Dear Neighbor,

 

My name is Megan Cotter, and I am the State Representative for District 39 in Richmond, Hopkinton, and Exeter. When I ran, I knocked on doors after work and on weekends, and I heard concerns about rising taxes, trash services, funding for our schools and protecting our open spaces. I met many caring people who, like me, were nervous about the future.

​

As a working mom, I went to the State House to get things done. Rhode Island families deserve better from state government, and we need a voice in the General Assembly that understands this district, and promotes compassion and unity over hatred and division, and gets things done.

​

I learned these values from my father. I grew up on Hilltop Avenue in Providence – mom was a waitress and dad sold heating and air conditioning systems. My parents divorced, but my dad was my everything.

​

He could tell you what was wrong with your boiler from hearing it over the phone. He took us to church every Sunday at St. Augustine’s. He taught us kindness. When the church offered meals to homeless people, he made sure we all helped.
 
He taught us to work hard. At Classical High School, I served as class treasurer and played basketball. I waited tables after school at Newport Creamery. I was a triple major at the University of Rhode Island -- in English, Comparative Literature, and Classical Studies. It was a lot of work, but I was raised to believe that education was important.
 
In college, I met my amazing husband, Chris, and soon we had three children. I realized daycare would take my whole paycheck, so I stayed home during the day and waitressed at night. Chris worked full time, and we barely saw each other. The rent, utilities, healthcare and student loans were suffocating. I understand what it means to stretch a budget, and I know the impact of rising prices on a family.
 
Like many families, we dug in. When my kids started school, I went back to work. I got a sales job in the food industry. I was the only woman on my team. I hustled and moved up the ladder, eventually landing a job traveling the country to help a local seafood company become one of the largest players in the industry. I was a top performer, but I learned my male colleagues were paid twice as much, so I moved to a company that believes in equal pay for equal work. Over my career, I have learned a lot about the role of small businesses in our economy and the challenges that women face in the workforce.  
 
After years of scrimping and saving, Chris and I bought a house in Exeter. The strong schools and natural beauty make the area a perfect place to raise a family. Our kids are thriving in the public schools, but a quality public education should not create a local tax burden if the state won’t fund their fair share. Every family in Rhode Island should have the chance to own a home and send their kids to great schools. As your state representative, I fought for and won more state funding for our schools without new taxes.  
 
In 2016, my father -- the man who taught me caring -- was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He kept his sense of humor even through chemotherapy; “things could always be worse,” he would say. At 57, he passed away.
 
I saw how big the healthcare bills were. How many people wait too long to go to the doctor because of the cost? I believe everyone should have access to quality, affordable healthcare. So last year I worked with RIPTA to get funding for Wood River Health to purchase a new van for our community. I will keep bringing people together to work toward practical solutions.
 
Around the one-year anniversary of my father’s death, a battery explosion burned our home to the ground. We lost everything we owned, but we gained something more important: a new understanding of community.
 
I raced home to find my husband and son in an ambulance -- cold but safe. The other kids were at school. Immediately neighbors started looking, and found our dog, Toast.
 
In the following days, we visited the site where our home used to stand. I will never forget the neighbor who took off her scarf and put it around my neck saying: don’t worry, you are going to get through this. I still have that scarf.
 
Help came from every direction. We never asked, but neighbors, friends and strangers stepped up to help. They took the worst experience in our children’s lives and transformed it into a lesson about generosity. So, when given a choice, we did not hesitate to rebuild. This was where our children should grow up.
 
Those memories came back during the 2023 Exeter brush fire. I went to the scene with food for the firefighters and residents. The fire got dangerously close to houses, but our brave volunteer firefighters stopped it. Afterwards, one of our amazing fire chiefs explained that the state wasn’t doing enough to manage our forest to prevent future fires.
 
We needed action. I wrote legislation to create a commission on forest management and fire prevention, and the commission heard the same thing from fire departments and state environmental experts: our state has ignored our forests for years. I spent a lot of time educating other elected officials about our rural concerns: they didn’t know that Rhode Island has lost more than 200,000 acres of farmland since the 1950s.
 
Through hard work, we added funding for rangers and forest management to the budget, and $5 million for farm preservation, $5 million for forest management, and $3 million for open space to the state’s green bond. So many people worked hard for this huge win for rural communities.
 
I listened to the community, I worked collaboratively at the State House, and we got results. I am very proud that we increased the tax exemption for Social Security and retirement income and restored cost of living adjustments for retirees. I am proud that in my first term I secured more funding for schools.
 
My family is committed to giving back to the community that gave us so much. We are active in our church, we donate, we volunteer, and we keep an ear open for families who need a hand or a meal. I ran for office because I am committed to this community and the values that I see every day throughout Hopkinton, Exeter, and Richmond. We need leaders who can bring us together across differences – not further divide us –  to demand dignity for every Rhode Islander. That work is not done, so I’m running again – the State House still needs a big dose of good old rural Rhode Island common sense.
 
I am not a career politician. I am a working mom who stands up for families. I know that if we work together we can make real progress, because I’ve seen it happen. I’d love to hear your ideas for our community. Feel free to reach out to me at Megan@MeganCotterRI.com or 401-541-5588.

Representing you and the people of District 39 has been a great honor and truly inspiring. I respectfully ask for your vote on November 5th.