Here are some Newport County storylines to watch as election season heats up
The end of the candidate filing period for Rhode Island elected bodies has revealed several departing incumbents, some political career changes and a few unexpected twists in Newport County races.
While the primary election is not until Sept. 13, here are some of the more interesting storylines to keep an eye on as candidates begin making their cases leading up to the general election on Nov. 8.
Two Portsmouth Town Council members are battling for the District 11 Senate seat
Portsmouth Town Council members Linda Ujifusa (Democrat) and Andrew Kelly (Independent) are leaving their posts in the hope of filling the state Senate seat in District 11 being vacated by James Seveney, who announced he will not seek a third term.
Additionally, Kenneth Mendonca (Republican), who lost the race for House District 72 in 2020 to Terri Cortvriend (Democrat), also has thrown his hat into the ring for the District 11 seat. Mendonca represented House District 72 for one term from 2016-18.
House District 74’s sole candidate is a political newcomer
After Deborah Ruggiero announced she was leaving her House District 74 (Middletown, Jamestown) seat to run for lieutenant governor, only one candidate emerged to fill her role at the State House: Jamestown resident and political newcomer Alex Finkelman, a Democrat.
Since he runs unopposed, he is almost assured to assume the office if he is able to get 50 signatures on his nomination papers by July 15. His website already lists his title as “State Representative for District 74."
More: Why Tiverton officials want to drop the costly Financial Town Referendum process
Two Democrat senators who ran unopposed in 2020 now face Republican opponents
Although the seven-term incumbent Sen. Louis DiPalma in District 12 ran unopposed in four of those terms, he defeated Republican Amy Veri in back-to-back elections — 2016 and 2018. This year, Republican Stephen J. Horridge, a pastor from Tiverton, will be the challenger.
District 13 incumbent Dawn Euer has served Newport and Jamestown on the senate floor after M. Teresa Paiva Weed retired from the position to work as president of the RI Hospital Association in 2017.
While her latest opponent, Republican David A. Quiroa, has run for political office before, this will be his first attempt at a senate seat.
More: Advocacy group Alliance for a Livable Newport handed down to the 'next generation'
John Edwards V, son of state Rep. John Edwards IV, returns to Tiverton Town Council race after losing bid for House District 71 in 2020
Not to be confused with current incumbent Tiverton Town Councilor Jay P. Edwards, John G. Edwards V also was a member of Tiverton Town Council before he decided to run for the House District 71 seat vacated by Dennis Canario in 2020.
Despite an endorsement from the outgoing representative and his father, Edwards V lost the primary race to then-political newcomer Michelle McGaw by nearly 60 percentage points.
Now, after serving on the town’s Budget Committee for the past two years, Edwards V is looking to reclaim a seat on the Tiverton Town Council.
Fifteen Newport County elected officials are leaving their political posts
Besides Ruggiero, Ujifusa, Kelly and Seveney, 11 other Newport County officials have not filed for reelection to their offices, including Newport City Council members Jamie Bova and Elizabeth Fuerte, Newport School Committee Chair Raymond Gomes and Middletown Town Councilor Terri Flynn.
Little Compton School Committee Chair Polly Allen also is not running for reelection this year, but that's because she plans to run for Town Council.
The other incumbents leaving office are Middletown School Committee member Douglas Arnold, Portsmouth School Committee member Thomas Vadney, Jamestown School Committee member Keith Roberts, Tiverton Town Council members Donna Cook and William Vieira, and Little Compton School Committee member Rita Kenahan.
More: How Newport chooses its mayor and 4 other changes proposed by the Charter Review Commission
Meet the Newport County 2022 election candidates
Newport City Council
At-Large
Incumbent Jeanne-Marie Napolitano
Incumbent Lynn Underwood Ceglie
Eames Hamilton Yates Jr.
Stephanie Smythe
Tyler Romero
Mark Aramli
Xaykham Khamsyvoravong
Katherine Jessup
Ryan Kelly
Susan Taylor
Ward 1
Incumbent Angela McCalla
Ward 2
Incumbent Charles Holder
Ward 3
Incumbent Kathryn Leonard
David Carlin
Newport School Committee
Incumbent Sandra Flowers
Incumbent James Dring
Incumbent Louisa Boatwright
Incumbent Stephanie Winslow
Incumbent Rebecca Bolan
Incumbent Robert Leary
Kendra Muenter
Robert Power
More: Equity at forefront of discussion for proposed Newport-Middletown joint school district
Middletown Town Council
Incumbent Christopher Logan
Incumbent Paul Rodrigues
Incumbent Barbara VonVillas
Incumbent Dennis Turano
Incumbent Thomas Welch III
Incumbent M. Teresa Santos
Antone Viveiros
Lawrence Frank
Emily Tessier
Peter Connerton
Middletown School Committee
Incumbent Theresa Spengler
Incumbent Liana Ferreira-Fenton
Wendy Heaney
Gregory Huet
Portsmouth Town Council
Incumbent Daniela Abbott, Democrat
Incumbent Kevin Aguiar, Democrat
Incumbent Leonard Katzman, Democrat
Incumbent J. Mark Ryan, Democrat
Incumbent Keith E. Hamilton, Republican
Sharlene M. Patton, Republican
Stephen Zolnik, Republican
Juan Carlos Payero, Democrat
David Gleason, Republican
Timothy Grissett, Democrat
Charles J. Levesque, Democrat
Michael DiPaola, Independent
Portsmouth School Committee
Incumbent Sondra Blank
Incumbent Frederick Faeber
Isabelle Kelly
Emily Skeehan
Tiverton Town Council
Incumbent Michael Burk
Incumbent Deborah Janick
Incumbent Joseph Perry Jr.
Incumbent Denise deMedeiros
Incumbent Jay P. Edwards
John G. Edwards V
Dennis Milbourne
Tiverton School Committee
Incumbent Elaine Pavao
Charles Page III
Deborah Pallasch
Who's running for RI General Assembly?
Senate District 10
Incumbent Walter Felag, Democrat
Allyn Meyers, Republican
More: What the newest voting boundary maps mean for Newport County's General Assembly seats
Senate District 11
Linda Ujifusa, Democrat
Matt Chappell, Democrat
Kenneth Mendonca, Republican
Mario Teixeira, Independent
Andrew Kelly, Independent
Senate District 12
Incumbent Louis DiPalma, Democrat
Stephen Horridge, Republican
Senate District 13
Incumbent Dawn Euer, Democrat
David Quiroa, Republican
House District 69
Incumbent Susan Donovan, Democrat
Robert O'Neill, Republican
House District 70
Incumbent John G. Edwards IV, Democrat
Christopher Borden, Republican
House District 71
Incumbent Michelle McGaw, Democrat
House District 72
Incumbent Terri Cortvriend, Democrat
House District 73
Incumbent Marvin Abney, Democrat
House District 74
Alex Finkelman, Democrat
House District 75
Incumbent Lauren Carson, Democrat
Important election dates
Aug. 14 — Deadline to register vote in the primary election.
Aug. 15 — Deadline for voters to disaffiliate
Aug. 23 — Deadline to submit mail ballot applications for the primary election
Aug. 24 — Early in-person voting begins for the primary election
Sept. 12 — Early in-person voting ends for the primary election
Sept. 12 — Deadline to submit emergency mail ballot applications for the primary election
Sept. 13 — Primary election
Oct. 9 — Deadline to register to vote in general election
Oct. 18 — Deadline to submit mail ballot applications for general election
Oct. 19 — Early in-person voting begins for general election
Nov. 7 — Early in-person voting ends for general election
Nov. 7 — Deadline to submit emergency mail ballot applications for the general election
Nov. 8 — General election
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: RI election 2022: Storylines to watch in Newport County
