Corporations and the extraordinarily wealthy have too much control over our government and over our society. We need to stand up and fight back. And that's why I'm running for Congress.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

We have more than enough puppets in Washington. Corporations and the extraordinarily wealthy have too much control over our government, and over our society -- and that power is only growing. We're at a watershed moment in American history: We need to stand up and fight back. And that's why I'm running for Congress.

Please help us keep our ad running, by visiting NobodysPuppet.com and making a modest donation.

During my four years on the Providence City Council and four years as a state representative, I've pushed for public financing of elections, and worked with Change Congress to fight the Citizens United decision. I'm refusing corporate money -- and my calls for my major opponent to do the same have been met with deafening silence.

I've never shied away from challenging powerful interests when it's been right for Rhode Islanders: I've passed laws cracking down on the big banks -- taking on both predatory lending and foreclosures. Last year, when the Governor and General Assembly leadership tried to cut critical funds for schools and services for working families from the state's budget, I organized fellow legislators to block the state budget until $25 million in funding was restored.

I pushed back against the big utility company to pass laws paving the way for "green jobs" across the state. And when my opponent in the Congressional race, the mayor of Providence, wouldn't enforce rules requiring companies that benefit from taxpayer dollars to hire locally, I organized my council colleagues to sue in court, and won a victory for local workers. When the Providence Westin management cut worker pay by 20%, I announced a local-national coalition that pushed back, and personally delivering thousands of signatures to the management on behalf of the hotel's workers.

My work over the last eight years speaks for itself: I'm nobody's puppet.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot