2020 Election Profile: Dominick Ruggerio, State Senate District 4
GoLocalProv Political Team
2020 Election Profile: Dominick Ruggerio, State Senate District 4
Read what he has to say about why he is running to return to the State House. He serves as the Senate President.
This is part of an ongoing series by GoLocal featuring each of the candidates for House and Senate.
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1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
COVID-19 as it relates to our economy and our health.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
Restoring the economy will be my highest priority. States need to invest in their infrastructure and we need to continue to make investments that attract businesses to Rhode Island. States that make strategic investments first will be the first to recover.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
Getting children back to school safely. If we can’t accomplish this task in a meaningful way it will be very difficult to bring the workforce back. We need to be patient and cautious. I support bringing the youngest students back first and incrementally adding grades. We need a phased start to see how it goes and be prepared for all scenarios. This will require great patience and commitment from teachers and school leaders, as they will now be shifting to frontline workers confronting the pandemic.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
We need proven leaders with the experience necessary to tackle both the immediate and long-term challenges that confront us. Prior to Covid19, we had Rhode Island’s economy well-positioned and I plan on getting us back to where we were with the help of my colleagues in the Senate. Working with the House and the Governor we will reestablish our economic footing.
5. Who is your inspiration?
My parents.
Bio:
Dominick J. Ruggerio is the Rhode Island State Senator for District 4, which encompasses neighborhoods in North Providence and Providence. After serving as Senate majority leader from 2011 to 2017, Dominick’s colleagues elected him senate president in 2017.
Dominick has consistently championed policies to grow Rhode Island’s economy and expand job opportunities for working families. He was an outspoken supporter of the I-195 Relocation Project, which freed up more than 20 acres of developable land in downtown Providence. He also authored legislation to create the I-195 Commission to facilitate the sale and development of the land. Successful developments in and around this area, including the $100 million Wexford project, have brought high-paying life science jobs to Rhode Island. He remains passionate about the potential of the I-195 District, often decrying Rhode Island’s bureaucracy and regulatory burdens that stand in the way of development.
Dominick believes good public schools and a well-educated workforce are critical to the future of the Ocean State. He co-sponsored the state’s education funding formula overhaul in 2010 and has fought each year to fully fund the formula. As a result, state education aid to North Providence has doubled over the past decade.
Dominick has also fought to create alternative career pathways for high school graduates. He strongly believes that apprenticeship programs can be a training tool for career success. In 2016, he fought to expand state-approved apprenticeship programs beyond traditional construction trades and into non-traditional fields such as pharmaceutical technicians, information technology, and nursing.
He also collaborated with business leaders to establish public-private partnership centers throughout the state to train high school graduates for high paying jobs right here in Rhode Island. Most recently, he secured $4 million for the establishment of the Northern Rhode Island Higher Education Center to prepare high school graduates for IT and office jobs at leading local companies, including AAA Northeast, Amica, CVS Health, and Fidelity.
Dominick has been a strident defender of working families. He has fought to raise the state’s minimum wage, increase access to quality childcare, and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. Under his leadership, the Senate recently passed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover telemedicine and pushed for stronger regulations for nursing homes.
Dominick is also passionate about animal welfare and has received The Humane Society of the United States’ Humane Legislator Award. Last session, he sponsored new laws to put an end to the curbside sale of cats and dogs and allow the Rhode Island Family Court to issue restraining orders to protect animals. Dominick has also been recognized for his advocacy on environmental issues, which include creating the state’s recycling programs for mattresses and paint. This session he was the prime sponsor of a Senate proposal to ban single-use plastic bags.
Dominick is a North Providence resident. He graduated from LaSalle Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College. In 2017, Dominick retired as an administrator of the New England Laborers Labor Management Coop Trust. Dominick is the proud father of Charles and Amanda and the loving grandfather to Ava, Mia, Natalie, and Jameson.
Website: www.ruggerioforsenate.com
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @SenatorRuggerio