Cindy Coyne, a member of the Barrington Town Council since 2010, announced Thursday that she is running for the District 32 seat (Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) in the Rhode Island State Senate.

Ms. Coyne, a Democrat, is eyeing the seat held by fellow Barrington resident David Bates for more than two decades. Sen. Bates is a Republican.

Ms. Coyne said her time as a member of the town council helped her understand how to best serve the people of Barrington.

“My four years on the town council has been a great opportunity to understand the role of local government, and the town government’s relationship with the people it serves,” Ms. Coyne said.

“I have had the opportunity to work with many dedicated volunteers, without whose efforts government could not function. Whether it was the United Veterans Council, the Senior Services Advisory Board, or the School Committee, I learned far more from those I worked with than I ever thought possible and these experiences have positioned me to better represent the taxpayers of Barrington.”

Ms. Coyne was the top vote-getter in the 2010 election. Prior to her time on the council she worked for the Rhode Island State Police, retiring in 2006 with the rank of Lieutenant after more than 20 years of service. She currently works as an administrative supervisor within the department of campus safety and security at Johnson & Wales University.

“I will put the lessons of my time on the town council, along with the lessons of my 20 years of public service with the Rhode Island State Police to work in the Senate," Ms. Coyne said.

"Until our economy returns to where it should be and our unemployment rate shifts dramatically downward, my focus will be on finding ways to stimulate our economy and put people back to work.

"Collaboration is an important first step to addressing our challenges. Respect for one another’s ideas and interests gives us all a better understanding to how we can best accomplish a task at hand. There is much work to be done at the statehouse and I’m ready to meet that challenge. I hope to earn the support of the residents of District 32 in the coming months.”