2016 -- H 7971

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LC005547

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING SINCERE CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ROBERT J. HEALEY,

JR., ESQ.

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Malik, Mattiello, DeSimone, Newberry, and Hearn

     Date Introduced: March 22, 2016

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House of Representatives has learned of the

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passing of Robert J. Healey, Jr., Esq., lawyer, entrepreneur, restauranteur, and the founder of

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Rhode Island’s Cool Moose Party; and

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     WHEREAS, Robert J. Healey was born in the City of Providence, the son of Robert and

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Mary Healey, Sr. He grew up in the Town of Warren and was a graduate of Warren High School.

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He continued his education, earning a Bachelor's Degree in English and Secondary Education

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from Rhode Island College, a Master's Degree in Reading Education from Boston University, a

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Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law, and a Master's Degree in English

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Literature from Northeastern University. In 1983, he began a PhD program at Columbia

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University, but after completing the requirements, was unable to complete the process when his

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dissertation supervisor passed away; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1982, Mr. Healey was elected to the Warren School Committee, where he

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served as chairman until 1986. He also served as the secretary for the Bristol County Bar

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Association at that time, and remained in that position for the rest of his life; and

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     WHEREAS, Robert Healey was an iconic political figure whose appearance and

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irreverent persona captured the loyalty of the disenfranchised and disaffected. He once stated, "I

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have a view of government in the way it was intended not in the way it exists": and

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     WHEREAS, In 1986, Mr. Healey ran for Governor as an Independent Candidate. In

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1994, he founded the Cool Moose Party, serving as the chairman from 1994 to 1998. Also in

 

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1994 and in 1998, he ran for the Office of Governor as the Cool Moose Party Candidate. In 2002,

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2006, and 2010, he ran for the Office of Lieutenant Governor on the unconventional platform of

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abolishing the office; and

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     WHEREAS, Robert Healey ran five times on the Cool Moose ticket, once as an

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independent, and in 2014, he ran for Office of Governor, but due to unusual circumstances, he

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became the Moderate Party candidate. In his 2014 campaign for governor, he appealed to a broad

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political spectrum and garnered a remarkable 21 percent of the vote, while spending only $35.31

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on office supplies and 98 cents on postage; and

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     WHEREAS, Robert Healey was persuasive and effective. He was gifted with exceptional

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clarity of purpose, and anecdotes about this remarkable man, who helped to transform our state

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and shape the diverse structure of Rhode Island politics will long be reiterated and remembered;

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now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby expresses our deepest sympathies on the passing of Robert J.

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Healey, Jr.

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