2018 -- S 2999

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LC005926

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING SENATOR PAUL W. FOGARTY FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF

THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Goodwin, Algiere, and Gallo

     Date Introduced: June 22, 2018

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to our good friend and colleague

Senator Paul W. Fogarty, who is retiring from the Rhode Island Senate, District 23, after twenty

years of devoted public service to his constituents and the citizens of the State of Rhode Island;

and

     WHEREAS, Senator Fogarty comes from a family dedicated to public service. He is the

son of the late former state Senator Charles J. Fogarty, Sr. He is the brother of former Senator and

former Lt. Governor Charles J. Fogarty, and the nephew of the late former Congressman John E.

Fogarty; and

     WHEREAS, The Honorable Paul Fogarty was first elected to the Glocester Town

Council and served as President from 1997-1998. In 1998, he successfully ran for the State

Senate District 27 seat, which in 2003 became District 23, representing constituencies in the

towns of Burrillville, Glocester, and North Smithfield; and

     WHEREAS, Senator Fogarty has been the Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor since

2009. Respectful of the time given by members of the public who come to testify and his

colleagues on the committee, he likes to run efficient committee meetings. Senator Fogarty is also

a Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, and he formerly served as Deputy Majority

Leader; and

     WHEREAS, A staunch advocate for the preservation of freshwater lakes, Senator

Fogarty worked with the Save The Lakes organization to pass legislation to combat invasive

freshwater plants, and to provide increased oversight of freshwater lakes, streams and ponds to

the Department of Environmental Management; and

     WHEREAS, A strong supporter of the military and veterans, he sponsored the Rhode

Island Military Family Relief Fund, which provides assistance to the families of Rhode Island

service members; and

     WHEREAS, A supporter of designating the Oliver Hazard Perry as our state’s official

educational ship, Senator Fogarty also recognizes that those seeking true luxury aboard a water-

faring vessel need look no further than northwest Rhode Island. There, an opulent pontoon boat,

loaded with senators, once circled the vast expanse of Waterman Lake, searching for non-native

plant species and offering a first-hand lesson on why reflective markers should be required on all

docks; and

     WHEREAS, Consistently putting his District’s interests first, Senator Fogarty has been in

the forefront of the fight against the Burrillville power plant proposal, and has worked for

additional state aid to local schools, and fighting for the needs of Zambarano Hospital and its

patients. Senator Fogarty was so devoted to Zambarano Hospital and its patients that he enlisted

the direct assistance of his colleagues to ensure the provision of quality services to patients; and

     WHEREAS, No one was more devoted to his community than Senator Fogarty, who

regularly fought to maintain RIPTA bus service to the remote woodland he represents, worked

together with local officials such as Dot Sliney to advance important legislation, and once

brought to bear the full might of the local police chief to capture a lost sheep; and

     WHEREAS, A graduate of LaSalle Academy, Senator Fogarty is employed as a licensed

master plumber. He is married to Nancy and together they have raised three sons, Patrick,

Brendan, and Daniel; and

     WHEREAS, Senator Fogarty’s leadership and tireless devotion to the citizens of the

Ocean State have earned him our unqualified admiration and respect, and he will most assuredly

be missed; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby honors Senator Paul W. Fogarty as he concludes his service in the Rhode Island Senate.

We thank him for a job well done, and extend our sincere wishes for his continued health,

happiness and success; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Paul W. Fogarty.

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