George Wiley Center Senate District 8 questionnaire
"...BLM RI PAC urges Lori Urso to publicly release her responses to the George Wiley Center's questions, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability to inform voters.”
Candidates running for Pawtucket’s Senate District 8 seat, recently vacated by Sandra Cano, were posed a series of questions by the George Wiley Center, Rhode Island’s longest-running anti-poverty organizing group. Independent candidate Cathyann Baker Palocsik declined to respond. Democrat Lori Urso, who was chosen to step into the campaign by Rhode Island Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Beretta-Perik after Senator Cano left her position for a job with the federal government, did answer, but some of her answers, according to the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC, were far from satisfactory.
The George Wiley Center is a 501(c)3 and doesn’t endorse candidates but can ask candidates about their legislative and policy priorities. As an educational service, the Center shared the responses (and lack thereof) with its members and the broader public.
Here are the questions asked and the answers provided by Lori Urso. I have lightly edited for clarity.
Energy Justice and Just Transition
George Wiley Center: With the combined impacts of climate change and inflation, along with the dependency on global fossil fuel energy sources, we must provide affordable fossil-free energy solutions. Committing to goals toward a transition is essential. Will you pursue research into effective ways to reduce energy costs and transition to renewables, including expanding and municipalizing energy production within the City of Pawtucket?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: How would you make utilities more affordable? How will you work to pass PIPP (Percentage Income Payment Plan) on the state level? PIPP will allow low-income households to afford our utilities by making our rates based on our incomes. PIPP legislation has been pending for many years, how would you pressure the Senate President to allow a floor vote on PIPP for next session? How will you ensure that future Rhode Island Public Utilities appointees support the implementation of PIPP and work with the George Wiley Center to listen to the interests of utility consumers?
Lori Urso: To help make utilities more affordable, I will call into question unreasonable proposals by the PUC to increase utility costs, which hurt us all, and look for ways to better promote competition among suppliers to help reduce this element of cost. I believe the PIPP plan is reasonable. It has proven beneficial and feasible in other states and is a viable program for Rhode Island. I think asking potential appointees to the PUC about their position on PIPP is the best way to understand their positions, although I can’t say for sure that their positions on this one issue alone would necessarily influence their appointments. In an effort to move the question forward, I would confer with colleagues, perhaps those representing Pawtucket and the Blackstone Valley, to attempt to jointly influence Senate leadership to act on the proposal. Data supporting these efforts is key, and I would consult with the GWC and others to promote informed decision-making.
George Wiley Center: What is your timeline, and how would you fund a just transition to clean, renewable energy sources? How will you ensure that jobs created through the transition are good (union) living wages in the green, wind, and blue jobs sectors?
Lori Urso: As a state, we have embraced an aggressive 2030 timeline for 100% renewable energy goals. This makes sense in the Ocean State, where we can take advantage of off-shore wind opportunities and waterpower opportunities in some areas, where we are small enough to set statewide ambitions for hybrid and electric-powered vehicles, and where individual residential solar efforts are becoming more prevalent. However, we need to ensure our grid infrastructure is ready for a just transition, and I need to become better educated on these variables. In terms of jobs, I believe this area is highly specialized, and in some cases, high-risk jobs require a highly trained and qualified workforce that adheres to strict safety standards for the well-being of workers and those on the receiving end of these services.
George Wiley Center: Rhode Island imports most of its energy. How would you increasingly take utilities out of the market by creating nonprofit, coop, and the municipalization of our utilities (for example, municipalization of street lighting, wind, water, community solar, and other possible sources such as tidal, etc.)?
Lori Urso: I do not know enough to say whether Pawtucket is truly in a position to fully municipalize its electric or natural gas utilities. However, I am open to exploring the potential for the city to join the state municipal aggregation program. That means I would have to better understand the participation of our neighbors in Providence and Central Falls, how this has benefited residents, how many residents take advantage of the program, and the barriers that may keep people from participating. I also need to understand why Pawtucket opted not to join the network.
Once better informed, I can provide an appropriate response.
Restorative Justice
George Wiley Center: Restorative Justice questions referred to the repeal of the “Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights,” replacing SROs in Pawtucket Schools with school counselors/mental health workers/social workers/resource workers, supporting an independent 3rd party Police Review Commission composed of Pawtucket residents who are not related to or living with law enforcement officers, reallocating state & city funds from the Pawtucket Police Department to community services, and holding a public city forum (similar to a truth & reconciliation commission hearing) on the history of racist policing and state violence in Pawtucket, as a step toward recognizing past harm and building new routes toward true public safety.
Lori Urso: I would like to use this narrative space to offer a reason for not providing simple yes/no answers in the Restorative Justice section below. Just like the Energy Justice questions above, these are complex matters that require a level of inquiry or explanation that better reflects an individual’s position. If I had an opportunity to expand on the responses that have been offered, I would have provided that. Without that, however, I think it will be difficult for the readers to fully understand my positions, where I feel I may need to be better informed on an issue or its consequences, and how I would approach achieving a level of knowledge that allows me to make decisions that best serve the interests of all people. I am open to an opportunity to discuss these matters with representatives of the George Wiley Center.
In response to the above, the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee (BLM RI PAC) called on Senate District 8 candidate Lori Urso to address her lack of responses on restorative justice issues.
“BLM RI PAC is particularly disappointed by Urso's lack of clear positions on crucial topics such as repealing the ‘Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights,’ replacing School Resource Officers with mental health professionals in Pawtucket schools, supporting an independent Police Review Commission, reallocating funds from the Pawtucket Police Department to community services, and addressing the history of racist policing in the city,” said BLM RI PAC in a press release. “Although Urso cited the complexity of these issues, BLM RI PAC believes her reluctance to provide direct answers raises doubts about her commitment to much-needed restorative justice reforms in one of Rhode Island's most diverse communities.”
“The refusal to engage with these crucial restorative justice questions not only avoids accountability but also leaves voters in the dark about where Urso stands on matters affecting their daily lives,” said Harrison Tuttle, President of BLM RI PAC. “It is not enough to claim that the issues are complex; our communities deserve clarity on a candidate's commitment to fundamental reforms that would significantly impact public safety and racial justice in Pawtucket.
“With the election rapidly approaching, BLM RI PAC urges Lori Urso to publicly release her responses to the George Wiley Center's questions, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability to inform voters.”
Social Services, Green-space & Education
George Wiley Center: Will you work to expand social services & support agencies that provide food assistance, mental health, housing support, healthcare, ESOL/literacy education, childcare, and other social services to support immigrant/refugee communities, seniors, disabled people, and the unemployed?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: Would you work to preserve green space and expand support for community gardens that provide food, social connectivity, and environmental benefits?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: Will you seek to ensure rent stabilization for all residents of Pawtucket, including at-risk households such as elders, people with disabilities, immigrants, and low-income families?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: Would you facilitate additional emergency shelters to provide habitable short-term living space to vulnerable residents?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: Do you vow to find ways to increase funding for Public Education in Pawtucket, including but not limited to assuring large-scale developers contribute their fair share?
Lori Urso: Yes.
George Wiley Center: Would you oppose the creation of a mayoral academy charter in Pawtucket?
Lori Urso: Yes.
Arts & Culture
George Wiley Center: Do you commit to increasing support for local artists and cultural organizations that provide opportunities for Pawtucket artists and cultural workers, especially communities of color, women, and LGBTQIA+ people?
Lori Urso: Yes.
State Budget Priorities
George Wiley Center: If you find a state budget promoting austerity economic proposals that offer very little concessions to the issues above, would you vote your opposition to the budget?
Lori Urso: Yes.
