Councilor Brien says she’ll ‘protect the taxpayer’

WOONSOCKET - At a recent gathering of her supporters, City Councilor Stella G. Brien, candidate for re-election to the City Council in the Nov. 3 municipal election, stated her reasons for seeking a second term on the Woonsocket City Council.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed these last two years serving on the City Council, but they have also been wrought with challenges that we must continue to tackle head on. The City continues to struggle under the weight of mandates put in place by our elected officials in Providence, and we need to maintain the pressure on them to grant our community some much needed relief.

“I will make it a priority to personally engage our leaders and express to them that the City of Woonsocket cannot get out of this fiscal crisis alone.”

Brien added, “Further, we must find new and creative methods of maintaining and preserving city services that provide a sense of community and pride in our city. Whether it is ‘Movies in the Park,’ summer concerts at River Island Park, or our ice skating rink that brings such joy to our children and parents, we must persevere in our struggle to provide even the smallest bit of enjoyment during these most troubling of times.

“I am committed to that effort and I have already begun this process. I am hopeful that I will be able to continue this process over the next two years.”

Brien concluded by saying, “Finally, and most importantly, we must thoroughly assess all of our expenditures very carefully, department by department, over the next several years in order to insulate the taxpayer as much as possible. The taxpayers of Woonsocket can ill afford to pay more, as many are barely holding on at this point. I am committed to ensuring that the City Council works to protect the taxpayer, rather than looking to them as an additional source of revenue when the times get tough, and unfortunately, it looks as though they will only get tougher.”