Candidates for Woonsocket City Council
The Call presents profiles of all 14 candidates for Woonsocket City Council. Friday’s edition profiled the remaining six candidates.
Kenneth A. Finlay Age : 58 95 Edmund Street
Finlay is presently chief of the Cumberland Fire Department, a position he’s held since 2009. Previously he worked for the Woonsocket Fire Department from 1977, rising through all the ranks, including chief, the last position he held in the city. He has also served as an assistant deputy state fire marshal and is also the founder of the Kafin heating company. From 20042015, he has also worked as a mechanic for the BEAM Truck and Body.
He currently serves as vice chairman of the Woonsocket Planning Board.
He is a member of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub; Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Association; Greater Woonsocket Fire Chiefs Association; international Association of Fire Chiefs; New England Division of Fire Chiefs; Rhode Island Athletic Club; Special Olympics of Rhode Island; Cercle Laurier Club; and the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers.
He and his wife Irene (Cournoyer) have been married 36 years and they have two daughters, Jenna and Tara, and two grandchildren.
Finlay says he is running because Woonsocket is on the verge of becoming “a rejuvenated city.” Finlay said his ideas for marketing the city been welcomed by the new deputy planner. With a “positive outlook team” in place, the city is poised to become a destination in Rhode Island. The city has a number of high-profile attractions that bring in outsiders briefly for entertainment and food, but Finlay says the city must find ways of showing newcomers it’s also a good place to live,
Daniel M. Gendron Age: 53 87 Arland Court
Gendron has worked the director of building services at the Friendly Nursing Home for 35 years.
First elected to the City Council in 2009, Gendron has served three terms on the panel and is a former vice president of the panel. He is also the former vice president of the Museum of Work & Culture Preservation Foundation. Previously he served on the Zoning Board of Review and the Water Advisory Committee.
Gendron is a graduate of Woonsocket High School and has a bachelor’s degree in business from Johnson & Wales University. He also has an associate’s degree in business from Community College of Rhode Island.
Gendron and his wife, Ann Marie, have one child.
“I am running for City Council because I care deeply about the City that I was born and raised in and I have chosen to raise my family here,” says Gendron. Now, more than ever, he says, Woonsocket needs a “strong, independent-minded council” that will provide the necessary checks and balances to the executive branch that are called for in the City Charter. “This is absolutely necessary to move our city forward in a positive and productive manner,” says Gendron.
Philip E. Labrecque Age: 63 391 Dulude Ave.
Labrecque is a surgical technician at University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.
A lifelong city resident, Labrecque is a longtime advocate for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer relief. He is one of the founders of the Woonsocket Taxpayer Coalition. He has run for City Council twice in recent years. He and his wife Gigi have two sons. In his campaign remarks, Labrecque has stressed the importance of an independent City Council, saying the City Charter establishes the panel as the legislative branch of city government whose role is separate but equal the executive branch headed up by the mayor. Calling for greater transparency and accountability from local government, he has called on supports to withdraw their support for “puppets” and “rubberstamps” on the council who side with the administration.
Scott A. Maclennan Age: 49 Address: 269 Prospect St.
Maclennan is the director of quality assurance for CVS Health store brands, a position he has held since May 2012. Previously, he was the director of store brands for Shuster Labs for approximately 15 years. He was also employed as a director of global compliance for Amazon.com.
A Massachusetts native, Maclennan, is a trained microbiologist, graduating from Northeastern University.
He previously served on the finance committee for the town of Easton, Mass., from 2012-2014. He’s also volunteered for a number of causes championed by CVS Health.
He and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of three children.
Maclennan calls public service “the pinnacle of civic duty” and says he wants to give back to the community he calls home. He says the issue that interests him most is economic development and he intends to make it a priority as a member of the City Council. Maclennan says he will work to foster “the right economic development, not just anything to fill a void.” He believes a linchpin of any economic development program should must involve reining in or reducing the tax burden for residents and businesses.
Melissa Murray Age: 42 268 Prospect St., Woonsocket
Murray is the owner and operator of The Opulent Squid, a Main Street boutique specializing in hand-crafted jewelry and gifts.
First elected to the City Council in 2013, Murray is seeking a second term. She is a member of the Woonsocket Arts Guild, the Main Street Holiday Stroll Committee and the Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative. Murray is also an avowed animal rescue advocate.
She graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1992 and earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice and forensic science from Phoenix College in 2007.
Murray is the daughter of former state lawmaker Jerome Smith.
She and her partner Donna Biddle have been together eight years.
During her first term in office she has supported blight reduction, long overdue infrastructure improvements and energy conservation upgrades that she says make the city safer, more efficient and more hospitable for investment. Going forward, Murray says she will strive to make the council more pro-business and supportive of economic development.
“I am proud to have been a part of the progress that has been made in Woonsocket during my first term in office but there is still much work to be done,” she said. “I will continue to lead the city in a positive direction and keep Woonsocket on track towards a brighter future.”
Garrett S. Mancieri Age: 32 372 Congress St.
Mancieri is a real estate professional with Gateway Realty in Woonsocket, where he has worked since December 2013. Previously he worked for the Keller Williams agency for five years.
Mancieri has served on the City Council since 2013 and is running for a second term. Previously he was an appointed member of the city’s Tax Board of Assessment Review for two years. Mancieri is chairman of the council’s Housing & Development Subcommittee and sits on the board of several professional and community organizations, including the Northern Rhode Island Board of Realtors, the Voting & Elections Engagement Program, the WorkCamps Committee and the School Capital Improvement Committee. He is also chairman of the Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative and the Northern Rhode Island Board of Realtors Political Action Committee.
During his term on the council, Mancieri has sponsored and supported legislation to streamline red tape for small businesses and promote the redevelopment of Main Street. He’s also worked to reduce taxes and foster greater transparency in government operations, advocating for a new web site for the city. He has also supported basic quality of life initiatives, including road reconstruction and blight-eradication.
J. Michel “Mike” Martineau Age: 60 94 Summer St.
Martineau has worked at the state Department of Health for more than 25 years and currently holds the position of health policy analyst. Previously he worked as a sales representative with Pfizer Pharmaceutical and Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals.
He is a member of the Woonsocket Personnel Board and previously served on the Autumnfest Steering Committee. He is a former board member of the Woonsocket YMCA and Connecting for Children & Families. He is the former chairman of the Cold Spring Park Restoration Committee.
He previously served on the City Council for 12 years.
He and his wife of 27 years, Michelle Martineau, have two daughters, Stephanie and Sara.
Martineau said he is running for council because Woonsocket is “turning a corner” and he wants to join the effort to keep the city improving. He says he believes the new city council will only help if all members are determined to work toward common goals. If elected, Martineau promises to draw on his prior experience to be a “voice of reason,” not rhetoric, and to contribute toward making the council productive. He says recent meetings have been “an embarrassing display of raised voices and condescending remarks.”
Denise D. Sierra Age: 47 Address: 292 Gaskill St.
A longtime restaurateur, Sierra was the proprietor of The Burrito Company, which operated for 10 years in Woonsocket before closing down this summer. Previously she worked for the King’s Inn in Lincoln, Theodore’s Landing in Massachusetts and the Bocce Club, in managerial positions. Sierra is also a trained paralegal and has returned to the field while searching for a location to launch another restaurant business.
Sierra has worked on many fundraisers for church and civic groups. She served on a subcommittee researching municipal zoning issues in Woonsocket for about 18 months.
Sierra and her husband Anthony Sierra, a native of East Cambridge, Mass., have been married 25 years. They have a daughter, Brooke Sierra, who recently graduated from college. She is a lifelong city resident, growing up on Burnside Avenue.
Sierra says the management skills and business acumen she’s acquired in the workplace would be a valuable asset for a member of the City Council. As she’s grown older, Sierra says she’s come to appreciate the importance of giving back to the community. Sierra has a “genuine love” for the city and its residents. “I see its potential and have many ideas and concepts that I can apply through my experience that will have a positive effect on our city’s growth,” she said.