Angelo Ralph Mollis (born May 24, 1961) is an American politician who served as the Secretary of State of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

from 2007 to 2015. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he assumed office on January 1, 2007. He was reelected to a second term beginning January 4, 2011 and was succeeded by fellow Democrat

Nellie Gorbea Nellie M. Gorbea (born July 12, 1967) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island since January 2015. Gorbea is the first Hispanic to win statewide office in New England. ...

on January 6, 2015.

Career

Mollis attended

St. Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1 ...

and the

Southern New England School of Law Southern New England School of Law (SNESL) was a non-profit law school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts that operated from 1981 to 2010. At its closure, its assets were donated to the University of Massachusetts system to become the bas ...

, but he left law school to pursue a career in finance with LAMCO Pension and Investment Advisory Firm, simultaneously serving as Town Councilman of North Providence from 1986 until 1996. Mollis rose to Vice President/Director of Office Operations of LAMCO. Mollis served as Town Council President in 1993 and 1994 and became

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of North Providence in January 1997. He was re-elected in 2000 and 2004, In 2006, he was elected Secretary of State. In 2010, voters gave him a second four-year term. As secretary of state, Mollis has pushed various electoral reforms. While he served as the state's chief elections official, Rhode Island broke records for the number of registered voters as well as primary and general election turnout. By law, the Secretary of State also has a number of business-related duties. To make it easier for businesses to meet their state-mandated reporting requirements, Mollis introduced on-line filing of documents such as annual reports. Working with the state's Economic Development Corporation, Mollis rolled out a "We Mean Business" initiative to help start-up and emerging companies get fast answers from government agencies. In his role overseeing the State Archives, Mollis introduces students to state history by bringing historic documents such as Rhode Island's version of the Emancipation Proclamation to schools all over Rhode Island. Mollis was prevented from running for reelection as Secretary of State in the

2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014. * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presi ...

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential ...

s. He ran for

Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gove ...

, but lost the Democratic Party's nomination to

Daniel McKee Daniel James McKee (born June 16, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 76th governor of Rhode Island since March 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Rhode Island's 69th lieutenant governor from 2015 to ...

. In 2017, Mollis was hired as the town manager for

North Kingstown, Rhode Island North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilber ...

References

External links

Secretary of State biographyGuide to the Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis records
from the Rhode Island State Archives
Voters First Advisory Commission 2008 Recommendations
from the Rhode Island State Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Mollis, Ralph Living people 1961 births Secretaries of State of Rhode Island Mayors of places in Rhode Island Rhode Island Democrats People from North Providence, Rhode Island Saint Anselm College alumni