Nicholas Delmenico announced his candidacy today for State Representative in House District 27 – Coventry/West Warwick/Warwick.

“I was born here, I grew up here, and I started my business here. I care about this community,” said Delmenico, who works in the film and television industry. “I am tired of standing on the sidelines as time and again we watch our politicians tangled up in another scandal while working families find it harder and harder to get by. At this point our state is known more for corruption than anything else. This is unacceptable. We can and must do better. I am running for State Representative because it is ​time we take back our state government from insiders and special interests.”

Delmenico went on to paint a progressive vision for the future. “We need a government that is transparent and forward thinking. A government that works to confront our economic challenges smartly. A government that invests in its communities and its people, instead of just pushing more corporate welfare. A government that welcomes ethics reform and opposing views rather than seeing them as an attack.”

Delmenico continued, “Instead of confronting the problems facing our community and our state, the State House just seems to continue to play games. Trapped up in the echo chamber, the ‘solutions’ they push seem built for another reality. You have to ask, who are they listening to? Because it obviously isn’t the people.”

“The tipping point for me to run was when the House Oversight Committee cancelled the hearings regarding 38 Studios and decided to look the other way, leaving us in the dark and footing the bill for millions. Rhode Islanders deserve better than this. Our community deserves better than this. We need someone who works to represent us. I promise to be that person and I promise to never forget that I work for you.”

Delmenico, a Leadership Rhode Island alumnus, was one of the Providence Business News 40 Under Forty in 2014. He owns a film production company based in West Warwick, attended Coventry High School, and lives on Trafford Park Drive in the Tiogue area of Coventry.

[From a press release]

While newsworthy, the appearance by the former House Finance Chair falls seriously short of the full investigation that clean-government groups have been demanding.

Margaret Kane, president of Operation Clean Government (OCG), said, “State House leaders want to move past 38 Studios, but they want to do so by sweeping it under the rug. The public deserves to know how this disaster occurred, and without an independent investigation it is unlikely that Rhode Islanders will ever learn the truth.”

OCG is also concerned that little effort has apparently gone into preventing similar disasters from happening in the future. “Even Mr. Constantino testified that he was generally opposed to moral obligation bonds,” Kane points out.

She added that Treasurer [Seth] Magaziner’s plan to strengthen a finance board which he largely appoints isn’t exactly the independent oversight that is needed.

Operation Clean Government is a member of the Investigate38StudiosNow.org coalition, which has been calling for the 38 Studios scandal to be investigated not only by the legislative oversight committees, but also by an independent investigator hired outside the legislative branch. Since the coalition called for these investigations, the Oversight Committee has for the first time been allowed to issue 38 Studios subpoenas. However, Governor [Gina] Raimondo has still refused to appoint a truly independent investigator.

The 38 Studios scandal, which has already cost the state many millions of dollars, shows no sign of going away.

[From a press release]

You watch the full testimony in the videos below: