| M. Teresa Paiva-Weed | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 13th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1993 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | November 5, 1959 Newport, Rhode Island |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Weed (d. 2009) |
| Residence | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Alma mater | Providence College, The Catholic University of America |
| Profession | attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (b. November 5, 1959) is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate, representing the 13th District (Jamestown and Newport) since 2002 and the 49th District (Jamestown, Middletown, and Newport) from 1992 to 2002. In November 2008, she was elected President of the Senate. She was Majority Leader from 2004 to 2008.
Paiva-Weed was born on November 5, 1959 at the Newport Naval Hospital, the daughter of Arthur and Marie Paiva. She was raised in Newport and attended Rogers High School from 1973 to 1977. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College and a Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University. A widow, Paiva-Weed was married for 23 years to fellow Rogers High School alumnus Mark Weed, who died of cancer on August 22, 2009. She worked as an attorney at the law firm of Moore, Virgadamo & Lynch before retiring in 2008.
Paiva-Weed first entered politics in 1992 when she ran for a seat in the 49th District of the Rhode Island Senate, winning 62% of the vote against Republican Ellen M. McDonagh. Following the 2001 redistricting that reduced the Rhode Island Senate from 50 to 38 members, she faced a primary election in the new 13th District against fellow incumbent J. Clement Cicilline, winning 75% of the vote, then winning 74% against Republican Janine M. Atamian in the general election.
Paiva-Weed has advanced steadily in the Rhode Island Senate, being named Chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee in 1997, Senate Majority Leader in 2004, and Senate President in 2008, the first woman to serve in each position. Paiva-Weed also opposes same-sex marriage.[1]
Paiva-Weed ran into some controversy over defending the salary of Stephen Iannazzi. A one-time page, Iannazzi’s first full-time job at the State House was as a $35,110-a-year secretary in February 2009. He had worked his way up to a $37,986-a-year policy researcher by the time he left last July. He was hired back in December as an $85,546-a-year special assistant to Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, and got a 3-percent raise the following month that boosted his salary to $88,112. "You keep characterizing that one as an increase. It was not an increase. He left the building. He’s a new hire,” said Paiva Wee
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