CRANSTON – Republican Attorney Steven Frias will run again for state Representative in District 15, setting up another match with incumbent House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello.
Mattiello, D-Cranston, squeaked by Frias to win reelection by a margin of 65 votes in 2016. The win came with the assistance of absentee ballots, which favored Mattiello.
The district, which covers west Cranston, has been represented by Mattiello since 2007. He was elected by colleagues as speaker in March 2014.
Mattiello, also an attorney, is seeking re-election to his seat. In a statement, he said will continue a pro-business, pro-economy agenda. He cited the fiscal 2019 budget, approved last week, which contained the second year of the car tax phase-out.
“A change in leadership would lead to a speaker who is far less business-friendly, which would impact every citizen of the state who relies on a strong economy, the jobs it produces and the quality of life that has been significantly improved,” he said. “Under my leadership, we have gone from a very lackluster economy to one that is strong and vibrant, while reducing burdens on the taxpayers.”
In his news release Monday, Frias said he would be an advocate for taxpayers and government reform.
“After Mattiello barely escaped defeat in 2016, I thought he would begin to listen to the voters,” he said. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t. He refuses to give the public a chance to vote on a line-item veto constitutional amendment. Instead he pushed through a costly new taxpayer funded PawSox stadium deal, which the voters do not want.”
The general election is Nov. 6.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com. Follow on Twitter @MaryF_MacDonald.
