Kathleen Decker – RI Future

Update: July 1: Congratulations to Representative Blake Filippi, and independent representing Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown and Westerly. With James Mageau withdrawing from the race, he’s been effectively re-elected to his seat in the General Assembly.

Update: July 1: Both MaryEllen Goodwin and Paul Jabour have picked up opponents on the Senate side. As the Secretary of State website is updated, some who have drawn their papers are still be added. Jeffrey Orlando Caminero is challenging Goodwin and Brian E Hutchings has stepped up against Jabour. Both identify as Republicans.

Update: June 30: Kathleen Decker contacted me to say that she is running against Jared Nunes, saying, “I declared yesterday and have the time stamped copy on my desk now. I checked with the Secretary of State’s office and the declaration paperwork is still being entered into the database by different town and city boards.” The article has been amended to reflect that, though as of July 1 she still hasn’t been added to the Secretary of State’s website.

About one/third of the General Assembly was, barring disaster or scandal, effectively re-elected at close of business yesterday when the due date for officially declaring one’s candidacy ended. 13 senators and 21 House members were granted two more years in legislative office simply by showing up and signing some forms. These 35 lucky politicians won’t have to go through the tedious process of walking their district and meeting their constituents, spend any of their campaign cash or run any kind of campaign at all. They are all effectively re-elected, and they all get to take the year off.

All are incumbents and they hail from all over the state, representing both Democrats and Republicans.

Ray Hull, a Democrat representing House District 6 received no challengers, despite being removed from House Finance as a punishment for voting against the infamous tolls by Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. Mattiello, by contrast, earned 3 challengers.

There are wins here for both progressives and conservatives. Progressives may be happy with Shelby Maldonado’s easy win in House District 56 (Central Falls) or Gayle Goldin’s continued service in Senate District 03 (Providence) while conservatives can celebrate the continued State House presence of Antonio Giarrusso representing House District 30 (East Greenwich) and Dennis Algier’s continuing presence as Senate Minority Leader from Senate District 38 (Westerly and Charlestown).

Among those running unchallenged is Arthur Corvese, who has refused to return $900 in illegal NRA contributions to his campaign. Other candidates running unopposed who have taken but not returned illegal NRA contributions include: Charlene Lima $300, Robert B Jacquard$1350, Stephen R Ucci $2050, Brian C Newberry $1250, MaryEllen Goodwin $550, Daniel DaPonte $400, Roger A Picard $1100,Marc A Cote $1000, Erin Lynch Prata $600 and James C Sheehan $400.

Blood money is still money, after all.

For a visual representation, here’s every House and Senate District represented by Post-it notes:

Here’s the same wall with only active races:

Here’s the list, culled from the Secretary of State’s latest update of unopposed candidates:

House

RAYMOND A HULL (D) House 06

JOHN JOSEPH LOMBARDI (D) House 08

SCOTT A SLATER (D) House 10

CHARLENE LIMA (D) House 14

ROBERT B JACQUARD (D) House 17

K JOSEPH SHEKARCHI (D) House 23

ANTONIO GIARRUSSO (R) House 30

SAMUEL A AZZINARO (D) House 37

STEPHEN R UCCI (D) House 42

GREGORY J COSTANTINO (D) House 44

BRIAN C NEWBERRY (R) House 48

MICHAEL A MORIN (D) House 49

STEPHEN M CASEY (D) House 50

ROBERT D PHILLIPS (D) House 51

ARTHUR J CORVESE (D) House 55

SHELBY MALDONADO (D) House 56

JAMES N MCLAUGHLIN (D) House 57

MARY DUFFY MESSIER (D) House 62

GREGG AMORE (D) House 65

JOY S HEARN (D) House 66

MARVIN L ABNEY (D) House 73

Senate

MARYELLEN GOODWIN (D) Senate 01

GAYLE L GOLDIN (D) Senate 03

PAUL V JABOUR (D) Senate 05

ADAM J SATCHELL (D) Senate 09

DANIEL DAPONTE (D) Senate 14

DONNA M NESSELBUSH (D) Senate 15

WILLIAM J CONLEY JR (D) Senate 18

ROGER A PICARD (D) Senate 20

MARC A COTE (D) Senate 24

FRANK S LOMBARDI (D) Senate 26

ERIN LYNCH PRATA (D) Senate 31

JAMES C SHEEHAN (D) Senate 36

DENNIS L ALGIERE (R) Senate 38

Kathleen Decker announced her candidacy for State Representative today in House District 25 – Coventry/West Warwick.

“I’m running for State Representative because our government is not working for us,” said Decker, who works as classroom support staff at the Community College of Rhode Island Campus in Providence. “Every year, our politicians keep getting arrested, our schools are a mess, and taxes for the rich continue to go down while our taxes keep going up. The way things are being run just isn’t working anymore.”

Decker, continued, “We need people in government who care. Who understand what the people of our state are going through. I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, work hard every day, and feel like you’re never going to be able to get ahead and that’s why I’m running. I’m running to make sure that working people like us have a fair shot.”

“In order to make change, we need to bring someone in who puts the people first. Someone who won’t ignore our seniors and those with disabilities. That won’t neglect those suffering from mental illness”

Decker believes the current representative is apathetic at best, “He just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand what we’re going through, and hasn’t worked to help us. He focuses on making sure those that are already doing well just get more and more. He focuses on corporate welfare when we should be focused on how families can get food on their table. He focuses on insider politics and lobbyists when he should be focused on us.”

Kathleen lives on Riverdale Ave in West Warwick. Kathleen was raised in Warwick by her mother, Joanne. She graduated from Pilgrim High School in 2002 and the New England Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Recording Arts in 2011. Decker was also a dedicated Local 251 teamster member for almost nine years while working at Rhode Island Hospital as a Sterile Processing Technician.

[From a press release]

Tag: Kathleen Decker

The people have decided, kind of…

House

Senate

Kathleen Decker takes on Jared Nunes in House District 25