Rhode Island Senate elects new Senate President following death of Ruggerio

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Senate elected a new Senate President following the death of Dominick Ruggerio.

Senator Valarie Lawson was elected as Senate President on Tuesday after the previous President of the Senate, Dominick Ruggerio, died at 76-years-old on April 21.

Lawson joined the Senate in 2018.

“The trust my colleagues have placed in me means more than I can express. Serving as President of the Rhode Island Senate is an awesome responsibility, one that I will work tirelessly to uphold,” Lawson said. “As we acknowledge the tremendous loss our chamber has experienced in recent years, we will honor the memory, friendship, and incredible service of our cherished colleagues by working together for our constituents, our communities, and our state.”

Also on Tuesday, Frank Ciccone was elected as the Majority Leader by his colleagues in the Democratic caucus. He had previously held the role of Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor.