Rep. Patricia Morgan: RI needs Rebecca Schiff in the House

By Rep. Patricia Morgan
RI House of Representatives Deputy House Minority Leader

Rhode Island went into the recession early and has yet to fully recover. Rhode Islanders have been struggling to live with a cost of living that grows higher and harder every year, while their paychecks stay the same. And despite all the words and assurances over the past 8 years from our state's leadership that they are focused on jobs and the economy, Rhode Island continues to bump along the bottom on index after index. Their policies are simply not working!

Insiders, political cronies, lobbyists and contributors dominate General Assembly actions and priorities. Average, hard-working Rhode Islanders are only considered when the bill needs to be paid. The toll law, the unaccountable slush funds called legislative and community service grants, the lack of any real investigation into the debacle 38 Studios, the $42 million Statehouse budget chock full of spending on friends and relatives, and the ever growing property tax burden, increased DMV fees and gas and tourist taxes are clear signs that the status quo is not working for our average families.

We need people in the legislature who are willing to question the leaders, not just parrot their tortured rationales for bad policy. Instead of representatives who are willing to vote over and over for policies that hurt their constituents, we need people willing to break the current mold and search out new, best practice solutions to help Rhode Island shine again. We need elected officials with a willingness to look beyond the tired and counterproductive philosophies that are hampering our efforts to make government more transparent and accountable, to take on the insiders and cronies and say "no more." Hard work, determination, a clear vision of what our state needs to thrive, a goal to maximize the potential and financial security of every resident; these are the qualities that our communities desperately need in the General Assembly.

Rebecca Schiff, candidate for District 74 RI House of Representatives, is a person who possesses these qualities. She stepped forward to run for the seat, because she knows Rhode Island can do better and be better with new leadership. Her intelligence, drive and work ethic have convinced me that she is willing to roll up her sleeves and work hard to change the downward trend of our economy. She is willing to do her homework and question the policies that are hurting average families. Her allegiance will be with the people of her district, not with the political bosses in Providence.

If you like our struggling economy, prevalent corruption, crushing tax burden, lack of governmental transparency and accountability and elected officials who only think of you as a "wallet," return the current people to office. But if you want a better future for yourself and your family, if you want government to serve your best interests, I urge you to vote for Rebecca Schiff. Rhode Island needs a new management team. Rhode Island needs Rebecca Schiff.