Newcomer Gendron, incumbents fill City Council seats

WOONSOCKET - Among a sea of red balloons and the glow of the unofficial election results board at City Side in the River Falls Complex, the supporters of the newly elected mayor, Leo Fontaine, might have felt some slight deja vu Tuesday night.

Though Woonsocket has a new face with Fontaine taking the place of former Mayor Susan D. Menard, incumbents running for City Council regained all of their spots with the exception of the hole Fontaine left when he battled for the mayor's seat.

That hole opened a spot for Daniel M. Gendron - and he's ready to get down to business.

"I work in the business industry, and running the city shouldn't be so different than running a business," said the new councilor. "In the end, that's what it is: a business."

Gendron, 45, got his first taste for city government as a member of the Zoning Board of Review, where he stayed for eight years.

After growing disgruntled about "the way everyone squabbled about money," Gendron decided it was time for him to more effectively instigate change for the city. After unsuccessfully running for the council in 2007, he ran again this year, hoping to slip into the bottom of the mix.

"I'm overwhelmed right now," Gendron said, flashing a smile. "I came here hoping to slip in at the No. 7 spot, and to come in at No. 4, that's amazing."

But the work ahead of him won't likely be "all peaches and cream all the time," he said, and noted he's ready to tackle Woonsocket's economic challenge. His most trying dilemma will be balancing the budget and finding ways to acquire more economic development for the city, he said.

"When you don't go out and bring in more economic development, you're going to lose more and deal with what we have now," he said. "We need to have more of an active recruitment process for businesses because this city has so much to offer."

The taxpayers should be shouldering less of the economic burden, agreed John F. Ward, who grabbed the No. 1 spot on the council with the highest vote of 4,239. Ward said Gendron was a "great replacement for Leo" but together, the rejuvenated council is going to have to do more than just bring in more businesses.

"It's not going to be easy," Ward said. "It's a challenge every government faces. You have to find ways to sustain yourself. But what we're going to try to do is increase public awareness. When we're making the decisions, there needs to be a loop of access so they can know about these decisions and issues before we make them."

Gendron is a lifelong resident of Woonsocket. He has been employed at The Friendly Home Inc. for 28 years where he is director of building services for 20 years. He is also a recent graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor's degree in business management and a founding member of 2 Hands 4 Paws, an animal welfare organization.

Voters also returned Suzanne J. Vadenais, William D. Schneck, Stella G. Brien, Christopher A. Beauchamp and Roger G. Jalette Sr. to their seats on the council.