Debate Scheduled For Three GOP Dist. 30 Candidates

The East Greenwich Republican Town Committee and EG Patch are sponsoring a debate Aug. 23 between the three Republican contenders for the House District 30 State Representative seat in the General Assembly.

You can be a part of it: we are soliciting questions from readers.

House District 30 represents all of East Greenwich and the eastern third of West Greenwich. The seat has been held for 20 years by .

The debate will be held at on Main Street, with doors open at 6 p.m. Dave Layman, former television news anchor and a panelist on RI PBS’s "A Lively Experiment," will serve as moderator. The debate is expected to conclude by 7:30 p.m. Three candidates, , and , have successfully filed for the seat, and all have agreed to participate. , as a Republican four years ago and an independent two years ago. Both Fachon and Giarrusso are political newcomers, running for public office for the first time.

“We think this debate among candidates for the District 30 seat will be a terrific opportunity for voters to hear what these candidates have to say, better understand how they think, and explore what they plan to do regarding issues relevant to voters here,” said Chuck Newton, chairman of the East Greenwich Republican Town Committee.

“The August 23 date coincides with a Main Street Stroll, and we hope this will draw an even larger audience for the event. Certainly, this is a chance for voters to learn more, but as a local event, it is also an opportunity for them to expose entire families to the political process, and we hope parents, too, will take advantage of it.

“The bottom line, however, is to have a better informed voter, one who can cast a knowledgeable vote for State Representative in the Sept. 11 primary election,” Newton said.

Have a question for the candidates? Send it to elizabeth.mcnamara@patch.com. But remember, we're talking statewide issues and local issues that require legislative support. We will be holding debates on local issues later on, so hold those specific questions for now.