Republican Party Of Westerly

05/31/2026

OFFICIAL STATEMENT on RI Affordable housing

Rhode Islanders are being told that “affordable housing” is the solution. But according to the latest RIPEC report, the current strategy is producing housing units costing over $512,000 EACH with taxpayers subsidizing roughly $284,000 per unit.

Let that sink in.

We are spending massive amounts of taxpayer money while housing keeps getting MORE expensive and harder to afford for working families, young people, and seniors.

This is not sustainable.

If every apartment costs over half a million dollars to build, we will never create enough housing to truly lower prices across Rhode Island. Taxpayers cannot continue funding a system that spends more every year while producing less impact.

For years, many of the same politicians and “experts” pushed policies loaded with mandates, red tape, endless studies, special interests, and government driven complexity instead of focusing on one simple goal: build more housing people can actually afford.

Common sense says:

Reduce unnecessary regulations

Streamline approvals

Encourage workforce and middle income housing

Cut costly mandates that drive up construction costs

Support practical solutions that increase supply

Affordable housing should mean housing that is actually affordable, not projects costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars per unit.

This is one of the reasons I’m running for office.

Rhode Island needs leaders willing to challenge failed policies and speak honestly about what is not working. Continuing the same approach while expecting different results is exactly how we got here.

Change starts by electing people who want to make housing affordable for everyone, not just expand a broken definition of “affordable housing.”

Common sense will win the day.

05/26/2026

Dr. Stephen Skoly, candidate for U.S. Congress, will be the guest speaker at our monthly Westerly Republican Town Committee meeting tomorrow night, May 26, at 6:30 pm.

If you’re interested in meeting Dr. Skoly, please RSVP to [email protected] or text 401-578-1972 for details.

Nearly 40 years serving Rhode Island. Fighting for medical freedom, constitutional rights, lower taxes, and economic opportunity. Republican for RI District 2.

05/25/2026

05/20/2026

05/20/2026

Congratulations to Seth Logan who was sworn in as a new Westerly School Committee member this morning, filling the vacant seat following former School Committee member Joe Jackson’s recent resignation.

Seth will begin serving immediately and will continue to serve through November 2028.

Thank you to Seth for stepping forward to serve the students and families of Westerly Public Schools and thank you to Joe Jackson for his dedicated service as a School Committee member.

05/19/2026

A Builder’s Alternative to the State House Status Quo

WESTERLY — House District 37 may give Westerly voters a choice between two very different kinds of experience: years inside the State House, or years dealing with the real world consequences of what the State House does.

Chris Stanton, listed by the League of Rhode Island Businesses as its endorsed general election candidate, enters the race conversation with a background rooted in construction, property, and local business. His declared party affiliation has not yet been confirmed through the Rhode Island Department of State candidate filing process or direct statements we were able to locate, but he is not being presented as a Democratic primary challenger to Rep. Samuel Azzinaro.

That distinction gives the race a natural contrast. Stanton’s strongest argument does not have to be ideological. It can be practical. Westerly is a community where state policy shows up in construction costs, housing pressure, shoreline concerns, insurance bills, permitting delays, small business burdens, and whether working families can still afford to stay. A candidate with a private sector background can speak to those issues from the outside, not as another voice inside the same political system.

Azzinaro, a Democrat, has represented District 37 since 2008. His official legislative biography describes him as a retired textile worker, business owner, and carpenter. He chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and has built a long record around veterans and military family legislation. After more than sixteen years in office, Azzinaro is not only running on his personal record. He is also running as part of the House Democratic majority that has governed Rhode Island for decades while residents continue to struggle with high costs, heavy regulation, rising housing pressure, and a state government that too often reaches first for another mandate.

Stanton’s opening is to make the race about accountability, not personality. The question is not whether Azzinaro has served. The question is whether Westerly needs another term of State House seniority, or a different kind of representation from someone whose background is closer to the pressures residents and small businesses face every day.

The League’s endorsement also points toward the likely policy terrain: affordability, lower taxes, less regulatory pressure, opposition to new wealth based taxes, and a more restrained view of state government. Until Stanton releases a full campaign platform, those positions should not be treated as his personal agenda. But the endorsement does show the lane he is being placed in: a practical alternative to the status quo in Providence.

For Azzinaro, the challenge is that experience can cut both ways. Knowing how the State House works is useful. Being too comfortable inside it is a liability in a state where many voters believe government has grown more expensive, more intrusive, and less responsive to ordinary families.

That is the cleanest contrast in House District 37. Azzinaro knows the State House. Stanton’s argument is that Westerly needs someone who knows what the State House costs.

05/19/2026

05/09/2026

I will always stand for local control.

The people closest to the community usually understand the community best. That is why town councils, school committees, and local boards matter. These are the people you can actually speak to, attend meetings with, and hold accountable. They live in our towns, understand our challenges, and know the ins and outs of our communities far better than politicians at the State House who may never spend meaningful time here.

More and more, we are seeing attempts to strip power away from local governments and replace it with statewide mandates and one size fits all policies. That weakens your voice and makes local representation meaningless.

I believe your town should have the ability to shape its own future.

As your Senator, I will fight to protect the authority of our local governments and stand against efforts to centralize power away from the people. I will be your voice in the Senate to defend local decision making and preserve the role of town councils, school committees, and the local bodies of government that truly represent our communities.

Government works best when it is closest to the people.

Just another reason I’m running for Senate District 38.

05/06/2026

05/04/2026