Thursday, June 28, 2018

Charlestown’s year without Democrats

Declarations filed at deadline for town office include only independents
Image result for register and vote
By Will Collette

As of 3:30 AM, Thursday morning, the list of town residents seeking elective municipal office in Charlestown includes no one endorsed by either the Republican or Democratic town committees.

It's not unusual for the Republicans to run no candidates, since the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA Party) has pretty much supplanted the GOP. 

However, this is the first time in my memory that no endorsed Democrat will appear on the ballot.

Here is the list taken from user-friendly Secretary of State’s website:



Name
Office
Party
CHARLES W BECK
Town Moderator
Independent
JAN V KNOST
Town Moderator
Independent
VIRGINIA LEE
Town Council
Independent
BONNITA B VAN SLYKE
Town Council
Independent
JULIE A CARROCCIA
Town Council
Independent
JODI J FRANK
Town Council
Independent
JANE W GLANDER
Town Council
Independent
DEBORAH A CARNEY
Town Council
Independent
FRANK D GLISTA
Town Council
Independent
TIMOTHY E QUILLEN
Town Council
Independent
DAVID M WILKINSON
Town Council
Independent
WILLIAM H WILSON
Town Council
Independent
DONNA CHAMBERS
Chariho School Committee
Independent
LINDA DELFINO LYALL
Chariho School Committee
Independent
CRAIG F LOUZON
Chariho School Committee
Independent
SARAH E ST LAURENT
Non-partisan Planning Commission
Independent
FRANCES M TOPPING
Non-partisan Planning Commission
Independent
DENISE L RHODES
Non-partisan Planning Commission
Independent
RUTH L PLATNER
Non-partisan Planning Commission
Independent

The CCA Party identified the candidates who are running under their banner as:
  • Town Council: Julie Carroccia, Virginia Lee, Bonnie Van Slyke, David Wilkinson, and Bill Wilson
  • Planning Commission: Ruth Platner, Denise Rhodes, Sarah St. Laurent, and Frances Topping
  • Chariho School Committee: Donna Chambers and Linda Lyall
  • Town Moderator: Jan Knost
The candidates for the CCA-controlled Planning Commission are all CCA endorsed.

Two CCA Party incumbents on the Town Council are not running for re-election. One is George Tremblay who was appointed as a place-holder to fill a vacancy. The other is Denise Rhodes, who is instead running for a slot on the CCA Party controlled Planning Commission.

Ron Areglado, anti-wind power advocate, chose not to seek re-election to the Chariho School Committee, although his cohort Donna Chambers wants another term.

John Hamilton, current chair of the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee, did not file his declaration to continue on the CDTC past this year.

The Charlestown Republican Town Committee filed no declarations.

Our peripatetic state Representative Blake “Flip” Filippi (R-somewhere) is seeking re-election despite the minor distraction of an ugly lawsuit.

That lawsuit pits Flip and brother Paul against his own mother and his other brother Steve. Filippi has no opponent either in the Republican primary or the general election on November 6.

So we can look forward to another two years of Flip’s campaigns against vaccination to prevent cancer, attacks on daylight savings time and bizarre positions in opposition to sensible gun control. 

Luckily for the community, Flip rarely gets support from his colleagues for his harebrained schemes. But they do generate media coverage which is, I guess, all that Flip really wants.

His fellow South County wingnuts, Rep. Justin Price (R-Richmond) and Sen. Elaine Morgan (R- Hopkinton and including the northern half of Charlestown) both face Democratic challengers.

Senators Sue Sosnowski (D-South Kingstown) and Dennis Algiere (R-Westerly, plus the southern half of Charlestown), face no opposition either in the primary or the November 6 general election.

Next, candidates need to collect the required number of valid signatures for their particular office and file them by close of business on July 16.

Some candidates may need to win in their Party’s primary which will be held on September 12.

As the dust settles, there will be plenty to talk about.