Rhode Island Democrat Running for Mayor Previously Convicted of Child Molestation, Re-Offended After Prison Release
Michael English wants to be Providence’s next mayor. He holds advanced degrees, has raised children, and speaks confidently about his qualifications for office. When questioned about his past, he refers vaguely to “immature decisions” that led to a “period of incarceration”—(don’t you love how politicians dance around their crimes?)—the kind of careful phrasing that suggests a youthful indiscretion, perhaps a bar fight or unpaid tickets. He insists voters should focus on what he’s accomplished since then, on his potential to lead.
The Democratic Party has increasingly embraced this philosophy of infinite second chances, particularly when it comes to their own. We’ve watched them rally behind candidates caught in lies, financial scandals, and personal failures that would have ended careers just a generation ago. But surely, we tell ourselves, there must be some transgressions that still matter, some violations of public trust that can’t be explained away with time and rhetoric.
Here’s what Michael English actually did: At 26 years old, he engaged in sexual acts with a 13-year-old child. This wasn’t a misunderstanding about age or a moment of poor judgment—this was child molestation, prosecuted and proven in court. He served barely a year in prison. Then, after his release, he tried to contact his victim again, driving to her house and suggesting they get coffee. For this second offense, this deliberate re-traumatization of his victim, he served less than two years.
Read that again. This man—this convicted child molester—actually said “God help you all” to people who question his fitness for office. The sheer arrogance takes your breath away, doesn’t it? This isn’t remorse. This is a man who molested a child, stalked her after prison, and now has the audacity to suggest that Providence needs him—that questioning his fitness for office makes voters the problem, not him.
He managed to get himself removed from the sex offender registry through appeals. He frames his crimes as mere obstacles to living up to his “potential.” He actually attempts to claim moral high ground over those who dare question whether a repeat child predator should hold public office.
The Democratic Party has increasingly embraced this philosophy of infinite second chances, particularly when it comes to their own. We’ve watched them rally behind candidates caught in lies, financial scandals, and personal failures that would have ended careers just a generation ago. But surely, we tell ourselves, there must be some transgressions that still matter, some violations of public trust that can’t be explained away with time and rhetoric.
Here’s what Michael English actually did: At 26 years old, he engaged in sexual acts with a 13-year-old child. This wasn’t a misunderstanding about age or a moment of poor judgment—this was child molestation, prosecuted and proven in court. He served barely a year in prison. Then, after his release, he tried to contact his victim again, driving to her house and suggesting they get coffee. For this second offense, this deliberate re-traumatization of his victim, he served less than two years.
Read that again. This man—this convicted child molester—actually said “God help you all” to people who question his fitness for office. The sheer arrogance takes your breath away, doesn’t it? This isn’t remorse. This is a man who molested a child, stalked her after prison, and now has the audacity to suggest that Providence needs him—that questioning his fitness for office makes voters the problem, not him.
He managed to get himself removed from the sex offender registry through appeals. He frames his crimes as mere obstacles to living up to his “potential.” He actually attempts to claim moral high ground over those who dare question whether a repeat child predator should hold public office.
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