justin Price, Elaine Morgan and the
departing Flip Filippi.
Anyone who thinks that party doesn’t make a difference just isn’t paying attention.