Mike Smith Announces He's Running for District 13 Senate Seat

NEWPORT, RI—"Now is the time," Mike Smith told a gathering of his political supporters at King Park onTuesday morning as he announced he is officially a candidate for the District 13 Senate seat. Smith, with his wife and two daughters, said he wants to work for a year round economy in Newport and Jamestown, and added "the burdens on middle class families are far too much."

District 13 represents Jamestown and part of Newport.

Jamestown's town councilor Blake Dickinson came by King Park to hear the announcement. Dickinson, a Republican, said he's encouraged by the fact Smith did so well in his first run for state Senate. He captured 46 percent of the vote and gave longtime incumbent M. Teresa Paiva Weed a serious challenge.

The seat was vacant because Paiva Weed, who held the seat for 25 years, resigned.

Smith called for a round of applause for Paiva Weed for her efforts.

In discussing his goals, Smith said Newport has lost 50 percent of its population in the past 40 years and is forecast to lose another 15 percent in the coming 20 years. That's a trend that he will work to reverse because those numbers make a difference to business owners who consider bringing opportunities here.

Smith said all his children attended public schools. (His two sons missed the announcement because they're in college, he said.) He believes in public education and wants some breaks for middle class families who are paying high taxes, fees, tolls and other costs. Rhode Islanders pay dearly for highways and bridges, he said, but still have about the worst infrastructure in the U.S.