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Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Where do the top Democrats in Rhode Island live? More and more, the power structure is moving to Jamestown.
The island of Jamestown is now the hot spot for Rhode Island Democratic political elite. A growing number of the top party Democratic leaders have moved to the affluent and overwhelmingly white community — moving from communities like Cranston, East Providence, and Warwick for the “island life.”
Today, it is the year-round home for transplants like Democratic U.S. Senator Jack Reed, Democratic national committeewoman Liz Perik, Democratic first district congressional candidate Don Carlson and more.
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Perik has regularly hosted at her home on the water elaborate Democratic Party soirees over the years, raising hundreds of thousands for the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Patrick Kennedy, and other prominent Democrats.
Then, there are powerhouse lobbyists like George Zainyeh and Lenny Lopes, who have moved to the island from Warwick and East Providence, respectively. Both are highly experienced Democratic Party operatives. Zainyeh was a State Representative representing Warwick, was the Democratic candidate for Mayor in that city, and later was chief of staff to Patrick Kennedy and independent turned Democrat Governor Lincoln Chafee.
Lopes was chief of staff to Democratic Attorney General Patrick Lynch and heads his own lobbying firm.
Even Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi’s brother John has moved to idyllic Jamestown.
They are all transplants.
The one native is fifth-generation Islander Democratic Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Big Pockets
And, to move to the island, business has to be good. Jamestown has its share of top hedge fund and private equity executives, including Rhode Island billionaire Jonathan Nelson of Providence Equity.
The median price of a single-family home in Jamestown is $1.2 million dollars — only Block Island is more expensive, according to data from the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.
That is approximately three times higher than the median price of a single-family home in Rhode Island. The median price of a single-family home in the state is now $425,000.
Party of the People, Island of the White
In 2009, The New York Times wrote about Jamestown, “The views from the two soaring bridges over Narragansett Bay that lead to Jamestown, R.I., go a long way to explaining why it’s been a popular second-home draw since the Civil War. From above, the island’s grooved rocky cliffs, topped with a dark fuzz of trees along sapphire-bright coves, can seem almost sculptural.”
Jamestown is not only the island of the wealthy, but it is also overwhelmingly white — more than 95% of the residents are white according to U.S. census data.
Blacks, Latinos, native-Americans and Asians are each about 1% — or less than 280 non-whites among the 5,500 island residents.
Density of Power
To put the power density into comparison, of the top nine elected officials in Rhode Island — the four members of Congress and the five statewide elected officials — two of them reside in Jamestown.
With first congressional district Democratic Congressman David Cicilline stepping down on Wednesday, only one of the top nine lives in Providence — just Lt. Governor Sabina Matos.
Jamestown has less than 3% of the population of Providence.
Jamestown for the Rest of Us
For most Rhode Islanders, Jamestown is a place to drive over on the way to Newport and for some enjoyment of Beavertail State Park.
The island offers just a handful of restaurants and only a couple of locations for overnight stays, but make no mistake about it, Jamestown is growing in popularity for the hedge fund and private equity class as well as top Rhode Island power Democrats.
Local News
A Rhode Island man is facing charges after allegedly body slamming an Attleboro mother of two during a suspected road rage incident Friday, according to court records.
Police responded near Newport Avenue at Highland Avenue in Attleboro just before 9 a.m. on Friday, where they found Hailea Soare on the ground, bleeding and crying, according to a police report filed in Attleboro District Court.
Gladior Kwesiah, of Pawtucket, was arrested without incident and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, vandalism of property, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, according to court dockets.
Multiple witnesses told police that Kwesiah and Soares were arguing outside their cars after her vehicle allegedly rear-ended his vehicle at the intersection, according to the report.
All three witnesses allege that Kwesiah, 26, “body slammed” her onto the pavement, while two told police that he also stepped on her glasses that fell to the ground. One witness said that Soares “smacked” Kwesiah before he picked her up, lifted her over his head, and dropped her on her head, according to police.
The body slam can be seen in videos shared by local news stations. The police report notes that Soares is 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, while Kwesiah is 6 foot 3 inches and more than 300 pounds.
Soares was transported to Study Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for a fractured knee, fractured foot, and head laceration, according to police.
She also suffered damage to her eye socket and “a serious skull injury,” a GoFundMe started by her family said. The fundraiser has collected more than $18,000 from nearly 500 donors out of its $30,000 goal, as of Sunday evening.
“As a single mother of two young children, Hailea now faces an uphill battle – physically, emotionally, and financially,” the GoFundMe said. “These injuries will keep her out of work for months. The financial strain of medical bills, therapy costs, and providing for her children is overwhelming.”
Kwesiah was held in the Bristol County House of Correction after not posting bail on Friday.
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A man who stole an unoccupied cruiser in Rhode Island was stopped on Route 2 in Preston after a chase early Saturday morning, according to Connecticut State Police.
Connecticut State Police was notified about a stolen Providence, Rhode Island, police cruiser on Interstate 95 South crossing into Connecticut from Rhode Island around 2:30 a.m.
The stolen cruiser was reportedly seen on I-95 south near exit 89, but then took the exit 88 off ramp to Route 117 in Groton as it saw another Connecticut State Police cruiser approaching.
Multiple Connecticut State Police cruisers turned on their emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the stolen cruiser. According to Connecticut State Police, the stolen cruiser was traveling over 100 mph at times on Route 117.
Ledyard Police Department was then notified and deployed stop sticks near Route 117 and Route 2a. The stolen cruiser slowed to a stop near Route 2a and the driver was taken into custody.
The 27-year-old man from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is facing charges including reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, failure to drive in the proper lane, larceny and interfering with officer/resisting. He was not able to post the $50,000 bond and is due in court on Monday.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 4, 2025, results for each game:
26-32-43-54-56, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
03-09-27-29-33, Lucky Ball: 06
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 5-8-4-4
Evening: 1-2-7-5
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
13-16-19-23-33, Extra: 30
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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