Update: We're currently at #2 on the Plan for RI website.  Click here to vote for Frank Caprio to support Tom Sgouros as his successor. 

Update:  Here's something easy that everyone can do to support Tom Sgouros.  Go to the Plan for RI website and vote for Frank Caprio to support Tom Sgouros as his successor. 

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Original Post: As originally reported here, Tom Sgouros, author of the Rhode Island Policy Reporter, has decided to throw his hat into the ring for General Treasurer.  You can find out more about his campaign at his website - www.tomfortreasurer.com.  This is fantastic news for the Progressive community in the state. I urge each and every one of you to go to his webiste NOW and contribute to his campaign.

He released the following statement.

Statistician, writer, and public policy researcher, Tom Sgouros, Jr., announced today he will seek the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer in the September 2010 primary on a platform of enhancing the fiscal management of Rhode Island's resources and revitalizing the state’s economy through innovation and fostering local investment.

“Rhode Islanders deserve a government that achieves the highest standards for management of our finances and guarantees the health of the state's economy. There is much we can do to promote both,” Sgouros said. “Innovation informed by good old-fashioned practicality can show us valuable new ways to accomplish the people's business at the State House. I am running for General Treasurer because I know I can make a difference in the policies, practices, and governance of our state at this challenging moment in our history.”

“Everyone I know is concerned about their own finances. We rely on our elected leaders to be good stewards of our collective financial health -- responsible expenditures as well as careful investment and strict management of our debt. That we don't always get that is a shame,” said Sgouros. “I have researched and written about the state's finances for more than two decades and I know voters are concerned about building a better future for their children and grandchildren. I bring new ideas that are unconstrained by the day-to-day politics and tradeoffs we so often see in our government.”

“My decision to run for Treasurer is a natural step considering my history of studying economics, statistics, and public policy, and my love for the state I grew up in,” said Sgouros. “I look forward to traveling throughout our state and sharing my ideas for strengthening our financial management practices and implementing policies that keep more of Rhode Island residents' money here in Rhode Island.”

“I am announcing my campaign for Treasurer and I am ready for the challenges of the next ten months. I look forward to discussion and debate steeped in detail and sharing with the voters my ideas for achieving the reform I promise,” said Sgouros.

Sgouros, 48, is the author of the recently published, “Ten Things You Don't Know About Rhode Island: A Skeptical Look at Government, Economics, and Recent History in One Lively Little State” and also is the editor of the Rhode Island Policy Reporter. Founded in 2003, it specializes in the important -- but all too frequently ignored -- details of tax policy, housing policy, pension funding, fiscal and other technical issues that play a significant role in the health and well-being of our state.

Sgouros credits his parents Joan Sgouros and painter Thomas Sgouros for his approach to the big problems. “My parents instilled in me a dedication to integrity and encouraged me to question the status quo, try out new ideas, and to never fear the truth -- or hard work. My father is the soul of dedication and my mother was never afraid to take on daunting challenges when the stakes were important.”

“My goal is making the reality of financial management reform part of our state government,” Sgouros said. “From creating new investment opportunities for families to save for retirement to saving our governments' money in financing costs to job creation and economic stability and growth, now is the time to look beyond the traditional ways we manage our money toward innovative thinking that will usher in new approaches to solving our problems.”

Sgouros cited his experience analyzing decades of state budgets and years of research including interviews with some of the nation's most innovative financial experts, and surveys of finance and economic development innovation in states around the country. “Rhode Island doesn't have to fly blind. There are states out there doing interesting work in finance that we can learn from.

We would be foolish not to learn from the examples available to us.” He said he will roll out specific proposals in coming weeks for making the Treasurer’s office a more responsive, collaborative and important part of Rhode Island government.

Sgouros and his wife Celia Gelfman, along with their two daughters Timi and Lydia make their home in Wickford.

For updates on Sgouros’s campaign, please visit www.tomfortreasurer.com.