A box of Portuguese pastries is seen outside the Senate chamber on the final night of the legislative session on June 13, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
Democratic Sen. Roger Picard has opted not to run for reelection after 16 years in the Rhode Island Senate and a total of 30 years on Smith Hill. Now, three Democrats will compete for the open seat in Senate District 20, which spans Cumberland and Woonsocket, in Tuesday’s primary.
Rhode Island Current approached all three candidates with a questionnaire.
Candidate Marian Juskuv did not want to answer.
Important events
2 days ago
Woonsocket City Councilman Brian Thompson seeks seat in Rhode Island Senate
2 days ago
Denis Collins thinks RI should look to Mass. to strengthen state pension fund
2 days ago
Woonsocket City Councilman Brian Thompson seeks seat in Rhode Island Senate
Name: Brian Thompson
Party: Democrat
Race: Senate District 20
Age: 43
Function: General foreman
Lived in Rhode Island for many years: 22
Residence: Living socket
Political biography: Woonsocket Municipal Council since 2022
What are your top three legislative priorities if elected?
Working to change the education funding formula to make it fairer. Making our state more affordable for working families. Addressing environmental issues related to climate change that are damaging our communities.
Should Rhode Island have an assault weapons ban? Why or why not?
As a father of six, not a day goes by that I don’t think about their safety, especially with the scourge of gun violence. It has become all too common to see news of school shootings in our country and that needs to stop. I honestly used to think that banning certain guns wouldn’t have an impact on the shootings, but it’s very clear to me that when there are too many assault weapons on the market, they can easily end up in the wrong hands. We need to make sure that we are on the same page as our neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut. It would be terrible if something bad happened in our neighboring states that could be traced back to Rhode Island.
Should the state provide more to state retirees than the COLA recovery approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
Yes. This year we saw the first meaningful changes to the pension system in decades, and I strongly supported that. We need to work to restore COLAs for those who didn’t get the new COLA and accelerate the timeline for the pension fund to be adequately funded. The bottom line is that people won’t continue to choose jobs that rely on the pension system if they can’t plan for their retirement — and we’ll all suffer.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES IN YOUR INBOX
Last updated: 18:20
2 days ago
Denis Collins thinks RI should look to Mass. to strengthen state pension fund
Name: Dennis Collins
Party: Democrat
Race: Senate District 20
Age: 46
Function: American History Teacher at Taunton High School
Lived in Rhode Island for many years: 16
Residence: Cumberland
Political biography: Cumberland School Committee since 2019
What are your top three legislative priorities if elected?
Fully fund public education and child care (including making public universities more affordable), address the state’s mental health crisis (which is also rooted in crime and addiction), and implement a ban on assault rifles.
Should Rhode Island have an assault weapons ban? Why or why not?
I do support a ban on assault weapons and I believe I am the only candidate in Senate District 20 who does. I agree that mental health is the root cause of these mass shootings, but it is also the root cause of the opioid epidemic. You don’t see any organization saying that the solution to the opioid crisis is to put more opioids on the streets. High capacity assault weapons are the weapons of choice in mass shootings. As elected officials, we have a moral obligation to protect our community and a ban on assault weapons is a step forward in protecting innocent people and school children. Thoughts and prayers after the fact have done nothing to stop the plague of gun violence.
Should the state provide more to state retirees than the COLA recovery approved in the FY25 budget? If so, what would you propose?
It’s horrible that retirees didn’t get what they were promised. They did their part, and the politicians let them down. I’m currently dependent on my own pension if I ever retire, so this is a personal issue for me as a teacher. We have to do right by those we made promises to. We fund what we think is important, but at the same time I can’t give a definitive answer on HOW it’s going to be funded without sitting down with all the stakeholders and finance people. I think one thing the state needs to consider is what we did in Massachusetts, which is create a path for people who are nearing retirement to pay extra into the pension system for the next three years, with the promise that they can retire early. This would provide much needed budget relief for local municipalities by replacing top employees with people who are early in their careers.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES IN YOUR INBOX
Last updated: 18:20
