Mayoral candidates to face off
WOONSOCKET – Radio station WNRI (AM-1380 FM 95.1) will mix things up a bit with a new format when it sponsors a candidates’ forum for the contestants in the mayor’s race at Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining Thursday.
Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt and the challenger, former City Council President Albert G. Brien, will face off at 6 p.m., with WNRI Programming Director Jeffrey Gamache posing questions as moderator.
A veteran of political debates, Gamache said he’s swapping the usual question-and-rebuttal format this time for a five-minute period of “open discussion” in which both candidates will have an opportunity to respond to a question in a more conversational, fluid manner.
“I will moderate the discussion to make sure no one monopolizes the time,” said Gamache.
Gamache said he has formulated six questions for the candidates to tussle
over in the open discussion portion of the forum. In addition, he said, each of the candidates will be allowed two three-minute statements – an opener and a closer – and each will also have an opportunity to ask one question of the other contender. The entire event should last about an hour.
Though seating capacity is limited to about 100 peo- ple, Gamache said members of the public are encouraged to attend the event, which is free. For those who can’t attend, the forum will be broadcast live on WNRI. Listeners can also tune in on WNRI.com to hear a recording of the forum beginning Friday.
As she seeks a third term, Baldelli-Hunt, 56, a former state lawmaker, is running on her record of strengthening the city’s finances and modernizing infrastructure, while Brien has scored her administration for a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to compromise.
A retired real estate appraiser, Brien, 77, served in the House of Representatives for almost 12 years in the 1970s and 1980s, and is also a former director of finance and administration, having served during the administration of former Mayor Charles Baldelli – the incumbent’s uncle. Brien also served on the City Council from 20112015, much of that time as council president.
In what amounts to a straw poll because the results were non-binding, Baldelli-Hunt narrowly won last week’s non-partisan primary with 1,886 votes to Brien’s 1,568, a margin of 50.3-41.8 percent, according to the state’s Board of Elections. Both proceed to the general election in November because a third candidate in the primary, Albert Beauparlant, has withdrawn from the race.