Nicholas Mattiello

Nicholas A. Mattiello (born 1963) is an American politician and Democratic[1] former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, who represented the 15th District from 2007 to 2021. He served as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from March 25, 2014 to 2021.[2] In 2020, he was defeated in an upset by Republican Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, the wife of Cranston mayor Allan Fung.[3][4]

Nick Mattiello
223rd Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
In office
March 25, 2014 – January 5, 2021
DeputyCharlene Lima
Preceded byGordon Fox
Succeeded byJoe Shekarchi
Majority Leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
In office
February 2010 – March 25, 2014
Preceded byGordon Fox
Succeeded byJohn DeSimone
Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 2, 2007 – January 5, 2021
Preceded byJames Davey
Succeeded byBarbara Ann Fenton-Fung
Personal details
Born (1963-05-16) May 16, 1963
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMary Ann
EducationBoston College (BS)
Suffolk University (JD)

Political positions

Mattiello has been described as an "old-guard conservative."[5][6] In 2011, he voted for Rhode Island's voter ID law.[7] Despite his generally conservative profile, he voted for marriage equality in 2013.[7] Mattiello has also expressed the fact that he does not support the bill relating to the Pawtucket Red Sox that was passed in the Senate in January 2018 and states that it was dead. He has expressed his disinterest in the idea of the taxpayer's money funding the new stadium, leading to the team to look outside of Rhode Island.[8] He has been endorsed by Right to Life and the NRA Political Victory Fund.[6][9]

In 2018, Mattiello sponsored legislation commonly known as "Kristen's Law" that allows life sentencing for anyone who sells, delivers or distributes an illegal drug that leads to a fatal overdose.[10]

In July 2018, the Rhode Island Democratic Party, controlled by Mattiello, endorsed a pro-Trump candidate's primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Moira Walsh, who had voiced her disapproval with Mattiello on previous occasions.[11]

In June 2019, Mattiello attempted to include $1 million in the R.I. budget to be allocated to a single chiropractor, Victor Pedro, despite R.I.'s Medicaid Medical Care Advisory Committee stating that "there wasn’t evidence that the treatment worked."[12][13] Eventually, Mattiello pulled support for the bill due to public and political pressure.[14]

In June 2020, during the campaign to remove "Plantations" from the official state name of Rhode Island, Mattiello received criticism for not knowing what the holiday Juneteenth commemorated, and making the statement that he "did not think we had actual slavery in Rhode Island."[15] Rhode Island ships were the center of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, importing more enslaved Africans than any other North American British colony.[16]

References
  1. "This could be the perfect year for a Republican to challenge R.I.'s most powerful Democrat - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  2. "Representative Nicholas A. Mattiello". Rhode Island General Assembly. Retrieved 25 Mar 2014.
  3. NEWS, NBC 10 (November 3, 2020). "Associated Press projection: Fenton-Fung ousts Speaker Mattiello". WJAR.
  4. "Republican Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung ousts House speaker in Rhode Island | Boston.com". www.boston.com.
  5. "Rhode Island House Elects a Speaker After an Abrupt Resignation". Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved 2018-07-03.(subscription required)
  6. Bell, Sam (August 11, 2016). "Progressives are the real challenge to the machine". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. "Votesmart: Nicholas Mattiello's Political Summary".
  8. Towne, Shaun (2018-01-22). "Mattiello: Current PawSox bill 'dead in the state of RI'". Wpri.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  9. "Nicholas Mattiello "A" Rated and NRA Endorsed". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  10. Andrade, Kevin G. "Opponents of R.I. drug-sentencing bill plead for veto by Raimondo | Video". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  11. Nesi, Ted (2018-07-02). "Progressive RI Dems assail old guard over Assembly endorsements". WPRI. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  12. "Mattiello again tucks $1M into budget for Cranston chiropractor". WPRI.com. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  13. Anderson, Patrick. "R.I. budget contains $1 million for alternative therapy provided by Mattiello donor". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  14. "Mattiello says he'll remove $1M for Cranston chiropractor". WPRI.com. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  15. "Mattiello admits he's 'unsure' if slavery happened in RI, didn't know what Juneteenth was". WPRI.com. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  16. Coughtry, Jay (1981). The Notorious Triangle: Rhode Island and the African Slave Trade, 1700-1807. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-0-87722-218-7.


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