Gubernatorial candidate visits Weber

In the race for governor, the college-age demographic is becoming more and more important as more 20-somethings become vocal about politics and their local government. This is a principle that state General Treasurer Frank Caprio tapped into by addressing RIC students in an open forum in Weber Lounge last Tuesday afternoon.
Caprio, a democrat, grew up in Providence, graduating from Bishop Hendricken in 1984, and earned a degree in economics from Harvard University in 1988. Caprio served two terms as a state representative, starting in 1990, and was a Rhode Island state senator for 13 years. In 2006, he was elected general treasurer of Rhode Island.
In his opening speech, Caprio assured students that he knew what they were going through.
He said, "People are working longer and harder, and back at your dorms or apartments there's a stack of bills and I understand that you're just trying to keep up."
"A lot of decisions made today affect all of you [college students] 20 to 30 years down the road. That's why this [the R.I. gubernatorial election] is important," he said.
He wants students to understand that when the government cuts funding to RIC, it's the students that shoulder the burden, and that it's important that Rhode Island assists its higher education institutions as much as possible.
"Rhode Island is only as strong as its institutions," Caprio said. "We can't afford to starve them."
Caprio's plan to build a better economy for Rhode Island centers around assisting small businesses by removing most of the restrictions that the state's government places on them. His solutions include removing extra taxes levied against small businesses and rules that restrict the way they do business and making it generally easier for entrepreneurs to obtain the permits required to operate small businesses.
"It's a big neighborhood," he said. "We need to help small businesses to improve the state economy."
Caprio's sympathy for small businesses comes from his childhood, where he watched his father run a restaurant and witnessed the struggles of small businesses in Rhode Island firsthand. He hopes to build a small business base to bring more jobs to the estimated 75,000 unemployed residents of Rhode Island.
He said, "Where are the jobs at home for native Rhode Islanders? That's why I'm running… If we sit back and relax nothing will happen. We need to be proactive to change the economic climate."