R.I. Senate Labor chairman to retire from General Assembly

State Sen. Paul Fogarty, chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, has announced that he will retire from the General Assembly at the end of his current term, rather than seek reelection in November.

Fogarty — a Democrat whose district includes parts of Burrillville, Glocester and North Smithfield — made the decision after conversations in recent months with his wife, Nancy, according to a news release.

"It's been a great honor to have served the people of northwest RI these past years and to have had the opportunity to represent their interests at the State House," he said, according to the release. "Whether it has been fighting against the Burrillville power plant proposal, working for additional state aid to our local schools, preserving RIPTA service to our area or fighting for Zambarano Hospital, I have always tried to put our community’s interests first. I am very grateful to my neighbors in the district for giving me this opportunity to serve.”

Fogarty, 61, a former president of the Glocester Town Council, was first elected to the Senate in 1998. He has chaired the Senate Labor Committee since 2009, and previously held several other leadership positions, including deputy majority leader.

He is the brother of former Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty and the nephew of the late former Congressman John E. Fogarty.