The candidates for the Rhode Island Senate District 32 seat shared their thoughts on the environment, healthcare and other issues during a forum last week.

Pam Lauria and Susannah Holloway will face off in the Democratic primary next month. Holloway is the vice chairwoman for the town’s Committee on Appropriations. Lauria serves on the town’s housing board and is the chair of the Barrington Democrats.

Pressing issues in district

Both candidates were asked what they believed were the most pressing issues for the district. 

Lauria, a nurse practitioner for more than two decades, said her top three issues were healthcare, education and the environment. Lauria said her husband is a public school teacher and she has seen firsthand the effects of Covid-19 on students and educators. She said the state needs to focus on helping educators recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Holloway shared a similar list of pressing issues: climate, education and women’s reproductive rights. Holloway said the “climate catastrophe” is her number one issue. She said Rhode Island needs to do more to address the issue, including increased use of solar energy. She also said she was pro-choice, adding that women in Rhode Island need to stand together and stand up for abortion rights. 

Watch the complete forum here.

Charter schools

The Senate hopefuls offered their thoughts about charter schools, and whether they would support the expansion of charter schools in RI.

Holloway said she believes there are some amazing charter schools in Rhode Island, filled with great teachers and students. But, she added, charter schools can pull resources away from public schools throughout the state. She also said charter schools can have “very non-transparent spending.”

Lauria agreed that some charter schools do a great job, but she would not be in favor of furthering any more charter schools. She said they remove important dollars that public schools need, and that charter schools generally self-select their students — she said many don’t cater to special needs students and they increase segregation of students. 

Helping businesses

Forum moderator Scott Pickering also asked Lauria and Holloway for ways legislators could help local businesses.

Holloway called for government transparency of tax dollars, and also said the state has a very high sales tax, which is a regressive form of taxation. She also suggested the state could help businesses by pitching in with healthcare. 

Lauria called for the state to eliminate some of the red tape that small businesses face. She, too, spoke about the weight of affording healthcare for businesses. She wants to see a move toward universal healthcare. 

Climate change

Lauria said the general assembly had already taken some bold steps toward addressing climate change, but it could go further. She called for reducing carbon emissions by an earlier day and pitched the idea of making public transportation free or reduced. She also supports more bike lanes. 

Holloway said Rhode Island is not doing nearly enough when it comes to fighting climate change. She wants to see more buildings out-fitted with solar panels and retro-fitting buildings with heat pumps. Holloway also called for a focus on forests, and the natural habitat can play a key role in helping address climate change.

Women’s reproductive rights

Holloway and Lauria spoke out for the need for women’s rights. Holloway said it was a liberty issue, adding that she was absolutely committed to pro-choice. Lauria said she has worked in women’s healthcare, but not in abortion. She agreed with Holloway on the women’s rights issues.

Shoreline access

Both candidates were asked about a shoreline access bill that received overwhelming support in the House last session, but failed to gain support in the Senate.

Lauria said she was very familiar with the bill and said a bi-partisan group worked hard on the issue. She said the state should be preserving shoreline access and Rhode Island should be looking toward Hawaii as an example, adding that there is no such thing as a private beach on Hawaii. 

Holloway said she was committed to seeing the shoreline access bill passed into law. She also spoke about the need to form CRMC — Coastal Resources Management Council. Reforming CRMC would create a stronger advocate for shoreline access, she said. 

Gun laws

Holloway and Lauria, both members of the gun violence prevention group Moms Demand Action, were asked if they believed there needed to be any changes to Rhode Island gun laws.

Holloway said there should be changes to the laws — she called for a ban on assault rifles. She said it was heartbreaking and a tragedy that the current general assembly could not bring itself to banning assault rifles. She said that was one of the reasons she was running for office.

Lauria said gun laws were a critical issue, adding that legislators needed to go after assault weapons. She also spoke in favor of safe storage of weapons. 

Final pitch

Both candidates had an opportunity to make a final pitch to voters, offering why they thought they were the best candidate. Lauria said she’s had a life-long love for the community. She said she’s been working hard for the community and has been focused on affordable housing. Lauria also said she has been working to get other people elected to office for years. Holloway said she was the best candidate because of her background as an advocate, and as a trained civil litigator. She said there was a need for better open records laws in Rhode Island and better government transparency.