A newly-signed bill allows classified state employees in Rhode Island to run for state elected office without having to quit their jobs. State Representative Grace Diaz, one of the sponsors, says she had to resign from her state job when she first ran in the General Assembly in 2004.
“It is profoundly unfair that classified employees are banned from running for state office while unclassified and non-classified employees are not,” said Representative Diaz. “A secretary, clerk or cook should have just as much right to run as a college professor. The law as it stands now is not only unfair, but it’s classist and potentially racist, since people of color are more likely to hold classified positions.”
Unclassified and non-classified employees who have been able to run for office without a problem include positions like department directors and college professors. A classified employee will still have to resign if they wind up winning the election.
(Photo Credit: John Baibak, Newsradio RI)