Stenhouse sets goal to 'build up' Warwick

By John Howell
Posted 8/16/18

By JOHN HOWELL Portraying herself as a builder and problem solver, Sue Stehouse launched her campaign Tuesday to become Warwick's first female mayor at a fundraiser attended by about 50 people, including former Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian. The people"

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Stenhouse sets goal to 'build up' Warwick

Posted

Portraying herself as a builder and problem solver, Sue Stehouse launched her campaign Tuesday to become Warwick’s first female mayor at a fundraiser attended by about 50 people, including former Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian.

“The people of Warwick deserve leadership with the resolve and resources to meet those challenges,” Stenhouse said. “They deserve leadership with the courage to meet contemporary problems with bold solutions. They deserve leadership with integrity, with a track record of successful results...it is time we consciously – and conscientiously – build up Warwick.”

Stenhouse took the podium at Chelo’s Restaurant after being introduced by recent Pilgrim High School graduate Georgia Testa, who remembers her from when she was four years old and Stenhouse was the lady “with the beautiful voice” who directed the St. Peter Church Youth Choir. Testa told of how years later Stenhouse served as a mentor for her senior project as director of the youth choir.

“Mrs. Stenhouse has always been present, visible and involved in Warwick, and that is the kind of mayor our city needs. She is a woman of action and involvement,” she said.

Several long-time Avedisian supporters, including Mark and Janet Russell and Edward and Helen Tavares, were in the audience. The Russells are working on Stenhouse’s campaign, but Tavares, who has worked on fundraising for many Republican candidates, said he’s not in that role this election year.

State Republican Committee Brandon Bell, Republican Gubernatorial candidate Patricia Morgan and Warwick City GOP leader Richard Cascella were also present. In contrast to the fundraiser held by former Council President Joseph Solomon soon after he stepped in as mayor, city employees did not make up a large segment of attendees. In fact, as best could be determined, there were only two.

Stenhouse, who doesn’t face a primary and expects to kick her campaign into high gear in September, made “building” a cornerstone to her speech.

“I want to build our rapport with state and federal officials to find funding streams that support Warwick programs for education, public safety and public works. I want to build a bridge between our city council and the school committee to develop a sustainable plan for funding the needs of the city’s school system. And I am calling for a stakeholders’ summit to address this issue,” she said.

Stenhouse said she has the “tool belt” to build and lead Warwick, citing her experience on the City Council, as director of Community and Constituent Relations for former Governor Carcieri, working on the Station Fire response events plus business regulation reform, economic development and education initiatives.

“I want to build support for our great city departments with the technical upgrades needed to provide timely, responsive, constructive constituent services. I want to build the planned vision of the City Centre, which supports our transportation hubs and fosters substantive development around the airport and train stations,” she said. “I want to build up our neighborhoods by assembling a regular conference of neighborhood associations to discuss a beneficial sharing of resources. I want to build up assets that help protect our unique history, improve our recreational spaces and sustain our beautiful coastline. I want to build confidence in City Hall.”

“Most of all, I want to build up Warwick’s reputation as a vibrant, innovative, desirable place to live and work, raise a family and retire, go to school and grow a business,” she continued.

Comments

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  • wwkvoter

    Not qualified. NOT even close. Her bizarre scandal that cost her the job in Cranston doesnt qualify her. Her job at a "mini golf" certainly doesnt. Really? Between her, that corrente character, ferla whose wife was just arrested for food stamp fraud despite living in a 400k house, and the "socialist" type who evidently never heard of venezuela (which doesnt even have drinking water). WOW

    Thank God we have Joe Solomon who is experienced and qualified, and by all accounts, honest. And no I never met the man or even heard of him much until this election.

    It is scary that we dont have higher caliber people interested in public office. At least this time we have the one.

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Stenhouse is an Avedisian clone. Just look what condition he left us in. Just like David Cicillinni. Remember ? I'M LEAVING THIS CITY IN EXCELLENT FINANCIAL CONDITION.

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    hmmmm

    We have a problem.

    We need to have a senior at the senior center for a photo-op.

    Let's play dress up.

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • WW7564

    Sue Senhouse would make a fantastic mayor, she is more than qualified to do amazing things for this city. I’m rooting for you Sue to make Warwick a better place!!

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • WarwickDemocratVoter

    I don't know. As a Democrat I'm considering Stenhouse. Solomon has a rep as an ineffective bully who regularly drops the ball. Corrente can't win, Carbone is unknown and Ferla... well, come on. Stenhouse has a rep as a genuinely good person with a good grasp of the issues. And if Avedisian is so bad, why did he serve for almost a decade?

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WDV, Just a correction: Avedisian was mayor from 2000-18.

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • WarwickObserver

    Stenhouse does a good job of proposing plans that Solomon is already mentioned in previous Beacon articles.

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    HOW is this lady remotely qualified? SHE DRESSED UP A MALE BUS DRIVER AS A WOMAN FOR A PHOTO OP! And this was to promote teen volunteer snow shovellers. Insult to the taxpayers, humiliating to the kids, AND horrible ethics! It was a NATIONAL disgrace.

    Oh that's right after getting FIRED for that FIASCO, she now works at mini golf. REALLY?

    We could do without mrs stenhouse's "fantastic things" whatever they are.

    http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20160114/NEWS/160119572

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    And here is stenhouse fiasco on Associated Press wires! Did I say national? I meant INTERNATIONAL joke.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/man-poses-as-old-woman-in-rhode-island-photo-op-2016-1

    Thursday, August 16, 2018 Report this

  • TheSkipper

    OH GREAT, Another election where we don't get to pick the best of the best.

    We're just trying not to get stuck with the bottom of the Barrel.

    Friday, August 17, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    WwkVoter, I agree it was unfortunate that the Cranston fiasco got the attention it did, but I'm not entirely sure that it completely disqualifies Stenhouse from office.

    And as I've said before, I know that incident will be used against her in this race -- but I also think there are bigger and more immediate issues for voters to consider, like this year's tax increase and how it happened.

    Solomon's statements after Avedisian's departure about not knowing certain things, after 18 years on the council, are a big concern.

    I also don't think it's true. I can't imagine that Avedisian wouldn't have given tons of information to Solomon leading up to the transition. If it turns out that Solomon did get a lot of information and just ignored it, for example, that'll be a tough thing for him to try and explain away.

    On top of that, this ongoing saga with the school department really doesn't reflect well on Solomon -- creating a $5 million asphalt budget, only to raid it, is just not a good look.

    And we've talked a lot here about party support. Solomon has the Democrats. Stenhouse's goal is getting the Party of Avedisian behind her -- the votes across party lines that he got every other year since 2000.

    As it stands, right now, I think those two groups are fairly close in number.

    Granted, past elections haven't had a Democratic candidate of Solomon's caliber, and the 2014 off-year vote isn't a very good guide [Avedisian beat Kirby, 22,000 to 5,500]. But if I were to speculate, I'd say this mayoral election is decided by less than 2.5 percentage points in a total vote of around 32,000 votes.

    Avedisian's popularity is still fresh in enough peoples' minds, and Solomon's budget moves are causing more problems than solving them, that this will be a tight race.

    Friday, August 17, 2018 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Think about this - For a salary of $100,000 do you really think that you are going to get a candidate that can fix the mess that we are in largely due to the Avedisian give aways? If Avedisiana was such an accomplished business man, don't you think he would have been gone along time ago working in a major corporation for a lot more dough? $100,000 simply is not enough money to attract a business man with the skill set to bail this place out. It is however enough for a career politician to keep kicking the can down the road. And that is exactly what is going to happen and already is underway.

    Friday, August 17, 2018 Report this

  • Cat2222

    Once someone decides to compromise their character, there is not reason to believe it won't happen again. For that reason, I do not trust her.

    Wednesday, August 22, 2018 Report this