R.I. Congressman Magaziner had committed to moving to the district he represents. His Cranston home is now for sale.
Cranston tax accessor records show the Democratic congressman and his wife, Julia McDowell, purchased the property in August 2023 for $520,000. It has an assessed value of $472,900, the records show.
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Magaziner, who represents the Second Congressional District, had
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However, in March, Magaziner said that although he bought the house with the intention of renovating it and moving there,
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He said his wife got a new job that requires her to commute to Cambridge, and he also pointed to the fact that the couple had a baby, and that the house in Cranston 'needs more work than we anticipated.'
'Therefore, we have decided that the best thing for our family at this time is to stay in our house in Providence,' Magaziner said in a statement at the time.
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Asked on Wednesday about the Cranston house hitting the market, Noah Boucher, a spokesperson for Magaziner, reiterated those points.
'Representative Magaziner continues to work hard every day to deliver for his constituents, make life more affordable for Rhode Islanders, improve health care, and stand up for democracy,' Boucher wrote in an email.
Members of Congress are not
Magaziner
,
the former state treasurer, said in March that 'living one mile from the district line has no impact on my ability to serve my constituents.'
'I have delivered millions of dollars in federal funding for public safety in Cranston, Johnston, Warwick and Coventry, and for roadwork and environmental improvements all across the district,' he said at the time. 'And in Washington I am fighting for the priorities of working Rhode Islanders, including lowering costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and my bill to ban Members of Congress from trading stocks.'
Joe Powers, chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party, criticized Magaziner's decision in March, alleging the congressman 'never really planned to move into the 2nd Congressional District.'
'While it may not be a legal requirement for him to live there, one would think that representing a district might actually involve living among the people you claim to serve,' Powers said.
Material from a previous Globe story was used in this report.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
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