Kelsey Coletta wants to be the State Rep from Johnston
"I've known since my teens that I was going to eventually run for office."
Kelsey Coletta is challenging State Representative Edward Cardillo (Democrat, District 42, Johnston) in the Democratic Primary on September 10. Also in the race is Dennis Cardillo Jr., the incumbent state rep's nephew. The primary winner will likely face Republican Richard Fascia in the November 5 General Election. The primary race is a rehash of the 2022 race where Coletta took second place by less than a hundred votes.
I conducted this interview by telephone and edited the following for clarity.
Steve Ahlquist: We met many years ago outside the State House where you were leading a protest in favor of codifying Roe v. Wade. This would have been before the Supreme Court overturned Roe, at a time when many politicians were telling women it couldn't happen, and that Roe was established law.
Kelsey Coletta: That was one of the issues that made me want to run, but then, I grew up in a political family and I've always been pro-choice. I grew up Catholic and I remember not knowing what abortion was, but I was at a CCD class and the deacon came to us and said to the entire class, “You're not allowed to leave the classroom until you tell me that abortion is wrong.” I was young enough that I had no idea what abortion was, but I knew that if I was being told it was wrong, it was probably not wrong. So I shoved past him and left the classroom. That was my brief, most basic intro to the issue. All of this [entering politics] feels inevitable - being an outspoken advocate growing up in a political family makes it feel inevitable.
I've known since my teens that I was going to eventually run for office.
Steve Ahlquist: Interesting. I've never been certain about my life like that. Can I ask how old you are now?
Kelsey Coletta: I'm 34.
Steve Ahlquist: So you've known for almost 20 years that you were going to run for something. What made you do it now?
Kelsey Coletta: Well, I mean, I ran [for the same office] in 2022 and I ran then because I had finished grad school, gotten my first [professional] license, and gotten married. We had just bought a house so it was the right time.
Steve Ahlquist: You felt ready because your life was stable enough that you could take on being a state legislator.
Kelsey Coletta: It was just the right time. My husband has known since we first met that at some point Kelsey's going to run.
Steve Ahlquist: You spoke about your political family. Your father is Representative John Edwards (Democrat, District 70, Tiverton). He's a rep who has famously championed some very interesting, even progressive ideas. And he made a big switch on the abortion issue, voting in favor of codifying Roe.
His safe injection site bill was great. I don't know if anybody else could have brought it over the finish line the way he did. He seemed to have just the right amount of political capital in both progressive and conservative places to make that happen. [The law (2021-H 5245A, 2021-S 0016B) authorizes facilities where people may safely consume those substances under the supervision of health care professionals.]
Kelsey Coletta: I'm endlessly proud of all of the stuff he has done, especially about substance use. We've lost family members to substance use. Also, I work in the field, so he comes to me with questions about things. He's always been very open to learning and he'll change where he stands on things as he learns.
Steve Ahlquist: You mentioned growing up Catholic and having a person come in and say, “No one leaves this room until you tell me that you think abortion is wrong.” I also grew up Catholic and I had similar experiences. Do you feel like that's the wrong tactic to take with kids? Your reaction was, “I know it's probably okay if they're telling me it’s wrong.” Do you have a nature that compels you to do the opposite of what power tells you to do? How did growing up Catholic and being a free thinker affect your thoughts on other issues?
Kelsey Coletta: I was an altar server for eight years, and that had a big impact because as a girl, I was treated differently. I couldn't do certain things. I had to wear a different outfit, for instance, so I grew up feeling very much like an other. Treating me differently contributed to how I listened and believed.
Steve Ahlquist: You felt you were being treated second class? I'm 62, and when I was a kid, young women were not allowed to do that. There was no such thing as an altar server. There were altar boys. [Girls were allowed to be altar servers starting in 1994.]
Kelsey Coletta: My dad always had us go to the 7:30 mass. The last priest to take over while we were there started changing things. Women had to wear a dress or a skirt. Masses started to be in Latin. I went to my dad and told him, “I feel guilty for being born a girl when I'm at church. They're treating me differently and it feels really bad.” And we left that church.
Steve Ahlquist: The Latin mass and the dress restrictions show a push towards the right, politically speaking. Interestingly, the church lost people rather than gained people when they moved to the right.
Kelsey Coletta: My dad also noticed that because he used to do the readings, and when the priest found out that he was married to a Protestant, he noticed that he was not on the schedule as often.
Steve Ahlquist: Well, it was controversial when my mother, who was a Catholic, married my father, who was a Baptist. As a result, weirdly, I was the product of a mixed marriage in the CCD world.
How are your interactions going at the doors?
Kelsey Coletta: Great. I've never had a single person be rude in any way. Even when people have disagreed with me on things we've had nice conversations. Everybody's been nice.
A lot of people say that I'm the only one, this time around or ever, who has gone to their door and spoken to them.
Steve Ahlquist: That's just crazy. If people want to win, they come to your house and meet you. It's just the way it works. Even state-level candidates like Gregg Amore make that effort. He was at my house.
Kelsey Coletta: He went everywhere. I can only imagine how many sneakers he went through.
Steve Ahlquist: When you're at the door, what issues do people tend to bring up with you?
Kelsey Coletta: Education and healthcare are big. Healthcare because there are a lot of seniors in my district who are on fixed incomes and can't afford medications. Infrastructure is a concern because of the terrible flooding we have. There are two state roads in the district and one of them is so bad people had to be rescued by boat.
Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. has gotten federal funding, but there's a lack of advocacy on our behalf at the State House. We can get federal funding, but we're struggling with the state, and that doesn't make sense.
Steve Ahlquist: Do you hear from seniors or others that they're afraid about losing their housing?
Kelsey Coletta: I don't hear about housing as much.
Steve Ahlquist: What are your thoughts on education?
Kelsey Coletta: There's an article that came out that showed that Johnston is the lowest-paid school district. They've lost a social worker in the school, so it's been hard to support student mental health, never mind substance use prevention. That's a major concern because a teacher or social worker can make better money elsewhere. How would we deal with a mass exodus?
Steve Ahlquist: If you're the lowest paying town or city, you can drive an extra five minutes to a neighboring municipality and get better pay.
Kelsey Coletta: Exactly.
Steve Ahlquist: Does that have anything to do with the education funding formula?
Kelsey Coletta: To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure. I've been speaking with more and more teachers. I got the NEARI [National Education Association Rhode Island] endorsement and I've spoken with the AFT [American Federation of Teachers] and Johnson teachers to hear their concerns. My mom's a public school teacher, but she works in a different district, so I hear about issues across the region.
Steve Ahlquist: Problems across municipalities are related but not necessarily the same.
What House committees would you like to be on?
Kelsey Coletta: I haven't thought about it as much, because I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Steve Ahlquist: I understand that, but with your expertise in, let's say healthcare...
Kelsey Coletta: I feel that would be a good fit.
Steve Ahlquist: One of the first votes you'll make upon being elected is for the Speaker. I'm interested in how people think about that vote, because most people, I think, vote for the Speaker because they want to be embedded in the power structure. But some people like to push back or advocate for new rules. Where on that spectrum do you find yourself?
Kelsey Coletta: I support the speaker. I haven't had any reason to not.
Steve Ahlquist: With your expertise in healthcare and substance use, what are your thoughts on doing more in the sense of decriminalization? What should Rhode Island's policy be?
Kelsey Coletta: As far as a decrim approach goes, I don't think that's a thing that could fully be explored or accomplished right now. Supporting harm reduction is important because there are decades of evidence to support it. Across the globe, there are millions of overdoses but not a single death at any of the harm reduction centers and no evidence of an increase in crime. It's common sense.
Another big issue is insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare reimbursement. We're losing professionals in the field because when you're not getting paid enough, you're going to leave. You're going to open a private practice and do private pay only, or you're going to leave the field entirely. It's important to address because we can't provide sufficient services if we don't have enough providers.
Steve Ahlquist: That's a scary thought. We are losing providers in a multitude of healthcare fields - like dentistry, for instance.
What other issues are motivating you?
Kelsey Coletta: I am a product of public schools, my mom's public school teacher. The state should be supporting education.
Also, I'm one of many people in the district who, if it rains for 15 minutes and I'm about to leave for work, I think, “What road do I have to take?” I have a Jeep, but I've almost been stuck when it's not flooding. There are small businesses that have to close, and I don't know how they're able to, no pun intended, stay afloat.
Steve Ahlquist: When our metaphors come true, we're usually in trouble. Two subjects I've been covering lately are homelessness and trans rights. I know you said housing was not a big concern for people in your district, but homelessness is a related issue. Can you speak to what you think can be done to help that? I bet it overlaps with your work in the substance use area as well.
Kelsey Coletta: I look forward to working with the Mayor on this because it is everywhere. I want to work with people who have a lot more experience than I do because there just aren't resources. I work with clients who are living in their cars, and I don't know what to do sometimes because there's just nothing out there.
People say, “Just get a job” but - where do you shower? Where do you get clothes? How do you do your resume? Where do you print your resume? How are you going to do a Zoom interview if you don't have housing?
Steve Ahlquist: Many people experiencing homelessness have a job. Just because they're living in their car doesn't mean they lost their job. They may have lost an apartment or a house, but they're still out there showing up to work. They have to work, they have to eat. I know plenty of people who are homeless and work.
I want to talk quickly about the efforts of several right-wing groups in the state seeking to do away with a seven-year-old state policy that protects trans students. Have you seen that effort in your community?
Kelsey Coletta: I haven't experienced that, but you have to take into consideration the culture. It's very religious. I've heard people expressing concern about it a few times at the doors. People sometimes say it's a mental illness. Well, I've got a copy of the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] if you want to point out to me where it is. Gender dysphoria is not the same as being trans.
Steve Ahlquist: Thank you for your time.
