Guest MINDSETTER™ Steve Tetzner: Why I'm Running for State Rep.

Guest MINDSETTER™ Steve Tetzner: Why I'm Running for State Rep.

During these beginning stages of my campaign for State Representative in District 34, many have asked me why I am running for office. My answer is not the “glory” of being in the public eye, or establishing connections, or the ability to push for programs we can’t afford. It is, quite simply, because I love this state.

As a Rhode Island native, I have spent 35 years in the state, and have lived in Narragansett – in the district I hope to represent – for the past 16 years. My wife, Barbara, and my stepson, Zachary, have helped me build a life I can be proud of in this state. Unfortunately, in the past several years I have watched the state I love, as well as many of its cities and towns, enter fiscal disaster at the cost of Rhode Islanders who have worked hard for their state. It is for this reason that I feel compelled to enter public service.

The truth is that we cannot afford the representation we currently have at the State House. We cannot afford to wage left-wing political battles with no end in sight, and no solutions in mind. We cannot afford the toll that special interests are taking on our political and economic system in Rhode Island. As a lifelong businessman and real estate mortgage professional, I want to go to the General Assembly to help our state figure out what it can actually afford.

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As a young man, I studied Finance at the University of Rhode Island and began my own business. I worked to become the leading home loan producer in Rhode Island, while my company became Rhode Island Housing’s number one lender. I am currently serving my second year as President of the Rhode Island Mortgage Bankers Association. Running a business and engaging my colleagues over the years has helped me get a firsthand look at how organizations can be run the right way: by spending only on what we can afford; cutting down in lean times; and managing efficiently without bowing to outside interests that aren’t right for customers.

These principles apply just as closely to our state government, which I look forward to serving proudly as a state representative. I take public service very seriously, which is why I will not be accepting pay as a public servant once I am sworn in. I will donate my pay instead to charities around South County, such as the Easter Seals or the Animal Rescue League, of which I am an active member. I also plan to start a scholarship program for graduates of Narragansett and South Kingstown High Schools.

Public service is just that: a service to your fellow citizens. My job will be to put the voters’ interests ahead of special interests; to put my constituents’ agenda ahead of my own; and to get Rhode Island back on track politically, financially, and economically. It will not be easy – nothing important ever is. But our issues are far too important to simply sit back and wait for somebody else to lead.

Steve Tetzner is a Republican candidate for State Representative in District 34.