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One of the reasons I ran for office in Warwick was to help people stay in their homes. Year after year of tax increases, increases in water, sewer, electricity and other utilities is forcing people to leave and just give up. My neighbor of 13 years just left her house a year ago. It is my understanding it was a short sale through the bank. It was heartbreaking that only a month ago my neighbor of over 10 years from across the street was forced to just leave her house. They packed everything up and just left. They tied to work with the banks to lower the mortgage by just $200 a month and they wouldn't budge. My guess is that if the taxes and utilizes didn't go up each year she could have afforded the $200 a month. Instead, there will be another empty house on my street. Abandoned property is NOT good for home values and is unsafe.

My neighbors house was broken into while it was empty and a crack addict was living in the basement until it was sold. The police were called when the new owner went into the house and found drug paraphernalia in the house. It was extremely scary to know that right next door to my wife and children was a person that broke into the house and was doing drugs. I haven't turned my front light off in my driveway for 12 months when someone tried to break into my car. I thought enough was enough and people wanted a change but nearly every person who was elected in Warwick was re-elected.

I am convinced that I would have won the City Council seat had the residents of Warwick who were here 2 years ago didn't give up and just leave Warwick. They did leave and those that stayed are looking at 2 more years of tax increases and our neighbors will continue to move away. Please be sure to attend the city council meetings and school committee meetings and demand a change.

1500 people will have their houses taken away but I am sure many of these people have just given up already and left Warwick. If we are truly in the top 16 cities in the US as the literature distributed by Mayor Avedisian and Councilman Colantuono then how is it that "Lisa Bourque, of the Beacon’s production department, said she has never seen such a long tax sale list in the 20 or so years she has worked at the Beacon.?"

Why is it that nearly a thousand people have left Warwick each year? Why is the city population in decline? Why is the school population in decline? Why is it that I counted 70 businesses on Warwick Ave, West Shore Rd and Post Rd are empty, not in business anymore, not employing people? Why did 24,000 people leave RI in the Last 10 years since the last census?

We can pretend things are going great, we can pretend the Emperor is wearing the finest threads but in fact... the Emperor has no clothes, Warwick is not doing well and we are losing people at an unsustainable rate. Those that remain will have to pay for the services provided. While the costs for services remain constant and less are hear to pay what will the result be... taxes will go up.

I miss my neighbors. They were great neighbors. They would smile and wave as they went off to work. They would plant flowers and tell me how their kids were doing in school. They would invite me over to have a burger or ask my kids to help plant a garden. I won't have to go over this winter to help shovel the driveway or jump start the battery in the car when they left the light on overnight. The houses are dark, the houses are empty now. There is no one smiling or waving as they go off to work. They are not going to the local market and spending money in our restaurants.

I go to work. I work longer hours. I see my family less often and I get higher taxes with no additional services but some company from another State said we were the 16th best city in the US at least we have that going for us.