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

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, 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 on January 6, 2015.

Career

Mollis attended

St. Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a Private college, private Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Ansel ...

and the Southern New England School of Law, 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

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 * 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 presidential election 21 February and 10 April 2014 * 2014 ...

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person 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 for monopoly, w ...

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 gov ...

, but lost the Democratic Party's nomination to Daniel McKee. 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. Its population was 27,732 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. North Kingstown is the birthplace of American ...

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 20th-century mayors of places in Rhode Island 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