Mayor-elect Fontaine sets ambitious agenda

WOONSOCKET - A jubilant Mayor-elect Leo Fontaine said Tuesday night his eyes will be on the financially troubled School Department almost immediately after taking the city's helm on Dec. 1.

He'll order an audit of School Department books and convene a Charter Review Commission to consider an appointed School Committee.

Fontaine, who will be sworn into office on Dec. 1, said the voters' mood early in the day on Tuesday suggested that he was heading to victory.

"The response was very good. I had a good feeling coming in," he said Tuesday night amidst the euphoria at his campaign headquarters at City Side in the River Falls restaurant, Market Square, shortly after he learned he had been elected mayor.

From the moment the first results were flashed on an overhead screen showing Fontaine winning at the Bernon Heights precinct, the new mayor had plenty to smile about.

A 16-year council veteran, Fontaine defeated former state Rep. Todd R. Brien, 3,928 to 2,917 votes, a 1,011-vote margin of victory, according to Board of Canvassers' results.

About 31 percent of the city's registered voters cast ballots.

It was Brien's third consecutive defeat for the mayor's seat and he acknowledged at his somber headquarters at Kay's restaurant on Cass Avenue that Tuesday was his last hurrah for mayor.

"There's no need to go out again," he said.

Fontaine succeeds Mayor Susan D. Menard, the first female and longest serving mayor in city annals, who decided not to seek re-election after 14 years in office.

Fontaine ushers in a new political era in City Hall and he said he's determined his new administration will bring a fresh perspective to city government.

"It's going to be an open and a cooperative team," he said of how he plans to govern, as supporters lined up to congratulate him with a band playing behind him.

The new mayor vowed to work with the City Council and School Committee "to do what's best for the people of this city."

Fontaine said he also intends to have his administration hit the ground running as soon as he's inaugurated on Dec. 1 for a two-year term.

"We're going to meet with the mayor shortly to plan the transition," he said.

One of his initial acts as mayor, he added, will be to conduct a performance audit of School Department finances.

"We need to get a handle on where their (school) numbers really are for this year and last year," he said.

During the campaign, Fontaine said he supported establishing a Charter Review Commission to study a host of issues, including the feasibility of having an appointed School Committee rather than an elected school board.

The new mayor said Tuesday night he will appoint a Charter Review Commission "shortly after I get in."

Fontaine will be working with an experienced City Council with at least four of the seven in his corner.

Voters returned six incumbents to their council seats.

John F. Ward finished first with 4,239 votes, followed by Stella G. Brien, 3,844; Christopher A. Beauchamp, 3,711; Suzanne J. Vadenais, 3,545; Roger Jalette Sr., 3,519 and William D. Schneck Jr., 3,131.

The council incumbents were joined by newcomer Daniel Gendron, who finished fourth with 3,694 votes.

Ward, Schneck, Vadenais and Gendron all threw their support behind Fontaine during the campaign.

Rounding out the council field were David B. Ashworth, 2,208 votes; Philip E. Labrecque, 2,289; Kathryn LeBlanc, 2,758; Michael E. Moniz, 1,207; Thomas W. Wrona, 1,948.

Re-elected to the School Committee were Chairman Marc A. Dubois, first with 3,775 votes; Anita Ann McGuire Forcier, 3,510; Linda M. Majewski, 3,455; and Eleanor M. Nadeau, 3,273.

The school panel was completed with the election of newcomer Vimala Phongsavanh, 3,017 votes.

Rounding out the school board field were Anthony J. Gabriele, 2,669; Dr. George E. King, 2,956; Evelyn G. Mack Loggins, 1,753.

Neither Fontaine nor Brien said they could gauge what impact, if any, Menard's last-minute endorsement of Fontaine had on the election's outcome.

"Her popularity was down. She's running away from the mess she created and Leo is walking into it," Brien said acidly.

One reason why Brien says he believes he did not fare well at the polls was that "we had a very small turnout."

Brien also voiced disappointment that one of the cornerstones of his campaign, the need for change at City Hall, did not resonate better with the electorate.

"Where is the change everyone was crying about," he said ruefully of the voters' choice of Fontaine, whom he labeled as an entrenched member of the political establishment during his 16-year tenure on the council that helped create the fiscal mess the city finds itself in.

A retired police detective sergeant who served the city for 20 years, Brien said he was particularly dismayed that some, he did not mention names, tried to use his honorable police service to the city against him during the campaign.

Despite his third mayoral defeat, Brien said he was satisfied with the way he and his supporters conducted their campaign.

"We had a positive message. I wouldn't change anything from what we did," he said.

The voters' support gratified Fontaine.

"I felt hopeful the people would remember (my 16 years service to the city) and they did," he said.

Shortly after learning he was the new mayor, Fontaine told his buoyant supporters, "Words cannot describe how I feel right now. I'm humbled and honored to have won."

After thanking his family, a poignant moment came when Fontaine fought to maintain his composure after telling his audience he wished his late father, Richard Fontaine, could be celebrating with him.

The new mayor also told his supporters he was cognizant of the task he faced.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," he said.

Nevertheless, the new mayor also said he was ready for the challenge.

"I promise to do the very best I can to make you proud and make Woonsocket the great city it is," he told his raucous audience.

Brien had a different perspective of the election's results.

"They get what they get," he said of the voters' choice.

Fontaine defeated Brien in all 16 of the city's precincts, some by razor-thin margins.

Fontaine took Sacred Heart by one vote, 103 to 102, and Parkview by a mere 16 votes, 229-213, including mail ballots.

Voters also approved amending the City Charter, 4,344 to 1,745, making the appointment of the city solicitor contingent on a majority vote of the City Council. The amendment also gives the Council authority to fire the solicitor if six of the seven councilors favor the removal.

Prior to the charter change, the solicitor served at the mayor's pleasure, with no input from the council.

Throughout the mayoral campaign, Brien and Fontaine parried over several issues.

Brien slammed Fontaine's leadership as council president, labeling the councilman's 16-year council tenure as dismal, especially toward such prescient issues as unfunded state mandates, fair funding for education and crime.

Brien said Fontaine was part of the problem, not the solution, to the city's fiscal woes.

Fontaine countered that during his council tenure, he's repeatedly proven that he isn't afraid to tackle tough issues and has made difficult decisions in the best interests of the city, not based on political expediency.

While he's proven his leadership abilities on the council, Fontaine countered the city could not afford to elect "someone requiring on-the-job training," referring to Brien, especially during the current climate of financial turmoil buffeting the city budget.

Brien also repeatedly attacked Fontaine's support of a supplemental tax bill earlier this year, claiming taxpayers "cannot afford" the City Council president as mayor.

Fontaine said Brien's attacks were misleading.

The councilor said his support of a supplemental tax bill was fiscally more prudent than the council's decision to borrow money to close a multi-million dollar budget deficit.

Considering the interest charges and legal fees associated with the borrowed funds, Fontaine said it would have been less expensive to pass a supplemental tax bill, saving taxpayers the added costs of borrowing.