Heitke, de la Cruz win Senate primaries

BURRILLVILLE – Democrat Kevin D. Heitke and Republican Jessica de la Cruz defeated two other candidates Wednesday night to win their respective party nominations for the District 23 Senate seat, which represents Burrillville, Glocester and North Smithfield.

Heitke of Burrillville beat Democrat Paul J. Roselli, also of Burrillville, by a three-town total vote of 1168 to 1066, while de la Cruz, of North Smithfield defeated her Republican opponent John F. Pacheco III, of Burrillville, by a three-town vote of 628 to 606.

Heitke and de la Cruz will now represent their respective parties on the ballot in November.

The District 23 Senate seat was previously held by longtime state Sen. Paul Fogarty.

Heitke, a former town councilor, has been an attor- ney for 30 years. A founding member of the Burrillville Land Trust, he was elected to the Burrillville Town Council in 2008 and has served as Council liaison to the Zoning

Board, Planning Board and Extended Care Program. He also serves as a board member on the Austin T. Levy Board of Administration.

de la Cruz, a lifelong Rhode Islander and first-generation American born to Portuguese immigrants, has spent more than 20 years actively participating in her community through soup kitchens, toy drives, food drives, nursing home visits and youth programs.

Roselli is president of the Burrillville Land Trust and a grassroots organizer and opponent of the proposed Clear River Energy Center power plant.

Pacheco has been a member of the Town Council for six years, and chairman the past four. He has also been an outspoken opponent of the aforementioned power plant.