James Diossa, one of two Democrats running in the Sept. 13 primary for general treasurer is the guest this week on Political Roundtable.
Diossa is the former mayor of Central Falls and he was the first Latino to hold that post.
His primary opponent is former state Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor.
Here’s a transcript of my conversation with Diossa.
Ian Donnis: What makes you the better candidate in this race?
James Diossa: Thank you, Ian for having me on the show this morning. Look, my journey into politics is very different from many. You know, my family moved to the United States in search of hope for the future of our family. My dad who crossed the border, and spent two weeks walking the desert in search for the American dream, was able to move to Rhode Island, specifically Central Falls, where I was born, was able to graduate from college, become the first Latino mayor of Central Falls within one generation, is an incredible part of the American dream that my father had searched for. And, you know, my experience as mayor, we were able to rebuild Central Falls, put it on the best financial footing, really built the city from the bottom up and at a time where people are feeling squeezed. I think this is an important office that needs tested leadership, someone who could get things done to better the quality of life for people of Rhode Island.
Donnis: Stefan Pryor was formerly a state director of Education in Connecticut, of Commerce in Rhode Island. He says he’s overseen deals involving billions of dollars in spending. Why is his experience less valuable than yours for the role of general treasurer?
Diossa: We have to look at the office of the treasurer and what it does exactly. And, you know, it manages the pensions, and manages bonding for not only school construction, but for the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. It provides services to constituents such as the unclaimed property or the victims compensation fund, and also works with small businesses, as we all know, the backbone of Rhode Island. And they do that just through the bank local program. And I’ve had experience doing all of these things, not only managing the pensions in Central Falls, but providing services to constituents. And I can not only do that well, but also be a champion for all 39 cities and towns and bringing the office to the people. And quite frankly, my opponent doesn’t have that experience.
Donnis: Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face Republican James Lathrop in the November election. Right now, there’s a lot of concern among voters about the economy and inflation. Democrats have pretty much had unquestioned political control of Rhode Island for many, many decades and the public schools are still in very rough shape. Why should voters not support a Republican candidate over a Democrat for this role of general treasurer?
Diossa: Look, I think we as a state have to look at the track record of those running and specifically myself and seeing that, you know, not only did I come from a community that as we know, had been burdened by the bankruptcy and corruption etc, and was able to turn it around, but also see that there is plans in place that I’ve put forward to address some of the issues in our state, not only with school aid, but we’re working on how to support and build upon housing, the housing strategy that’s in place by the governor, the legislature, which is a great initiative, that I believe, is going to have a huge impact all over Rhode Island. But also, we have to be very intentional about, you know, the future. And not only is it managing the pensions for better outcomes for the next 30 years, but being very proactive with our 39 cities and towns to ensure we’re providing the best support possible. And I’m going to do just that.
Donnis: If you were to win this election for treasurer, what are the most significant ways in which you would be different from the person who now holds that job, Seth Magaziner?
Diossa: Yeah, look, he’s… Seth has done an incredible job. He’s not only, you know, built upon the professionalism and the transparency that I want to continue building upon, he’s done very well managing the pension funds, and also connecting people to the office and, you know, I’m going to be more of a grassroots person where I’m going to bring the office through all 39 cities and towns making it much more accessible. I want to be able to work with my municipal leaders, which I already have a relationship with and ensuring that they’re taking advantage of some of the programs. But you know, one of our ideas is – my ideas is to create a a team that can help smaller cities and towns across the state to provide advice and guidance on any issues on their pensions. And so, again, to me, it’s the bottom up approach. And I know that this is a strategy that will work very well with this office and I’m excited about that.
Donnis: You point to your former experience, as the mayor of Central Falls. Central Falls was coming out of the shadow of potential bankruptcy when you were mayor, as the economy was improving in Rhode Island and in the nation. And at that time, a number of Rhode Island communities were in deep financial distress in the aftermath of the great recession. Do you think that that situation could return where a number of Rhode Island communities could be in severe budget distress? Or do you think that was kind of a one-off due to the great recession and that things have been put in place that would safeguard against greater fiscal jeopardy for cities and towns?
Diossa: Look, you know, you can’t predict the future. And obviously, what happened in Central Falls is devastating, not only to the residents, the business community, but so I think the whole state as a whole and you know, we’re very proud of the work that we did in Central Falls, not only did we take a city that had a, a bond rating in junk status, and was able to leave it up in investment grade. And I think that the new mayor there, Maria Rivera, is truly doing an incredible job building upon that. And I will say that there’s enough safeguards, not only that, but I think that the recent memory of what happened in Central Falls is still very present around the state. And I think that people are more alert and informed about ensuring that we’re supporting our cities and towns across the state. I think that I believe that, you know, if our cities and towns are strong, the state’s going to be stronger, and I’m going to continue supporting the small cities and towns to ensure that.
Donnis: You are one of a number of Latino candidates running for state general offices this year. There’s also Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos seeking election, and Nellie Gorbea running for governor. Do you believe that groups that support Latino candidates, such as the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee, are doing enough this year? Or do you think they’ve been less active this year than in previous election cycles?
Diossa: I know that the establishment of RILPAC is– and the vision that was planted when it first started, was to see more candidates in the Latino community running for offices, whether locally or statewide, and to finally see so many candidates running I think it’s a, you know, dream come true. I think they are an active group, I think they’re doing their best. And I think their seal of endorsement, which I have, is important. And I think it’s not only important to have an endorsement, but also to ensure that, you know, we’re looking out for what’s best in the Latino community. And I think that RILPAC is doing a good job of that.
Donnis: Let’s talk about a couple of different economic development projects. Your Democratic opponent, Stefan Pryor helped negotiate a previous arrangement for the proposed soccer stadium in Pawtucket. I know you’re quite a soccer fan yourself. Sports economists, however, say that stadiums are not a good form of economic development. And reporting by WPRI shows that this project, at least in the short term, would not pay for itself. Do you think this is a good project for public investment in Rhode Island?
Diossa: Look Ian, you know, we were devastated after the loss of the PawSox. And that really left a hole in the community in the Blackstone Valley, and, you know, this is a community that doesn’t see these types of investment happen every year or every 10 years. And I believe this investment in soccer with the soccer stadium, especially with the World Cup on the horizon in 2026 and, you know, soccer being a big push by many as far as investments, I think it’s going to be very successful in Pawtucket. But also part of this is you know, the second phase is critical as well. You know, having housing and you know, commercial will feed in to the success of this region, and I want to commend Mayor Grebien for being such a strong leader in this and Governor McKee as well for sticking by the project.
Donnis: How about the Superman building project? Supporters of that say it’s vital to revitalize what has been a dormant building for 10 years. But critics say the affordable units there are not truly affordable, they question whether the amount of public money going into that could be better spent, are you a supporter or an opponent of that project?
Diossa: We all know the critical need for more affordable housing. In my last year as mayor, we had a pandemic. And it was at the beginning of the pandemic, where no one had a lot of information, but what we were seeing is, families being priced out of apartments or, or homes, and they have to co-live with other relatives and extended family. And we all knew that once one person got the virus, all six, seven of them got the virus. So more than ever, not only is it important for their quality of life, but also for their health. And so I’m a huge proponent that we need to continue investing in affordable housing. And as far as the Superman building, you know, this is an iconic building in Providence. You know, I remember seeing the lights on when I was younger, in that building. And I will say that this project really got done because of the leadership of Dan McKee and Mayor Elorza. And, you know, it’s good to see that the lights will be turned on. And I think that we also got to focus on affordable housing, which he has led an initiative with the legislature and I hope to join that join that movement, if elected, as general treasurer and use my role on the board of the Rhode Island Housing Authority to continue being a strong advocate for more affordable housing throughout our state 39 cities and towns.
Donnis: why do you think we’re seeing more support for Republicans even including Donald Trump in some past elections than in previous years?
Diossa: I don’t know. I you know, I don’t see it. Especially with everything that’s happening around the former president. You know, every day I talked to voters, I hear them not express any support for the former president. And so I think that we’re seeing, you know, incredible action by the president with these bills going through and these are record investments happening. I think we’re gonna see some surprises in the midterms. And I think it’s going to be favorable for Democrats.
Donnis: Beyond the initiatives you cite from the Biden administration, what do you think Democrats need to do differently to answer the economic anxiety of Americans?
Diossa: Yeah, it’s an important thing. I think what needs to happen is, you know, you really have to build a momentum from a grassroots level and understand that, you know, on the other side of the aisle, you know, it didn’t really impact the average person. And, you know, we are finally seeing, you know, that inflation isn’t going up, gas prices are going down. Back to this whole record of investment in climate change. And, you know, bringing back, you know, manufacturing of chips, led by our former governor Gina Raimondo, I think that this is all positive things that are important. And I think what we saw this year, were Republicans attacking women’s rights. That’s a big huge concern. You know, I — having a beautiful two year old daughter, I’m worried about her future with the attacks on the other side of the aisle that I don’t think it’s good for the future of this country.
