Conn. DUI Charges Against Bob Watson Dropped

The former state representative from East Greenwich was arrested on April 22, 2011.

Charges filed in Connecticut against former state representative Bob Watson of East Greenwich have been dropped, according to his lawyer in New Haven. "The state decided it couldn’t prove the DUI beyond a reasonable doubt," said attorney Charles E. Tiernan III Tuesday. "The prosecutor used his descretion and decided to drop the charges." News of the dropped charges was first reported by the Providence Journal Monday. Watson was arrested in East Haven on April 22, 2011, for driving while intoxicated and possessing marijuana. Tiernan had argued the urine test obtained after Watson's arrest was inadmissible because it had been taken more than two hours after Watson had stopped driving. In addition, he said the results were not given to …

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Letter From Rep. Anthony Giarrusso

Two weeks in, our newest state representative communicates with residents of District 30.

This is my first communication with District 30 residents since the election. I hope to keep you informed of activities at the General Assembly, but I want to avoid sending you meaningless emails that clog up the system. Look for periodic emails from me, but I promise to keep them to a minimum. In the meantime, we'll work to keep our Facebook page up to date, and you can always tune in to Capitol TV (Channel 15 on Cox, Channel 34 on Verizon) or the House of Representative's Facebook page if you want to keep a closer eye on things. After a break over the Christmas holidays, the General Assembly got down to work January 1. All 75 State Representatives and 38 State Senators were sworn in, and the House and Senate elected leadership for the …

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Giarrusso Wins R.I. House Dist. 30 Seat

Mail ballots were finally counted Thursday and gave the Republican an 81-vote edge over Democrat Schwager.

In the end, West Greenwich handed Anthony Giarrusso victory in the contest for R.I. House Dist. 30. With mail ballots finally counted Thursday, the Republican had 3,304 votes, Democrat Mark Schwager had 3,223 votes, and independent Kevin McDonough had 904 votes. But in East Greenwich, Schwager led 3,053 to Giarrusso's 3,010, and McDonough's 826. In West Greenwich, Giarrusso got 294 votes, compared to Schwager's 170, and McDonough's 78.  While there are provisional ballots still to be counted, they are too few to alter the result. "I'm really looking forward to it," said Giarrusso late Thursday about his new job. But, he acknowledged, "We're definitely going to have some hard work to do, some hard choices." The Republican minorities in the…

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5 Things You Need To Know Today

Five Things: Mail Ballots, Art Exhibit

Your guide for life in East Greenwich today, Nov. 8.

Weather: More wet snow or cold rain and wind today (brrrr!). Highs only in the mid-40-degree range, with a low around freezing. To read about the changeover yesterday and our first white stuff, check out Harold Ambler's blog post here. House Dist. 30 race results: This seems to be "election results in three parts" – Tuesday night we got EG poll results; Wednesday afternoon we got WG poll results, now we await the mail ballot counts from both communities, sometime today according to the state Board of Elections. Anthony Giarrusso (R) is 148 votes ahead of Mark Schwager (D). Kevin McDonough (I) is a distant third. We will have the results as soon as they come available via Twitter (@egpatch) and soon after that here. For a list of EG vote …

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We Need Your EG Debate Questions!

The Great Debates (between candidates for state Senate (Dist. 33) and House (Dist. 30) take place this Wednesday!

The presidential debates have certainly been gripping, but on Wednesay, we in East Greenwich get a chance to be part of our own Great Debate.  The debate will feature candidates Dawson Hodgson and Winters B. Hames for state Senate District 33 and candidates Kevin McDonough, Mark Schwager, and Anthony Giarrusso for state Representative District 30, at the Varnum Armory, starting at 6:30 p.m. Mark Curtis will be moderating the House debate and I will be moderating the Senate debate. But we need your help – what issues do you want to hear the candidates address?  Are you concerned about pension reform? Do you want to hear how the candidates will try to improve the jobless rate in R.I.? Should the candidates talk about how to make the state …

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Giarrusso Running For State Rep So His Kids Can Find Jobs In R.I.

Anthony Giarrusso, a Republican, owns a jewelry company in Johnston.

When Anthony Giarrusso gets into something, he's all in. First it was the jewelry company he founded and got his four brothers to join. Then it was family life and activities like EG Little League. Now it's his run for the open state Representative Dist. 30 seat. A Republican, Giarrusso won the GOP primary in September with the help of an agressive campaign of yard signs, advertising, and good old-fashioned pressing the flesh.  He's back at it for the general election, Nov. 6, where he again faces two challengers, this time independent Kevin McDonough and Democrat Mark Schwager.  The reason, he said, is simple: "I'm a family man. I'd be devastated if my kids had to move to Virginia say because they can't find jobs here." Giarrusso's is a …

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Schwager: Time Is Now For Innovation, Collaboration In The State

Mark Schwager, a Democrat, is running for the open state House District 30 seat.

Rhode Island House Dist. 30 candidate Mark Schwager is not your typical General Assembly candidate. He's not a lawyer or a retiree or a businessman. Schwager is a medical doctor who specializes in geriatrics. There's only one other MD in the state legislature now. Schwager hopes to double that number in November. But he chafes at the idea that doctors aren't businessmen. As it happens, both of his opponents – Republican Anthony Giarrusso and independent Kevin McDonough – have made their careers in business. "There’s this idea that doctors don't know about business," Schwager said in an interview Saturday. "Physicians are business people. The idea that physicians are somehow disconnected is just not true. I know it from personal experience…

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Ericka Forman

7:12 pm on Thursday, October 18, 2012

A medical practice is a business. There are services rendered by the physician, The physician charges for his service. The doctor has employees he has to pay. He has to pay for insurance in order to run his business (for employees, for malpractice ect...). Overhead, you know. He has to bill various people for payment (including third parties like Blue Cross). After all of this the practice needs …   more ›

Mark Schwager, Candidate For R.I. State Representative, District 30

Schwager, a former Town Councilor, serves as a Commissioner on the EG Fire District.

Name : Dr. Mark Schwager Date of birth : 28 October 1956 Place of residence : 1425 Diplomat Drive College : Brown University Degree : Bachelor of Arts Year of graduation : 1978 University : State University of New York at Buffalo Area of research : Medical Doctor Year of graduation : 1983 Job titles held : VP of Medical Affairs, PACE Organization of RI Employers : N/A Party affiliation : Democrat Running for a: State office Running for position: RI State Representative Chamber/district: House District 30 Incumbent: No Previous elective offices : East Greenwich Town Council elected in 2006, re-elected 2008 Unsuccessful bids for elective offices : 2010 RI Senate, District 35 Address 1425 Diplomat Drive East Greenwich RI 02818 Name : Meghan …

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General Assembly Candidates To Debate Oct. 24

Mark Curtis of ABC 6 and EG Patch's Elizabeth McNamara will moderate debates between state House Dist. 30 candidates and state Senate 35 candidates at the Varnum Armory next Wednesday.

Candidates for the R.I. House District 30 and Senate District 35 General Assembly seats will meet Wednesday, Oct. 24, in a debate sponsored by East Greenwich’s Republican and Democratic town committees and East Greenwich Patch. The debate will be moderated by ABC-6 political reporter Mark Curtis, an East Greenwich resident, and EG Patch editor Elizabeth McNamara. “The Great Debate” is set for Varnum Armory, with the State Representative candidates Anthony Giarrusso, Mark Schwager and Kevin McDonough taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. and State Senate candidates Dawson Hodgson and Winter Hames taking their places an hour later. Admission is free. Town Committee chairs Tom Plunkett and Chuck Newton said the debate is an effort to stimulate voter…

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Newcomer Anthony Giarrusso To Run For Dist. 30 Seat

The Republican runs a jewelry company in Johnston.

Anthony Giarrusso says he's running for the state representative Dist. 30 seat opening up because of the retiring Bob Watson for one main reason. "The number one reason is it breaks my heart that everybody that's got a college-age kid tells them, 'Get your diploma and get out of this state,'" he said Monday after turning in his Declaration of Candidacy papers. Giarrusso, 50, lives on Lenihan Lane, is married to Janet, and has four children. His jewelry manufacturing company in Johnston employs 100, he said. He is running as a Republican, which means there will be a primary. Fellow Republican Bob Bolton has also submitted papers to run. This will be Giarrusso's first foray into politics. He's served on the board of the East Greenwich …

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