By Gina Macris

Tina Spears, executive director of the Community Provider Network of Rhode Island (CPNRI), has announced she will run for the House seat now held by House Minority Leader Blake Filippi. 

Spears is the first Democrat to challenge Filippi since he was first elected to the House in 2014. 

Spears, a Rhode Island native and Charlestown resident for the last 30 years, is known at the State House as a persistent advocate for people with disabilities.  

Spears said, “I am excited to announce that I am running for State Representative in District 36, to bring the voices of my southern Rhode Island neighbors to the State House. 

She said the district she hopes to represent wants quality education, good jobs that keep people in their communities, and preservation of the environment of the beautiful coastline towns of  Charlestown, South Kingstown, Westerly and Block Island. 

Spears filed campaign papers with the state Board of Elections March 11.  

As executive director of CPNRI, Spears represented private providers of social services for adults with developmental disabilities in court-ordered negotiations which resulted in significant wage hikes for direct care workers last July.  

She also has been instrumental in the last year in organizing a broader coalition of more than 60 organizations to lobby for a living wage for frontline workers in a wide range of human service programs licensed by the state.  

Spears formerly worked as an analyst in the Senate fiscal office and as the coordinator of the state’s compliance with a 2014 civil rights decree affecting adults with developmental disabilities.  

She has a masters degree in public administration from the University of Rhode Island.  

Her path to advocacy began with her first son, Taquonck, who suffered a birth injury that resulted in significant disabilities.  

Spears said, “I love southern Rhode Island. I am part of the fabric of this community. And I know how to make change at the State House. I’m looking forward to an active campaign knocking on doors and hearing from neighbors - so I can effectively bring our community’s voices to the State House with me.” 

Filippi, one of the most prominent Republicans in the state, was regarded as a likely candidate for governor until he announced in December that he would run for re-election from his District 36 seat.  

He was first elected as an Independent in 2014 and later switched to the Republican party. A lawyer and organic cattle farmer, Filippi lives on Block Island.