Two candidates to challenge Mayor
Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt will face two opponents in primary; 14 declare for City Council
WOONSOCKET – What looked like it might be a sleepy race suddenly heated up Thursday as two individuals filed papers to run against Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt.
As the three-day period to declare for elective office closed, former City Council President Albert G. Brien and real estate developer Albert G. Beauparlant both filed pa- pers with the Board of Canvassers announcing their intention to run for the city’s top elective post.
Reached for comment, Brien said he hopes to restore some harmony to the city’s political life and nip certain initiatives in the bud, including the expansion of RISE Prep Mayoral Academy and the proposed conversion of Barry Field into commercial property.
“Those kinds of things are going to stop,” he said. “We’re going to adhere to the Home Rule Charter... Hopefully there will be some peace and tranquility.”
Beauparlant – whose surprise declaration comes on the heels of Monday’s Feast of St. Jean Baptiste, an issues-oriented block party he organized – couldn’t be reached. But hours after filing declaration forms at City Hall he told radio station WNRI that the city should be doing a better job of attracting investment in the prevailing climate.
“The city is hurting,” he said. “We can do better. In this good economy, it’s time to strike.”
But Baldelli-Hunt, who is seeking the third term, seemed unfazed by the challengers. Speaking at City Hall, she said, “This is the Democratic process. People have a right to declare. I will be running on my record.”
In other elections activity, 14 individuals filed papers to run for City Council, including the five incumbents who were expected to do so, Council President Daniel M. Gendron of 87 Arland Court; Vice President Jon D. Brien, 200 Woodland Road (the son of Albert Brien); Councilman James C. Cournoyer, 183 Glen Road; Denise D. Sierra, 292 Gaskill St.; and Richard J. Fagnant, 88 Coe St.
The list of council hopefuls includes two former members of the
panel, John F. Ward of 166 Getchell Ave. and Roger G. Jalette Sr. Both are former council presidents; Ward failed to win re-election in 2013 amidst the backdrop of fiscal turmoil during the reign of the Budget Commission, and Jalette relinquished his seat to run against Baldel- li-Hunt in 2016.
The other council contenders are Dylon J. Alvarez of 147 Arnold St.; Andreas L. Brackett of 151 Priscilla Road; Julia Brown of 32 Larch St.; Thomas C. Keith, 292 Bertenshaw Road; Lynn M. Palin, 291 Bernon St.; David M. Soucy, 356 Woodland Road and D’Andre D. Thomas of 104 Village Road. Most are newcomers to elective office, though Soucy has served in a number of appointive positions and enjoys substantial name recognition owing partly to his family’s political lineage, which includes two former mayors, an uncle and a grandfather. He has also run the Soucy Insurance Agency for many years.
While the mayor’s race may seem unexpectedly crowded, it’s cozy compared to the race for Senate District 24, which seems to prove the old adage that power abhors a vacuum. Incumbent Senator Marc A. Cote, a Democrat, announced that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection earlier this year after holding the seat since 1994.
Incumbent Councilwoman Melissa Murray was the first to announce she would seek the seat. But during the last three days, she and five other individuals filed papers to succeed Cote. In addition to Murray, they are Michael Disney of 939 Bernon St.; Glenn F. Dusablon of 23 Elizabeth Ave., North Smithfield (the district includes portions of the town); Carol A. Frisk of 1216 Logee St.; Richard L. Garrepy, 112 Farm St.; and Susan M. Pawlina of 92 Miles Ave.
While local elections are non-partisan, state lawmakers must declare a party affiliation. Disney, Dusablon and Garrepy are running as independents; Frisk, Murray and Pawlina, as Democrats.
Of the half-dozen, electors may be familiar with a few, including Disney, who has run for multiple positions the past under the last name Moniz, which he legally changed about two years ago. Pawlina is a former member of the School Committee and Murray was the top vote-getter in the council race of 2016.
Another contested race for a position in the General Assembly is in Senate District 20, which includes portions of Cumberland. Incumbent Democrat Roger A. Picard, who has been a lawmaker since 1992 – some of that time in the House – is facing a challenge from political newcomer Michael A. Veri of 474 Congress St., the director of the lab at Landmark Medical Center. Veri is running as a Republican.
Also, Democratic State Rep. Robert D. Phillips has a challenger in House District 51 – Rufus R. Bailey of 476 Cass Ave. A member of the Moderate Party, Bailey ran for a House seat as a Republican in Providence’s District 3 in 2012. He also ran for U.S. Congress as an independent in 2016, according to Ballotpedia, an online keeper of elections records.
State Rep. Michael A. Morin (D-Dist. 49, Woonsocket) of 99 Allen St. and State Rep. Stephen A. Casey (D-Dist. 50) of 625 Park Ave. will both sail to re-election unopposed. Both filed papers to seek another term, but neither has a challenger.
Thursday marked the deadline for candidates to file the necessary paperwork to get on the ballot of the Nov. 6 general election.
Because the City Charter calls for a runoff whenever more than two candidates run for mayor, there will also be a local primary before the general election in that race, scheduled for Sept. 12. Party rules also dictate a primary when more than one individual seeks to run under a major party banner, so there will be a primary, on the same date, to eliminate two of the Democrats vying for the District 24 senate seat.