Mark Weiner, left, and his son, Richard, turn in candidacy papers at Town Hall Wednesday. Credit: EG News 

Mark Weiner, a significant fundraiser for the national Democratic Party and owner of Financial Innovations, a political marketing firm, signed up Wednesday to run for the District 30 state representative seat held by Anthony Giarrusso. His 21-year-old son, Richard Weiner, registered at the same time to run for Town Council. Both registered to run as Democrats.

Mark Weiner said his candidacy is not a sure thing because he may need vocal cord surgery, a result of a car accident in Florida last August that put him in a coma for 40 days.

“I can’t run if I can’t talk,” he said. “If I don’t need the operation, I’m going to definitely run.”

He said he would know in the next week or so. If he does run, he said, he would use his own money in the campaign, not outside funds.

After living in East Greenwich for 17 years, Weiner said, he wanted to do something for the town.

Giarrusso, elected in 2012, declared he would run for a second term earlier this year.

Town Councilman Mark Gee filed to run for the state Senate Dist. 35 seat currently held by Dawson Hodgson, who is running for attorney general. He faces a potential primary against North Kingstown School Committee Chairwoman Kim Page, if both turn in the 100 signatures required of Senate candidates to earn a place on the ballot. Narragansett Democrat Jim Callaghan has also declared a run for that seat.

State Senator Lou Raptakis, a Democrat from Coventry, will stand again for his District 33 seat, which includes Coventry, East Greenwich and West Greenwich. It’s unclear if anyone is running against him.

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