A candidate forum featuring Rhode Island Senate District 14 incumbent Val Lawson, one of Rhode Island’s top ranking legislators, and her challenger, Brian Coogan — an outspoken, oft-online former state representative and critic of most things to do with local and state government — started off cordial enough.

It would not remain so.

The forum, organized by the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island and sponsored by East Bay Media Group (the Post’s parent company), was held on Tuesday night in the third floor conference room of East Providence City Hall; moved from its original location as the city council was voting on the FY27 budget in the main chambers. It was a popular forum, filling up to standing-room-only by its 6 p.m. start time.

Lawson, a member of the Senate since being elected in 2018 (and named Senate President in April of 2025), is running as a Democrat. Coogan, who has run for state office multiple times and served two terms in the legislature from 2000-2004 as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, is running as an Independent. Lawson beat Coogan in the 2024 Democratic Primary 1,558 votes to 512.

Scott Pickering, publisher of East Bay Media Group, served as the moderator of the forum.

Uneventful opening salvos

Each candidate was given the chance to provide an opening statement, with each opting to appeal to their deep communal ties to East Providence.

“I was a shoeshine boy here, went to school here. I was in Boy Scouts right across the street at Sacred Heart. So my roots are deep here,” Coogan said. “I’m third generation and my boys are fourth generation. I’m not just here to run for senator, I’m here to work for you, the taxpayer…I don’t care if you have an R or a D next to your name. I’m a registered Independent, I was a former Democrat, and I want to represent everybody.”

“I’m a proud Townie. I’ve lived in this community for my entire life. I taught in this community my entire teaching career and I’ve had the great privilege of being your senator since 2019,” Lawson said. “I believe deeply in this community and in the power of public service. I’m grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had, and I’ve been able to work collectively with my colleagues in the senate to do great things for East Providence residents, and Rhode Islanders.”

Asked by Pickering about their top priorities, Coogan said that opening up the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles to longer hours and more days was at the front of his mind, as he found it wrong to require people to make appointments and limit the time people are able to conduct needed business.

“There’s no reason to have to make an appointment when Massachusetts lets you walk right in,” he said. “Inspections stickers are going to go up from $55 this year to $110 in 2027. We’re being taxed and shut out of our own state buildings.”

Lawson, meanwhile, targeted healthcare and rising energy rates as her main areas of focus.

Candidates were then asked if they would seek to enact more gun control measures. Lawson said that it would depend on the policy in question and what the language was, stating that Rhode Island already has “some of the strictest gun laws in the nation”, but that she would be “interested in hearing what could be next”.

Coogan said he was a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and of peoples’ right to bear arms to protect themselves and their families.

“I think we have enough legislation out there about guns,” he said.

Asked about the state’s moratorium on the creation of any more charter schools, Lawson said she agreed with that decision and that the state funding formula needed to be looked at to address financial inequities across the educational landscape.

“The funding formula here in Rhode Island has been tweaked in the last decade, but it has some gaps,” she said. “We don’t fully fund special education students. We don’t fully fund transportation, and these are issued that we need to address. And make sure we’re encompassing the full cost of what it takes to educate a student.”

Coogan, however, didn’t answer the question and instead opined about a local issue regarding the East Providence School Department’s looming $3.8 million deficit for Fiscal Year 2027.

“What they did is atrocious. It’s criminal,” Coogan said, stating he would initiate a forensic audit of the school department if he was elected. “You want to talk about charter schools or public schools. What about the money? Where’s the money going? Who’s in charge of this? Who’s taking our money? Who’s stealing it? They’re stealing it. It’s criminal.”

Asked about the state of healthcare, Lawson said that the Senate has done numerous things during her tenure to address core problems, such as increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to be more in line with Massachusetts and Connecticut, and working towards establishing a new state medical school to develop and retain talent and increase the number of available primary care doctors.

Coogan said that state leaders had failed the state by letting Brown Health “take over” the state’s healthcare system.

“The leadership let it happen,” he said, nodding his head sideways in Lawson’s direction. “We should not have done that. We should keep our doctors. We should pay them well and keep them here.”

Tensions rise

Asked about the state’s affordable housing strategy, Coogan derided the amount of apartments being built in East Providence that were still unaffordable to most.

“In the next eight years we’re going to have about 2,000 extra apartments in East Providence, and people can’t afford them. My kids, they can’t afford an apartment. $2,000 a month, is that affordable? That’s not affordable, not in my book,” he said.

Asked about protecting the environment, Lawson said that the state should continue to develop its renewable energy infrastructure and find ways to boost recycling.

Coogan pointed to a recent video he posted on his social media where he and East Providence mayoral candidate, Patricio Pinto, pulled a sunken boat from the East Providence waterfront. He claimed that maneuver saved taxpayers $10,000, and that all Lawson and state leaders had to offer was empty talk.

“I’m all about protecting the environment. Is anybody else? I actually do something about it,” he said. “We’re not going to wait for the state to help us, and the state’s friends that are here tonight. They haven’t done anything for us. I will do it personally. I will pull money out of my own pocket.”

Asked about how they could help keep electrical rates down, Lawson said that the Senate had launched a five-year plan to address costs, and were looking into giving out energy rebates to consumers over the winter. She reiterated a need to focus on renewable energy for the future.

“It’s cleaner, it’s more affordable, and it’s cheaper,” she said. “Those were efforts that were stalled by the Trump administration that are now back up and running. Living on the coast, the Ocean State, wind energy is something we should definitely harness that ability as well as continuing to build energy-efficient buildings.”

Coogan, now openly making barbs against Lawson, directed much of his response physically in her direction. He said the legislators haven’t helped consumers by continuing to charge a 40 cent tax on each gallon of gas, and allowing high delivery fees for electricity. He again accused Lawson of not delivering beyond rhetoric.

“How is an elderly person going to afford $6 a gallon? ‘Oh we’re thinking about this. Oh we’re talking about that.’ It’s all talk. What are you going to do about it?” he said. “Lower the gasoline tax. Lower the diesel, which is home heating oil as well, lower the tax…Stop talking about what you’re going to do and actually do something for once.”

'You’re a liar'
The forum began to increase in intensity following a question about whether either candidate accepted campaign contributions from corporate or government lobbyists, or special interest groups.

Coogan initially said “No. Absolutely not. I don’t accept anything,” before criticizing Lawson for amassing $330,000 in her campaign account compared to what he said was $3,000 in his own.

“She’s got $330,000. Dark money,” he said. “You don’t hear or see this woman in this community.”

Lawson agreed that she has accepted money from numerous people, and retorted that Coogan actually had taken money from a special interest group — from The League of Rhode Island Businesses, a new PAC with a self-proclaimed preference for “conservative” candidates who challenge incumbent legislators. A check of campaign finance records confirmed Coogan accepted $1,000 total in three separate donations from the group.

One question later, about whether or not they would endorse a “Medicare for all” type plan (Lawson said she thinks the country should strive towards that ideal, but that her focus was on trying to improve what was already in place here), Coogan again opted to ignore the question and double down on attacking Lawson.

He defended his endorsement and donations from the League of Rhode Island Businesses, claiming they had helped “expose” Lawson as being involved in an attempt to hide mail-in ballots (a claim the Post has no individually verified proof for).

“We actually had to hold their feet to the fire and expose them,” Coogan said. “So I’m proud to be endorsed by the Business League, because they’re for common sense.” He again said that Lawson was all talk on trying to improve the healthcare system without doing anything.

“We have done things,” Lawson retorted. “We have increased primary care reimbursement rates, we have eliminated prior authorizations, and we will continue this work to make the system better. We’ve begun the process for a medical school. So all of these initiatives are already in place. We’re looking at the healthcare system through a short-term, intermediate, and long-term.”

“And everyone knows in this room that I have nothing to do with canvassing and the ballots that Mr. Coogan is assessing,” she continued.
Coogan retorted again, over the attempts of Pickering to move the forum on.
“You walked with Gregg Amore. He’s the Secretary of State. He’s supposed to be the most unbiased person. He was going door to door,” he said. “What do you mean you don’t know anything about canvassing? Your best friend was walking with you with the General Treasurer. Remember? I got you on video and people got really upset with you about that. You don’t know anything about canvassing?”

“Val, please, you’re a liar, and that’s it,” Coogan said, eliciting a torrent of boos from the audience.

“I’m not a liar,” Lawson replied. “What you say, Mr. Coogan, is not true. I’m a proud Democrat. I’m proud of my relationship with Gregg Amore and Treasurer Diossa.”

Pickering regained control, which prompted Coogan to walk back the comment he made.

“I apologize,” he said. “I’m just very passionate about the taxpayers of East Providence. Sorry about that.”

'You…passed one piece of legislation'

Lawson, in a final retort to that last exchange, said that she was proud of the policies she had advocated for and that she would continue to work hard for people in the community.

Coogan pounced again.

“We just haven’t seen it, Val,” he said. “It sounds good, we just haven’t seen it.”

This time Lawson struck back.

“During my tenure in the Rhode Island Senate, I’ve passed 89 bills as the primary sponsor,” she said. “Throughout that time, when you served in the Rhode Island General Assembly, you served for four years and passed one piece of legislation — for the renaming of a bridge.”

That prompted another response from Coogan.

“I may have only put one piece of legislation in as a junior senator, but you’re a senior senator and you can’t even get the drains cleaned. You can’t get the pigeon poop cleaned off of 195,” he said. “You’re ‘Do Nothing Lawson’. Everybody knows it. We don’t see you or hear you. All those pieces of legislation may be great, but how does it help us with a 40 cent tax at the pump? Six dollars a gallon for home heating oil? How does it help us, all the legislation you’ve passed?”

The duo sparred a bit more regarding the state’s business climate and its handling of the Washington Bridge before the forum came to an end.

The full forum is available on the League of Women Voters website (LWVRI.org) and their Facebook page.