William Hunt Jr.

Warren

Political platform statement

Why I am running for this office: I am running for state representative to bring a principled voice to our statehouse. For too long career politicians, activists, and professorial ideologues have provided us with poor leadership, high taxes, and dysfunctional state government. The General Assembly refused to convene for three months when we needed them the most. While most families are forced to tighten their budget during this uncertain time, our state leaders hastily met and in less than a week, passed a supplemental budget that increased their spending by nearly 20% to $11.8 billion just before the end of the fiscal year – without addressing the obvious the revenue shortfall our state is facing. On November 3rd, vote for the candidate who will fight to stop special interests from taking your money and your rights. Vote for William J. Hunt Jr. for District 68

Education/Profession: William Hunt Jr. is an risk management and insurance professional who specializes in property & casualty insurance for small businesses here in Rhode Island. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2006 with a B.S. in Business Administration. William has also earned numerous industry designations including: Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Associate Insurance Professional (AINS), Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA), and has also earned a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification from Bryant University.

Position statement 1: Lower Taxes: Rhode Island pays some of the highest effective total state and local tax rates in the country. The median household income family pays $8,697 annually which is 27% higher than the national average. I will work to cut fraud and unnecessary spending from the $9.6 billion budget and put that money back in the pockets of the Rhode Island Taxpayer.

Position statement 2: Fight for Small Business: Collectively small business owners are the largest employer in Rhode Island. I will work to reduce the red tape and onerous business regulations that prevent entrepreneurs from starting or growing businesses in our state. I will work to stop the corporate welfare given to special interests and out-of-state businesses and use that money to ease the tax burden of the small business in our state.

Position statement 3: Protect and Preserve our Coastal Resources: Every restriction, every fee, every barrier that has been put in place to separate us from our shorelines does nothing to improve the service or preserve our greatest resource. All of the money collected goes straight to the general fund and we can’t even figure out how to collect beachgoers' garbage. Let’s do a better job for our residents and provide a better product for our tourists.

Position statement 4: Audit the State Budget: Rhode Island’s budget is out of control. It has ballooned over 51% in the last decade - growing from $7.8 billion in 2010 to a revised budget of $11.8 billion for the close of the 2019-20 FY. That is over $11,000 for every resident in this state. 17-18 we had the 10th highest budget per capita in the country - the 2nd highest in New England.

Position statement 5: Support the Line Item Veto: Imagine a surgeon trying to remove a tumor with a sledgehammer. With the wrong tool, that surgeon could either do nothing or cause more harm to the patient than good. The same is true for the governor and the rank-and-file legislators when passing the state budget.

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Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.