Written by Joe Siegel
Smithfield Democratic Town Council candidate: ‘it’s time for young voices’
At 19, Henry Siravo is the youngest candidate in the race for one of five Town Council seats in the November 3 election. Siravo believes his generation has a role to play in government.
“We’re not making decisions that exist in a vacuum,” he explained. “We got the two oldest presidents (Biden and Trump) back to back. It’s time for young voices. My generation is going to be stuck with the bill.”
Siravo is the student body president at Roger Williams University, where he oversees the funds for over 90 different clubs.
“When it comes time to tighten budgets, I know how to balance them.”
Siravo is majoring in Political Science. He wants to attend law school and become a Public Defender someday.
Siravo’s interest in politics began when he was still in junior high school.
“I actually started on (State Senator) David Tikoian’s first Town Council race (in 2020),” Siravo said. “I got involved (with the campaign) and just loved it. Loved being able to connect with people, support good candidates. I never thought I would be the candidate, though.”
If elected, Siravo intends to focus on preserving open space and giving more financial support to the Smithfield school system.
“We used to have top tier education. We need to stay there. Also, when it comes to all the development going on, we need to protect our green spaces, our wildlife. That’s a very big and important issue for me. It’s that strong sense of community that is so unique to Smithfield. We need to protect that feeling. We can’t let that go away.”
“I think of myself as a proactive candidate,” Siravo added. “People seems to be very excited by that.”
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