Jake Bissaillon

Jake Bissaillon was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Bissaillon earned a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from Providence College in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2016. His career experience includes working in government.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I came to Providence to attend Providence College (PC). PC fueled my passion for politics and public service. It was there that I rallied other students and city residents behind President Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign. As a student organizer tasked with recruiting volunteers to knock on doors in New Hampshire and make phone calls to Iowa, I learned how building a team to work toward a common goal can contribute to major victories. After graduating from PC with my MBA, I went to work as Chief of Staff to the Providence City Council. Since then, I have worked for both the House of Representatives and State Senate in leadership roles and presently oversee a staff of more than 50 employees.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Housing is the single most pressing issue facing Providence and the State of Rhode Island, and I have a front row seat to it campaigning here in District 1. From the Charles Street encampments to the lack of access to traditional working class homeownership opportunities in Wanskuck, Senate District One is a perfect window in to the state’s housing crisis. I believe in a multifaceted approach to addressing this crisis, which is grounded in the reality that more than 20 new laws have been passed over the last two years to spur development. Taking that into account, I think now we need to expeditiously incentivize the development of affordable housing, workforce housing, and low-barrier entry housing. It’s not enough to make it easier to bWe can strengthen public safety in Providence and Rhode Island by building sustainable and authentic relationships with public safety, which begins with increased transparency and accountability for our public safety officers and a return to neighborhood policing. We must curb access to firearms to prevent them from falling in to the wrong hands; such as, children, adults seeking to inflict harm on themselves or others, or those suffering mental health and substance use disorders. As legal counsel to the Senate Majority Leader, I helped to draft the state's Red Flag Law and a state statute that allows court's to disarm domestic abusers. Lastly, we must ban the sale of assault weapons and weapons of war.We can strengthen public education in Providence by returning our focus and investment to traditional public education. This starts with returning Providence Public Schools to the City of Providence, thereby increasing accountability and autonomy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I would like to see our state continue down the path of criminal justice reform. One of the first initiatives I worked on when I began my career as an attorney was passing Justice Reinvestment. Justice Reinvestment was a compressive package of sentencing, parole, and probation reforms designed to: reduce recidivism, ensure justice-involved individuals receive the treatment they need, and save taxpayers dollars. I believe we need to build a more compassionate society and that begins by assisting, rather than criminalizing, non-violent individuals who are beholden to mental health disorders, substance abuse disorders, or a combination thereof.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents. Both of them were teachers, and they taught me the importance of being involved in my community from a very young age.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our city and state's challenges center on the most basic elements of our daily life. Too many residents experience housing and food insecurity. A proliferation of guns on our streets leads to the mindless menace of violence that we seemingly read and hear about every day in our city. Our public schools languish as students struggle to catch up from the COVID-19 learning disruption, and our teachers struggle just to get by every day in the classroom. Improving our city and state starts with more housing, safer streets, and better schools.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I've worked with individuals from all walks of life, and I have come to appreciate that any lived experience is important to our legislative process. While it's helpful to have professional experience in public administration, there is no perfect resume for a legislator and I think that is what makes our democracy so vibrant and dynamic.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. You can't get a bill turned into a law without building relationships with your colleagues.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. During my time with the Providence City Council, the Rhode Island House of Representatives, and the Rhode Island Senate, I worked across party lines, ward boundaries, zip codes, and cities and towns to pass forward-thinking reforms to improve the lives of residents in Providence and throughout Rhode Island. From strengthening gun control measures, to raising wages, to protecting our environment, to improving quality of life in our city, and to building housing, I have fought to pass the most substantial reforms enacted into city and state law in recent memory. These reforms would not have been possible without compromise, which begins by meeting people where they are and working together openly and honestly towards a commonly understood positive outcome.

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