WEST — Improving affordability, including housing, improving education and safety initiatives, and providing reliable public access to the state’s coastline were among the goals shared by the candidates at the candidates’ night. West of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce Thursday in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
The candidates expressed differences on some burning issues, including whether critical race theory is taught in schools and abortion.
Candidates for the 38th Senate District, Westerly City Council and Westerly School Board all participated in the roundtable forum, hosted by the House in partnership with WBLQ and The Westerly Sun. The show was hosted by Betty-Jo Cugini Greene and offered insight into the opinions and priorities of the candidates, with a wide range of topics focused on local issues, including affordable housing, economic recovery and community development.
For those vying for one of Westerly’s seven city council seats, it allowed aspiring council members to share their thoughts on local issues before early voting began in Rhode Island.
“I think when you look around you have a lot of like-minded people in this room and that’s something that makes me excited,” said council candidate Joy Cordio.
Cordio, a Democrat, is one of 10 candidates running for the council. She will be joined on the ballot by fellow Democrats Kevin J. Lowther II, Edward P. Morrone and Mary E. Scialabba. Republican Philip M. Overton, the sole ballot holder, and unaffiliated candidates William J. Aiello, Dylan J. LaPietra, Robert L. Lombardo, Mark S. Melvan and Mark J. Sullivan will round out the ballot this year.
Each had the opportunity to share their opinions through their responses to individual questions which provided insight into the types of solutions they would provide. The format of the event asked each contestant for each race two questions randomly drawn from a fishbowl filled with questions.
Keeping an eye on infrastructure needs, Overton and LaPietra each said reducing the tax burden on residents and more effectively delegating the use of city funds would be among their main goals. Both have a background in financial planning and said they would use it to provide the community with a fair and balanced budget that won’t overtax residents.
The two said they believed it was a way to address affordability issues spurred by inflation and the pandemic, a goal that was also a priority for others, including Aiello and Morrone, who have both previously served on the board, as well as Lowther, a musician who poses as “Big Lux” onstage.
“I’m excited to be a potential leader within the city, but this election is not about me. It’s about you and what you want; whether it’s affordable housing, beach access, mental health services, acceptance of cultural values,” Lowther said.
Cordio shared similar goals in her responses, saying if elected she would focus on lowering taxes, improving beach access and putting more emphasis on improving housing stock. affordable, and not just on subsidized housing, across the community.
Following a council that has come under fire in recent weeks for failing to listen to the public, Aiello said if elected to council he would work to ensure the city adheres to all laws on open cases and that residents will have the opportunity to feel heard and respected when they seek to speak at council meetings. Scialabba also expressed a desire to return to civility and ensure everyone has a voice.
It was a goal shared by Lombardo, who after years of speaking on the podium at council meetings, said he felt compelled to run for office this time around so he could better tackle head-on. to some of the city’s issues and concerns.
“It’s a tough job to stand there, to challenge the city government. I hope to respond to it from the other side,” he said.
In their respective responses, both Scialabba and Sullivan indicated a strong desire to reform the way government works to prevent things from being imposed against the public will. Scialabba said she was unimpressed with the change in transfer station fees, which resulted in multiple owners being charged multiple times.
Sullivan, meanwhile, has indicated that if elected, he would want to explore the possibility of moving Westerly to a mayor system, rather than a council and city manager system. He said he believed such a change would improve efficiency.
As for Melvan, his decision to run, he said, was based on change, and he said in his responses that if elected he would work to make sure the government starts working again to the people.
“I am deeply concerned and annoyed by what I have seen in local politics,” he said. “You can’t complain before you decide to do something, and that’s why I’m here.”
school committee
For the school board nominees, the differences in the direction they thought the school district was heading were clear.
Democrats Leslie S. Dunn, Angela B. Goethals and Michael W. Ober, and unaffiliated candidate Timothy C. Killam, have all indicated that they do not believe critical race theory is taught in public schools across the country. Westerly and thought the district had high priorities. and is progressing well, but can still do better.
Republican candidate Lori E. Wycall and unaffiliated candidate Seth M. Logan, meanwhile, expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of school superintendent Mark Garceau and the current school board and said it was time to change the direction schools are heading.
“We need a school committee that will do more to listen and work with parents and the community to do what’s right for students,” Wycall said. “For years I was that parent who asked us to bring education back to basics and push back on non-academic initiatives. I want security, with resource officers in every building and policies to hold students responsible for their behavior This neighborhood needs change.
Logan said he reported to the school committee after recently discovering what he believed to be inappropriate reading material in his children’s classrooms. Once his worries were put aside, he decided to step in and impact change more directly.
Dunn, Goethals, Killam and Ober all took a different approach, saying they joined the race because they felt the school had good programs and had made progress over the past decade, but that more could be done to improve the learning environment and encourage students. Hit.
Affordability is a big part of that, Dunn said in her responses, and she said she wants to create more community partnerships to help improve the quality of life for students and the community without costing taxpayers, who are already struggling with inflation.
Ober and Killam both discussed the importance of working to increase test scores and each said they would encourage a thorough review of resources to improve services and help meet the more individualized needs of students.
“We need to shift our resources and see if programming is needed before or after school, for example,” Ober said. “Achievements can still be improved, and we can do that here by looking at every student. I think we can achieve this by being flexible but aware of the issues that have been prevalent for some time.
38th Senate District
The evening began with a focus on candidates for the 38th Senate District, which covers the city of Westerly and parts of Charlestown and South Kingstown. Republican Westin Place, Democrat Victoria Gu and unaffiliated candidate Caswell Cooke Jr. each participated using the same two-question format.
The three candidates are vying for a seat that previously belonged to Republican Senator Dennis Algiere, who will retire in November after more than 30 years.
“This is an important election because we are talking about replacing Dennis Algiere, who has defended this city for 32 years,” Cooke said. “We need to have someone who is ready to go on day one, who will have a strong voice and who has the experience to be able to defend Westerly. I know I am that guy.
The top priorities of the three candidates were similar, as each announced their support for state tax cuts, measures to help residents weather the challenges associated with inflation, ensuring and improving access to coastline and to advance economic development in the region and across the state.
Place said that when it comes to its major initiatives, reducing the cost of living should be the primary concern. He said he would seek to reduce unnecessary trade taxes and fees, an effort to reduce costs that retailers could then pass on to the customer in savings, and to improve education. He said Rhode Island needs to do more to represent everyone equally and make it easier for those who grow up here.
Gu said she is now focused on coming out of the pandemic stronger than ever and ensuring South County gets the federal and state funding it deserves.
“Business as usual has not worked out for the people of Westerly. There are still a lot of problems accessing the shore, there is a big housing crisis; I see people my age leaving town because they can’t afford it,” she said. “There is a need to focus on making things affordable again.”
Cooke said he was running as an independent to avoid partisan bickering. He said stepping back from the party designation allowed him to focus more directly and individually on the issues.
