A town is only as strong as its people.  I am running for the working families and individuals living here year-round. My goal is to ensure that Narragansett is a viable option for people of diverse economic backgrounds by supporting affordable housing initiatives and promoting policies that deter real estate investors from monopolizing the town’s housing stock.  Narragansett should be a town that provides the best services, facilities, and community possible for the people that live here.

Narragansett has the potential to be a premier full-time home for individuals and families interesting in living in a small town by the water and working for their current companies remotely. Attracting this type of resident also brings in those who may be interested in opening new creative businesses in town. I have proposed a new town committee dedicated to marketing Narragansett as a remote work destination and attracting new full-time residents to town. This committee will work on professional marketing campaigns, as well as policies and incentives for new home buyers. It would also be beneficial for this new committee to work closely with a newly reestablished Economic Development Committee.

We need to achieve a better balance of full-time residents, college students, and tourists. Our local businesses are overly reliant on the summer economy. This has led to a dismal business environment here in town. By attracting more full-time residents to town we can help our local businesses, especially in the off-season, with a more consistent customer base.

I support the reestablishment of the Economic Development Committee here in town. A committee dedicated to generating creative events and policies that benefit businesses and residents is essential and should never of been disbanded in 2016.

I am open to the idea of phasing in a single tax rate in conjunction with an increased Homestead Exemption for full-time homeowners here in town. This has the potential to help fill some of the vacant storefronts in Narragansett, adding vibrancy to the community, and helping full-time residents financially.

I wholeheartedly support the public’s right to coastal access, which includes reasonable parking at public coastal access points and ROWs. I have advocated for this throughout my first term on the town council and will continue to do so. During the current term Councilor Patrick Murray and I worked with town staff on a proposal to add 20 or so legal parking spaces near the popular access points around Conant Ave and Pilgrim Ave.

I have announced a proposal to create a COASTAL ACCESS PROTECTION COMMITTEE for the Town of Narragansett. The committee will be tasked with identifying and reviewing every public coastal access point in town and creating a plan to improve parking and access around each of these points, if needed. The recommendations will then be sent to the Town Council for approval. We have an infrastructure problem that can only be fixed by looking at the whole problem, rather than by dealing with each predicament as it arises. If re-elected I will work to get this proposal passed at the beginning of the next term with a new Town Council in place.

I am a big believer in the value of public libraries and I am 100% in support of the Maury Loontjens Library move to the former Belmont Building. We can and will do this while offering stability to Pier Liquors with a multi-year lease in their current space next door. The library and the liquor store can co-exist.

It is time to get this done. The Pier revitalization and the new library go hand-in-hand. Our new library will be a gem and a true first step in reclaiming the center of our town.

I am a product of Narragansett Public Schools and feel strongly about supporting and improving education here in town. We need to give young families a reason to choose Narragansett over other towns and offering innovative programs in a safe and comfortable environment can go a long way.

Traditional four year colleges are not always the best or most realistic choice for all students, which is why I support the Career and Technical Education programs our High School now offers. This is a phenomenal option for some students and I would like to see the program expanded in the years to come so that students see that they have choices when it comes to a satisfying and prosperous career choice.

If you’re a parent with children in the Narragansett school system and would like to talk about your experience or share ideas and concerns please get in touch so we can setup a time to talk in person.

We need more transparency in town government.  Our town council meetings should have more than a couple dozen residents in attendance. I know that our friends and neighbors care about what happens in their town. I will continue to promote the important issues by improving communication in town and by better utilizing social media and the web.

If re-elected, with a new council in place, I will fully support moving Open Forum back to its rightful place at the start of Town Council meetings so that the public has the ability to speak on any issue they like without having to wait late into the night.

Our recreational and open spaces are our most valuable asset. We have our beaches, but must not ignore our public parks and other undeveloped town land. I am committed to preserving these spaces today and protecting them into the future.

When public land is sold that space that is gone forever.  One less place for us, our kids, and our pets to enjoy. Balancing economic growth with our treasured natural resources is a challenge that I take seriously.