I rise today to honor my friend, Dominick Ruggerio, who was both the President and the “Dean” of the Rhode Island Senate. President Ruggerio, affectionately known as “Donny,” passed away last month, leaving behind his children, Amanda and Charles, and his four beloved grandchildren.
Donny was a graduate of two great Rhode Island institutions, LaSalle Academy and Providence College. At LaSalle, Senator Reed was his schoolmate, and teammate on the football team. After finishing college, Donny served as a Policy Aide for former Lieutenant Governor Thomas DiLuglio, a Rhode Island classic in his own right. Donny went on to spend many years with Laborers’ Local Union 271, serving in leadership roles.
Donny’s career in public service continued when he was elected to the RI House of Representatives in 1981, where he stayed a few years until making the jump to the RI Senate in 1984. The Senate was his home. For over four decades, he was the champion for residents of District 4, which includes parts of North Providence and Providence. After holding several leadership positions in the Senate, he was elected by his peers to serve as RI’s Senate President in 2017.
Donny’s legacy at the State House will be defined by his decades of forceful advocacy for working people and his practical, highly effective style of legislating.
He never forgot his background as a Laborer, and never stopped working to create opportunities for working men and women. To that end, he fought for a higher minimum wage, and for specific developments that would create union, family-supporting jobs. He also led the charge to eliminate lead pipes, making tap water safer to drink for Rhode Islanders.
Among his many accomplishments was his work to address the state’s opioid crisis. He created a fund to support statewide opioid treatment, recovery, prevention and education programs, and shaped a law to ensure filling a prescription for lifesaving anti-overdose medication would not create a barrier to getting life insurance.
I’m grateful for Donny’s leadership on climate. He sponsored legislation that put RI on a path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2033. When the legislation was signed into law, it was the most aggressive statewide energy standard in the country.
Donny was beloved by his lifelong North Providence community, and he was always a pleasure to work with. He took pride in the Senate being a place where people had “always been able to disagree without being disagreeable.”
I thank Senate President Ruggerio for his dedicated and successful service to our state. We will miss him.