Person To Watch

Although he is one of the youngest candidates in the country, Boston College alumnus Samuel Lovett, BC ’10, is “Empowering East Providence,” according to his campaign slogan while running for Rhode Island state representative.

After graduating from BC with a degree in history, Lovett returned to Rhode Island to start working with political and organizing communities, such as Governor Lincoln D. Chafee’s office. Additionally, Lovett currently works for GovLoop, a social networking site connecting federal, state, and local levels.

Lovett is running for office to be “an ethical voice for social justice in Rhode Island,” he says on the website EastBayRI.com, and he is determined to advocate for the elderly, disabled, homeless, and minority groups.

Committed to bettering the lives of Rhode Island citizens, Lovett plans to target specific platform issues such as job creation and development, public education, environmental sustainability, technology efficiency, transportation and infrastructure, and state social issues.

Lovett is focused on establishing systems for longterm generation and development of Rhode Island industries, which can then produce and sustain Rhode Island development in the long term. Lovett thinks that business development with new community centers and larger spaces can link economic and social growth, which would support businesses that employ local neighbors while still creating revenue for the communities.

In addition, Lovett’s goal is to create a Pathways Program, a program that can inspire accomplished university graduates and technical students to start their careers with a short term of service to Rhode Island. This would not only help the state keep its young, successful professionals in state, but also  give the students quality training and public service-oriented skills.

Lovett also plans to focus on public education in keeping with East Providence’s pride and tradition of good public schools. Lovett hopes to link university and secondary education leaders with business leaders in order to train students and faculty with skills that both parents and the state want.

Furthermore, in keeping with Rhode Island’s name, the Ocean State, Lovett recognizes that the state’s citizens’ quality of life depends on the condition of the ocean, air, and soil. Keeping this in mind, Lovett insists that environmental policies must reflect the need for maintenance of essential assets, and that zoning laws must be enforced.

As a progressive candidate who grew up in the digital age, Lovett plans to pursue ways to cut government operating costs by starting innovative practices to make work more efficient, while saving taxpayers and business owners time and money by digitizing communications, sharing data storage among departments, and putting registration forms online.

Lovett will  also target state social issues by trying to legalize same-sex marriage, hoping to modernize medical records to increase efficiency, and providing access to contraception for family planning, which would cut down unwanted pregnancies, the spread of diseases, and reduce abortion rates.

Lovett is a young man with a big agenda and certainly is setting the world aflame.