Restart Rhode Island

Evan supports efforts to restart Rhode Island’s economy through our small businesses that serve as the backbone of Rhode Island’s economy. Much of our state relief efforts came too late. Evan supports providing grants and tax-incentives for struggling small businesses to prevent permanent closures. He supports waiving late tax penalties and interest from affected businesses. He believes sales tax collected by small businesses should be eligible to be a short-term loan eligible to be repaid interest-free in one year from the original due date.

Lifting the Middle Class

Evan believes that the economy does well when workers are treated fairly with fair compensation and benefits. It isn’t fair when Americans need to work two or three jobs, or have their children work, when able, just to make ends meet. As the son of a firefighter, he knows that unions build a stronger middle class. Evan supports efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour to be implemented gradually as was adopted in both neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Progressive Taxation for All

Evan supports progressive taxation that doesn’t discourage residency or push retirees to other states. As our population declines, we can’t afford to lose more taxpayers and small businesses to bad tax policies. While proposals to increase income taxes on the wealthy are well-intended and better served at a federal level, if done at a state level, it is far easier for individuals to move over the border. Our existing top income tax rate in Rhode Island is nearly 20% higher than neighboring Massachusetts.

Evan supports tax reform that encourages entrepreneurship and long-term quality jobs rather than one-off tax incentives and subsidies (corporate welfare) which offer no extended benefit to Rhode Island.

Environmental Leadership

Rhode Island brings in nearly 25 million travelers and tourists per year, which supports countless small businesses including shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, and recreational activities. We must preserve our natural environment which attracts these visitors. To combat climate change, Evan supports moving Rhode Island away from dependence on fossil fuels and to 100% renewable energy. As a millennial, Evan wants to make sure Rhode Island’s natural beauty can be maintained for future generations.

Cannabis

Evan supports the legalization of marijuana. For too long, marijuana has been used as justification for most drug arrests across the country. Science shows marijuana is safer than both alcohol and tobacco which are both legal and regulated. Rhode Island has the potential to raise significant tax revenue which is currently being spent at dispensaries built on our neighboring state borders. He believes that most of the concerns raised by critics can be addressed through consumer education and industry regulation.

Transparency

Evan believes in a government that operates fairly, transparently, and is held accountable to its people. We will never make progress when it appears many of the biggest decisions are made behind closed doors.

Modernization and Accessibility

To achieve this, we need to modernize our open meeting laws to consider electronic meetings, such as teleconferencing and online collaboration. Transparency also means we make public information more easily accessible. During this pandemic, Evan believes that the Rhode Island General Assembly failed the people of Rhode Island by not adapting to electronic meetings to conduct business when every city and town and numerous other states found ways to make it possible.

Removing Money From Politics

We deserve a government that operates free from the influence of special interest groups. To achieve this, we need to eliminate money being used to manipulate our political leaders. To minimize the appearance of special interest group influence, Evan refuses to accept all PAC money and state lobbyist financial contributions.

Eliminating Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Evan believes the quid-pro-quo corruption and backroom deals limit Rhode Island’s potential and he supports continued efforts to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse throughout state government.

Fair Political Representation

Evan believes that government should have political representatives we choose, not political representation that chooses their constituency. With the 2020 census taking place, we will be adopting new electoral maps that will affect our elections for the next decade. We need to ensure that we adopt fair electoral maps that aren’t gerrymandered by the General Assembly. Electoral maps should be decided by an independent body that cannot consist of lobbyists or elected officials.