In the midst of a high-profile re-election bid and with voters set to go to the polls in less than a month, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello is strongly defending his record and touting an “aggressive agenda for the next few years.”

“I originally ran for office to help my neighbors and my friends and my constituents…to make a great community even better,” he said during a recent interview at the Beacon’s office.

Of his time on the campaign trail this year, he added, “‘You’re doing a good job.’ That’s what you hear the most…They know me more than ever before.”

Mattiello, first elected to the District 15 seat in the House of Representatives in 2006, has served as speaker since March 2014. The incumbent Democrat this year faces a challenge from Steven Frias, the state’s representative to the Republican National Committee.

The speaker made headlines recently with a press conference at the Cranston headquarters of Taco Inc., during which he announced his priorities – including car tax relief and further increasing the estate tax exemption – for the coming legislative session. His ultimate objective is the elimination of both taxes.

Frias, who also supports the repeal of the car tax, criticized the announcement, suggesting the speaker could have addressed the issue during the previous two-plus years and is now doing so out in a bid to “push the reset button on his campaign.”

Mattiello rejected those criticisms and defended the decision to hold the media session alongside Taco CEO John Hazen White Jr., who the speaker called “very gracious.”

“You always want to communicate your priorities with your constituents,” the speaker said.

Mattiello said his time as speaker has featured a “fairly full and robust agenda…more than I’ve ever seen in terms of tax cutting and giving back to the community.”

He described his basic approach as having been to lay the foundation for economic growth and, as a result, increase state revenues, which he said are now “trending in the right direction.” From there, he said, he has worked to “prioritize accordingly” in terms of a range of issues and needs.

“There’s been a methodology,” he said.

Later, he added, “[Rhode Island is] not on a perfect foundation…but more stable than it was before…I just find it inaccurate, disingenuous, misleading to say that we didn’t have a very full agenda…The business community recognizes it.”

The speaker pointed to efforts to increase the estate tax and retirement income exemptions and also to address the factors that hinder Rhode Island’s ability to compete with other states. Infrastructure woes topped that list, he said, leading to legislative support for a re-worked RhodeWorks program.

“Now we’re going to pivot to municipalities,” he said, through action on the car tax. He added that eliminating the tax is “the only thing that really gives the taxpayer what they want, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Mattiello has provided no specific figures in terms of the car tax, which already costs the state approximately $10 million annually for up to $500 individual exemptions. He did say that through subsidies to municipalities for lost car tax revenue, he hopes to phase out the tax completely in three to five years. He did acknowledge that doing so would likely require delaying action on other priorities.

The speaker leveled his own criticism of previous Republican proposals to eliminate the car tax.

“You can’t legislate away taxes. You actually have to find the money,” he said.

Mattiello said the General Assembly has taken steps to give back to constituents in other ways during his tenure. He pointed to a reduction in beach fees over the summer as having made “one of the things that makes being a Rhode Islander great” a more accessible and affordable option for families.

“As our economy does better, I’m giving it back to my constituents,” he said.

While the perception in many corners has been that Mattiello feels pressured by Frias’ bid, the speaker during his visit to the Beacon expressed confidence regarding his re-election prospects.

“I don’t see Mr. Frias gaining traction…I believe that my support is much higher than his,” he said. He also asserted Frias is “running on empty promises.”

Mattiello also discussed the presidential campaign, saying he has noticed a “certain uneasiness” among his constituents.

“They’re asking for advice because they don’t like the choices,” he said, noting the high unfavorable ratings of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump among voters at large.

The speaker reiterated his support for Clinton, calling her “competent and qualified to do the job.” He did acknowledge the “difficult choice” voters face.