The Public’s Voice

The Public’s Radio’s Ian Donnis moderates a panel discussion about the state of the state of Rhode Island. Topics will include the upcoming Rhode Island gubernatorial and mayoral races, as well as the threat of voter suppression. Panelists include:

RI House GOP Leader Blake Filippi (R-New Shoreham) first won election as a state representative in 2014. His district includes all of Block Island and Charlestown and parts of Westerly and South Kingstown. Filippi is a lawyer and organic cattle farmer. He previously served in the second-ranking GOP post in the House before being elected by his Republican colleagues as their leader in 2018.

RI state Rep. David Morales (D-Providence) first won election in 2020, as part of a group of progressives gaining greater influence at the Statehouse. He represents the Mount Pleasant, Valley and Elmhurst sections of Providence. Morales was raised by a single mother in a rural California town and later, at age 20, became the youngest graduate of Brown University’s public affairs master’s program. He works at Year Up Providence as an internship and employment specialist.

Brown University political science professor Wendy Schiller did her undergraduate work at the University of Chicago, served on the staffs of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo and then earned a PhD from the University of Rochester. She has written extensively both as an author and in political journals. Schiller has offered commentary for outlets including CNN, NPR and Bloomberg.

The discussion will be moderated by Ian Donnis, who has served as the political reporter for The Public’s Radio since 2009. Donnis is the host of the weekly Political Roundtable interview show on The Public’s Radio. He has served as a debate panelist for four different Rhode Island television stations.

Presented with The Public’s Radio