Democrats to Hold Fundraiser Thursday

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
June 25th 2024

RICHMOND – Richmond Democrats will announce their candidate endorsements at their first fundraiser on Thursday.

The kickoff to the Democrats’ election campaign, the event has been named “Ticket to Democracy.”

School Committee candidate Jessica Purcell explained,

“It’s called ‘Ticket to Democracy,’ because the ticket to democracy is each person playing a role, not just as a voter, but as a volunteer.”

Endorsements to be Announced

Richmond Democratic Town Committee Chair Chris Kona said the fundraiser will follow the candidates’ declarations, which must be filed by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26.

“The candidates are excited to get started with the campaign, and so, we want to do the 27th,” he said. “… and it serves two purposes, the announcement of who’s running and the chance for us to talk about who we’ve endorsed.”

Kona noted that the event will include the recruitment of campaign volunteers.

“We have a great committee now,” he said. “We have a lot of folks that are excited to start to get out there, and we want to create opportunities for volunteers to help out.”

The fundraiser follows last week’s successful event by the Richmond Community Alliance political action committee, which raised $2,500 and drew about 60 people.

Kona said he believed the Richmond Democrats were attracting more attention this year.

“In the last year, the Democratic Town Committee has gotten a lot more exciting,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of growth and a lot more interest in what we’re doing and people are eager to try to figure out how to help and so, I’m excited this year, because we have so much more interest in it and it’s an opportunity to get a variety of folks involved and connected with our activities.”

The Candidates

Several Democrats, including Town Council member, Samantha Wilcox, and Jessica Purcell, who represents Richmond on the Chariho School Committee, have already declared their candidacies for reelection. School Committee member Karen Reynolds is seeking reelection, as are Dan Madnick, who currently serves on the Planning Board, Mark Reynolds, Chair of the Richmond Tax Assessment Board of Review, and former Town Council member, Jim Palmisciano.

Wilcox agreed with Kona that there appears to be an uptick in voter engagement.

“I get it a lot from residents when I run into them in public. I get a lot of support online,” she said. “The biggest question that I have gotten lately is ‘who are you running with?’ and I think that people are going to be really excited to find out who I’m running with.”

It will be important, Wilcox added, for volunteers to step up to support the Democrats’ campaign.

“I am hopeful that people will come out and help and they realize the importance of local elections, but I also understand that everybody’s really busy. It can be really hard to find the time to canvas or write postcards or anything that’s really needed to get us across the finish line,” she said. 

Purcell said that while Thursday’s event will be casual, it will also be significant.

“It’s just the start,” she said. “It’s pretty casual, but we’ll announce our endorsed candidates. That’s one of the biggest differences between us and the RCA, is that we’re a Democratic Town Committee. We’re organized by state political levels and we can endorse candidates and that has an impact on where they’re on the ballot. So, it’s a big deal.”

The Ticket to Democracy fundraiser will take place at the Shaidzon Beer Company, 141 Fairgrounds Road, West Kingston, on Thursday, June 27 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Tickets will be available at the door, and can alsobe purchased online.