Elected Officials

Joseph A. Montalbano

Joseph A. Montalbano was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on November 23, 1954. He graduated from Portsmouth Priory School, earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, and a Juris Doctorate Degree from St. John's School of Law in 1979. President Montalbano is a practicing attorney with a law office in North Providence, Rhode Island. He resides in North Providence with his wife, Linda and their son, Stephen.

President Montalbano represents District 17, which includes portions of Lincoln, North Providence and Pawtucket. He was first elected to the Rhode Island Senate in 1988. President Montalbano served as the Judiciary Committee's Vice Chairman from 1995-1996 and Secretary from 1993-1994. From January 2001 to November 2002 he served as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was Senate Majority Leader from January 2002 to January 2004, when his Democratic and Republican colleagues unanimously elected him President of the Senate.

In addition to his service in the Senate, he is Chief Judge of the North Providence Municipal Court, a post he was appointed to in January 1997, and has taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Law and the Constitution at the Community College of Rhode Island, and was a Past Grand Knight for the Bouffard Council, Knights of Columbus in North Providence.

President Montalbano has made property tax relief a priority throughout his tenure. Legislation he introduced in 2005 enabled the sale of Lincoln Park to BLB Investors. The legislation requires BLB to finance major renovations to the aging facility. The anticipated increased revenue from Lincoln Park will: eliminate the automobile excise tax in about 2010, provide several million a year in additional property tax relief for Lincoln residents and businesses, provide an additional $3.3 million in property tax relief for residents and businesses in Rhode Island's six distressed communities, provide $10 million annually in increased property tax relief through the state's general revenue sharing formula for cities and towns that do not benefit from the increased distressed communities aid, and provide additional relief to the elderly, poor, and disabled.

President Montalbano has served on the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority (1990-1994), the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (1990-1994), and the Narragansett Bay Commission (1993-1998).

President Montalbano has also served as a member of the former Senate Committees on Corporations; Health, Education, and Welfare; and the Senate Committee on Labor. As President of the Senate, Senator Montalbano is an ex officio member of all Senate Committees. He presides over all Sessions of the Senate and Grand Committee, appoints members to all Senate committees and the Senate members of all joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees as may be required and appoint members to them in accordance with the law. He also appoints the chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary of all Senate committees, majority whip, deputy majority whip, and deputy majority leaders. He oversees a full-time staff of about 50 people, and additional part-time employees when the Senate is in session.

Awards and honors include being awarded the Charles Dick Medal of Honor in 2003, and in 2004, being named the Verrazzano Day "Man of the Year." In 2006, he received the Barbara C. Burlingame Award for Distinguished Public Service, and was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Rhode Island Childhood Lead Action Project. In addition, he and Rep. Arthur Corvese were the first inductees into the Marieville School Circle of Friends.

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