North Smithfield has been my home for nearly 25 years. My children and grandchildren have had the benefit of the fine education of our schools. The willingness of citizens and local government officials to work for the common good through collaboration is a hallmark of the community. We are now considering positions of governance at the town level.
The beauty of nonpartisan elections is that we don’t engage in party stereotypes, but the downside is that it is all too easy to miss who is the real power behind the candidates. We have ten people running for N.S. Town Council. I have no reason to think all are not decent people. But what I do know, and what is obvious from the campaigns so far, is that three candidates… DeCristofaro, Punchak and Newton, were recruited by Mike Clifford. They are “his people.” You may or may not think that is a good thing, but you should know be aware of the facts.
If you live in North Smithfield and want Mr. Clifford to be the defacto sixth member of the Town Council, as he is now under President Kim Alves, then come November election, vote for these three.
If you don’t, vote for four of the other seven candidates.
Anne Marie Omweg
It is very evident that 3 candidates were recruited for TC. All you have to do is look at this guy, Mike Clifford’s lawn and you will see all their signs there. While researching all candidates for TC and driving around town, you can tell these 3 candidates are together as their signs are clumped together all-around town. The other candidates signs are nicely spaced out around town and not consistently clumped together like the 3 who were recruited.
Time to move this town is too toxic. You have groups of people that attack certain people consistently on all NS platform’s. I don’t know Rebecca but she unfortunately maybe getting a bad rep because of certain people promoting her election. Maybe all the candidates should have a debate!
There was already a small debate that happened between three of the candidates. Very general questions, but still have some good insight to those three and what they stand for. Some couldn’t make it due to time constraints, some never even replied back/ mini protest. I do hope that more candidates get involved if there is another one, I’ve got questions waiting just in case.
I did not make it through the podcast debate to the end. I believe it was a good concept, but I can’t imagine taking time for 10 candidates for a Town council to respond to questions individually. If each person took two or three minutes to answer you would quickly use 20 or 30 minutes just on one question. Perhaps you could try to attend the meet and greet tomorrow night. Not all time council members will be there but some will be there to give you an idea of where they stand. And moving out of town is probably not the best answer because it seems fiery dialogue is the standard in many of America’s communities.
I have to reply to Ann Marie. I’ve been in NS for over 66 years, when will the lies stop? Rebecca asked her family and a few friends what they thought of her running for TC and Mike wasn’t one. I had the honor to tell her she had my full support and the only time I have ever made a donation. This woman is intelligent and makes up her own mind. I cannot believe you were coaxed to believe otherwise. Tsk tsk tsk.
I would caution against making any further accusations of such a magnitude. In this litigious world we live in, this would be quite easy to prove the author wrong. And Mike Clifford a winning plaintiff.
If you had watched each town meeting as I have done, you would have noticed a beautiful well educated young lady named Rebecca, making her presence known more and more, as Mr Richer indicated, against the quarry noise and mess. Whatever decision she made, was of her own strong willpower, to see NS work within the rules and legalities of state, federal, and town law. Hence, her running for TC. That was obvious even to a blind man….
But this attacking is nothing new in NS. So many say LET US DISCUSS THINGS, whilst secretly manipulating their own agenda. Attacking others who are not part of the fleet of brown noses. The old boy clique. I have never seen such a mean-spirited town folk as I have in NS. It is no wonder government accomplishes little. So much fighting nonstop. And is always so with out of control egos too.
You are lucky to have anyone wanting to fix this mess of taxes, trash, and sexual harassment, to name a few issues.
Welcome new ppl, new insight, new leaders. Respect each other and learn to work together instead of ongoing childish feuding. It’s old, pathetic, serves no purpose, and is an awful example for children to see how adults are behaving who are supposed to set good examples to live by.
And yes, ongoing articles attacking, belittling, on FB or anywhere else daily needs to stop too. Somewhere, someone needs to be big enough to say, enough already…it’s toxic. It seems it has reached an all time high. Election time.
Walk away from such toxic mean ppl. I did, it’ll make you a happier person, make you feel better. Not joining in the hate campaigns or even listening to it again and again….
FYI to readers: A comment that did not address the subject matter in this opinion piece has been deleted. Going forward, all comments will now be subject to editorial approval.
Hi Ann Marie.
Seeing that we have never met before, if you would like the opportunity to meet me in person and get my perspectives first hand, please join me this Thursday night at Tavern 6 two 1. I am co-hosting a meet and greet with five of the other Town Council candidates from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Hope to see you!
Wow is all I can say! And I thought I had heard it all, what a wagon load of horse manure. Was it Beauregard or Guertin who put you up to this comical letter Anne Marie? Hopefully all three get in and end this nonsense. Town can do better with a fresh new TC.
Ann Marie, what a sad world we live in that, as a woman, you do not think another woman can run for elected office on her own volition. And rather than commending people in running for a selfless and sometimes thankless role, you undermine and deprive candidates of their inspiration and pride in running. Additionally, there have been many town constituents, inclusive of Mike Clifford, who have shown their excitement and support in new, credentialed candidates running for elected office, of which I am honored.
This is pure speculation. I have known Rebecca Jo since the beginning of the year. Her interest in town politics grew out a frustration with feeling ignored by town officials in regard to issues with the quarry.
As far as the other two go, I have no idea. They do sound like candidates who offer something new, and as such they should be given consideration.
Also if we are going to consider TC election conspiracies, then there is clearly a different group aligned with one another. I hope we all try to evaluate the candidates individually rather than as a piece of their faction.
Full disclosure I am totally against one from that second faction.
I was talking with Rebecca about running for the TC seat a long time before Mike Clifford even knew who she was.
You are absolutely wrong about this. Rebecca has been considering this run for a very long time.