The George Wiley Center in Pawtucket set the stage on Wednesday night for a forum featuring both candidates for House District 59. The incumbent, Jean Philippe Barros, has served four terms. His opponent is Jennifer Stewart, a history and political science teacher supported by the Rhode Island Political Cooperative. Both are running as Democrats, and as there are no other announced candidates, the race will be settled in the September primary.

The format was to have a member of the George Wiley Center ask a question and the candidates take turns answering. In the videos below, the questions are printed and the answers from the candidates are in separate videos. In more than a few instances candidates responded to each other or there were impromptu follow up questions from attendees. In these case, the responses are put in a separate video, called “follow up.”

There were 17 prepared questions, and candidates were supplied these questions in advance. The last three questions were asked by attendees, so candidates had no advance notice.

Q1. With the combined impacts of climate change and inflation along with the dependency on global fossil fuel energy sources, it is clear that we need to provide affordable fossil free energy solutions. Committing to goals toward a transition is essential. Will you pursue research into effective ways to reduce energy costs and transition to renewables including but not limited to expanding and municipalization of energy production within the City of Pawtucket?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Q2. How would you make utilities more affordable? How will you work to pass PIPP (Percentage Income Payment Plan) on the state level, that will allow low-income households to afford our utilities by making our rates based on our incomes? PIPP legislation has been pending for many years, how would you pressure the House Speaker to allow a floor vote on PIPP?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Q3. What is your timeline and how would you fund a just transition to clean renewable energy sources? What will you do to assure that jobs created through the transition are good (union) living wages, in the green, wind, and blue jobs sectors?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Q4. RI imports the majority of its energy. How would you increasingly take utilities out of the market by creating nonprofit, coop, and/or municipalization of our utilities (for example municipalization of street lighting, wind, water, community solar, and other possible sources of tidal, etc.)?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Follow Up:

Q5. Will you work to expand social services & support agencies that provide: food assistance, mental health, housing support, healthcare, ESOL/literacy education, childcare, and other social services to support immigrant/refugee communities, seniors, disabled people, and the unemployed? How?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Follow Up:

Q6. Would you work to preserve greenspace and expand support for community gardens that provide food, social connectivity and environmental benefits?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Follow Up:

Q7. Will you seek to assure rent stabilization for all residents of Pawtucket including for at-risk households such as elderly, disabled, immigrants, and low-income families?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Follow Up:

Q8. Would you be willing to facilitate additional emergency shelters to provide habitable short-term living space to vulnerable residents?

This question was asked by Diamond, who volunteers her time doing outreach to the unhoused community in Pawtucket. Because she added a lot of personal observations to her question, I included the audio of her asking the question:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Follow Up:

Q9. Do you vow to find ways to increase funding for Public Education in Pawtucket, including but not limited to assuring large scale developers contribute their fair share?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Follow Up:

Q10. Would you oppose the creation of a mayoral academy charter in Pawtucket?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Q11. Do you support the repeal of the “Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights” at the state legislature?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Q12. Will you work to replace S.R.O.’s in Pawtucket Schools with school counselors/ mental health workers/ social workers/resource workers?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Q13. Do you support an independent 3rd party Police Review Commission comprised of Pawtucket residents who are not related to or living with law enforcement officers?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Q14. Do you support the reallocation of state & city funds from the Pawtucket Police Department to community services?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Follow Up:

Q15. Do you support a public city forum (similar to a truth & reconciliation commission hearing) on the history of racist policing and state violence in Pawtucket, as a step toward recognizing past harm and building new routes toward true public safety?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Q16. Do you commit to increasing support for local artists and cultural organizations that provide opportunities for Pawtucket artists and cultural workers, especially communities of color, women, and LGBTQIA+ people?

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Q17. If a state budget is put forward that you find to be promoting austerity economic proposals that offer very little concessions to the issues above, would you vote your opposition to the budget?

Candidate Jennifer Stewart:

Representative Jean Philippe Barros:

For the next three questions Uprise RI is presenting the question and answer in one video.

Q18. What can legislators do to provide oversight to the way Rhode Island Energy conducts its state mandated customer service?

Q19. How can legislators help immigrants in need of legal age and protection from immigration authorities?

Q20. A question about the Equality in Abortion Coverage Access legislation that was scuttled last session by Senate and House leadership.

Closing Statement from Representative Barros:

Closing Statement from candidate Stewart: