By Katherine Gregg
Journal State House Bureau

An unsuccessful '08 candidate for a South County seat in the Rhode Island legislature has taken over the reins of the citizens' advocacy group Operation Clean Government.

Larry Valencia was elevated to the presidency after Arthur C. "Chuck" Barton III, an unsuccessful 2004 Republican congressional candidate for the 2nd District Congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. James Langevin, stepped down in mid-term.

An OCG statement explaining his departure said that Barton, as "vice-president of Commercial Lending at People's United Bank in Norwich, CT, resigned from the position to better fulfill his business and other volunteer commitments." He has been president since November 2006.

A lobbyist for OCG who has hosted the group's public-access cable TV show State of the State, Valencia describes himself as a freelance medical writer, part-time sales agent for Glacial Energy in Sandwich, Mass., and long-time member of the Richmond zoning board who has chaired the Richmond Economic Development and Home Rule Charter Commissions, and helped craft a new and recently approved town charter with recall and voter initiative provisions.