Political Profile: Arthur Corvese, Candidate for State Representative in District 55
GoLocalProv Political Team
Political Profile: Arthur Corvese, Candidate for State Representative in District 55
1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
The biggest campaign issue is the continuation of the resurgence of the Rhode Island economy as we transition from pandemic to endemic. The General Assembly plays a pivotal role in encouraging responsible capitalism, balancing the promotion and protection of employees’ financial and working conditions with the maintenance of a viable business climate that does not over-burden employers.
A second issue that is in a dead heat with a healthy Rhode Island economy for biggest campaign issue is the need for a consistent, state-wide education plan that stresses the basics of reading, composition, and computation, as well as life-skills, and has primary input from parents and teachers.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
The economic engine of the Rhode Island economy has always been its small business community. The General Assembly has made great strides in recent years to foster a healthier business climate, but a more detailed and in-depth approach must be taken to examine the decrease, modification, or elimination of regressive taxes, such as the sales tax; to create more direct and inclusive pathways from academia to employment; and to examine the nexus of government and business with an eye to make government interaction more “business-friendly.”
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
The greatest challenge facing the state of Rhode Island is no different than that of the other 49 states in this present turbulent, divisive era: re-establishing a state-wide, pervasive sense of community where respect, propriety, and order once again become the foundation for the healthy examination, discussion and solution of societal challenges and appropriate redress.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
During my early teens, I came to the realization that if you wanted to effect positive change in your neighborhood and the community at large, if you wanted to improve the lives of those around you, you had to do more than walk into a booth (in those days) every 2 years and flick some levers. Positive change derives only from personal involvement, and my life experiences, from growing up in the Marieville section of North Providence; starting to work at age 14 on the corner of Charles and Mineral Spring Avenue; my academic career culminating in my Doctorate and the establishment of my practice; and my years of public service within the community have only deepened that belief and my desire to effect that positive change.
5. Who is your inspiration?
Inspiration, to me, is not found in one sole individual. Inspiration is akin to a tapestry, a series of exceptional individuals and events encountered along the way in one’s life, each important on their own, but, when taken together, create a greater feeling of purpose and direction. I have been extremely fortunate to have family and close friends who are at the center of that tapestry, and provide me with the necessary motivation to contribute to our great state of Rhode Island.