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Sunday, August 21, 2022
Paul Santucci is a Republican candidate for State Senate in District 22. Here is what he has to say.
1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in RI?
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I would submit to you that the best way to answer your question is with another question: Are you better off today or are you ready for a better Rhode Island? Please look at the facts: Rhode Island’s General Assembly has been under the control of a Democratic super-majority for eight decades. Look at the fact that our beloved State is near the bottom of almost every economic category in US News and World Report for Opportunity, Education, Economy, Infrastructure, etc. A vote for Republican leadership will bring balance & fresh voices of collaboration to our Legislature…something we desperately need.
2. What do we need to do to improve RI’s economy?
We need higher-paying jobs (that provide robust career opportunities) to keep our children in RI. To produce higher-paying jobs, we need an education system that delivers RI’s workforce with graduates that can compete in areas like engineering and sciences. We also need less regulation on businesses as well as investments to infrastructure.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing RI as a State?
Two things pop out that are equally important to me, as RI’s greatest challenge: Education & Healthcare. Walk a mile in the shoes of a Rhode Islander who has a loved one stuck in our healthcare system, particularly for our retired and elderly population. What you will find is a healthcare system that needs enormous change. Our nursing homes and assisted living facilities are under tremendous pressure to deliver (via an unfunded General Assembly mandate), increased staffing in the worst inflationary environment in 40 years. We need help for families who have a loved one with dementia…a one-way disease that causes a great deal of stress on entire families. We can do better, and we must because our healthcare system touches every Rhode Islander.
We need an education system that will focus on the basics of…education. I meet people all the time who are in professors in education. They’re consistently finding that our students are graduating high school without the basics of reading and writing.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
During my tenure as Town Council President in Smithfield, I was very proactive. I took bold steps to create a Water Supply Advisory Board for the Smithfield Water Supply Board (which services a large portion of Smithfield and a small part of North Providence). I investigated many things that could be done better and planted the seeds for the improvements to the system that we’re seeing today. As a financial advisor, I took my expertise and applied that to spearheading efforts that meaningfully improved our “legacy” Police and Fire Pension Plan (making changes in the actuary, recordkeeper and investment management services). We took savings from those changes and rolled them back into the plans to make them stronger. We made changes to the investment manager of our Post Employment Benefits Trust (OPEB). I was instrumental in creating a Capital Committee when Smithfield’s Charter was changed in 2020. This Capital Committee is already bearing fruit for our community. I can take these leadership roles and examples and bring them to The General Assembly!
5. Who is your inspiration?
My father is my inspiration. My dad wasn’t afraid of anything, and he taught me many lessons as a young child, growing up in a family business. My dad worked extremely hard, making many sacrifices for our family, and he instilled in me the belief that you have to do your best, every day.
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