Editor’s note: these are the candidate’s responses to questions provided by RIPR. The views expressed are the candidate’s alone, edited only in cases of inappropriate or libelous language. No changes have been made to correct errors of fact, spelling or grammar.
Do you support trucking tolls for tractor trailers on Rhode Island highways?
Yes. We must be willing to look for ways to generate revenue for things like needed infrastructure improvements that don’t place an additional tax burden on working and middle class Rhode Islanders. The tolls are capturing revenue from entities that put wear and tear on our roads but may not pay taxes here.
Would you support a state-mandated health insurance program?
Yes, as a step toward ensuring healthcare for all. The individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act was designed to keep costs lower for everyone. With health insurance costs again rising significantly due to the gutting of the ACA at the federal level, mandating health insurance with minimum essential coverage in Rhode Island would help to reduce those costs to individuals. In addition, we know that uninsured people inevitably end up using health care services, which they often cannot pay for. The average person in the US does not have $400 in savings, how are they going to cover an ER bill or a surgery? Those costs end up being transferred to the rest of us. If people have healthcare coverage they can also access preventative care and keep costs lower.
Are you in favor of expanding protections against sexual harassment to include domestic workers (such as nannies) and volunteers (such as interns)?
Yes. Everyone has the right to be safe and respected in their place of business, without exception. How is this still a question in 2018?
If given the opportunity, would you codify the right to have an abortion in state law?
Yes. Women deserve to have the same right to privacy and autonomy over their healthcare decisions as men. If Roe Vs. Wade is overturned at the federal level, it will not decrease abortions, it will decrease safe abortions. Women will die, and that outcome is unacceptable to me – and to the majority of Rhode Islanders who support passing the Reproductive Health Care Act but have been ignored by the leadership in the General Assembly. Women will have fewer options for managing miscarriages, and aspects of contraception choice and infertility treatments will be impacted. I would like to see more effort focused on the things we know do decrease abortion rates: evidence based comprehensive sex education, expanded access to healthcare and contraception, better wages, and policies that support mothers and families like humane maternity and paternity leaves and policies that make the costs of childcare more affordable.
Is the state doing enough to help people who have been left behind by the economy? If not, what additional steps should be taken?
No. Wage stagnation hurts all of us, the minimum wage must be raisedto a livable wage. I support the initiatives to work toward debt-free college and expanded access to vocational training both for young Rhode Islanders just entering the workforce as well as for Rhode Islanders who have been downsized and need new career options. In particular, training in industries that support renewable energy resources is an important focus. I also would be interested in options for student debt relief for recent graduates living and working in Rhode Island as a way to help them get ahead and stimulate the local economy. Housing costs take up a disproportionate amount of income in Rhode Island, and I would be interested in investigating if there were viable tax relief options for people whose housing costs exceed a certain portion of their income, similar to the bill that Senator Harris is promoting in the US Senate. We have the opportunity here in Rhode Island to put some proactive policies in place that protect and uplift Rhode Islanders, even while the federal government is deadlocked – and I’d like to see us try.
Does primary education need to be improved statewide? If so, how?
Yes. We need to continue to fund schools that are underfunded, and to use evidence based methods to improve curriculums in developmentally appropriate ways. We also must listen to teachers who tell us that their schools are underresourced when it comes to behavioral and mental health support, and get schools staffed adequately with these professionals. I would like to see Rhode Island follow New York and Virginia in mandating a mental health curriculum starting in elementary school. From a young age children should understand the basics of how their thoughts and feelings influence their behavior, and how to practice self-regulation and self-control in their everyday lives.
Do you support RI’s designation as a sanctuary state? Why or why not?
Yes. We all benefit when everyone in our community feels safe to live their lives out in the open. Law enforcement and the safety of our communities benefit when everyone feels they can report crimes and not need to hide away from police or other state officials. Undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than those born in the United States, their presence in our communities does not make us less safe. In addition, our immigrant population plays an important role in creating our diverse communities and in many of our vital industries. Until the federal government can pass the needed and wanted immigration reforms that will allow paths to citizenship for people who go through so much to try to make their home here, we have to do what is in our control to keep them and their families safe from inhumane federal policies.
