Warwick Mayor Joseph Solomon will face challenger Carel Callahan Bainum in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Solomon entered office in May 2017 after then-mayor Scott Avedisian resigned to become CEO of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Solomon was the council president at the time, so he was next in line to take the position. He served on the City Council representing Ward 4 for 18 years. He was elected as mayor in 2018, defeating three challengers in the Democratic primary and Republican Sue Stenhouse in the general election with 60 percent of the vote.

Despite repeated calls over the last two weeks, Solomon could not be reached for an interview for this story. On Tuesday he said he would send over his list of achievements, which weren’t received as of Wednesday afternoon.

As it had done for Bainum, the Beacon provided Solomon the opportunity to do a five to six minute video to introduce himself and his campaign to voters. He chose to produce his own video that is published on the Warwick Beacon’s Facebook page and its website. In it Solomon says his experience on the City Council and as mayor makes him qualified to earn a second full-term.

“This is not the time for on-the-job training,” Solomon said. “This is not the time that requires someone with no experience. As an accountant, as a businessman, as a lawyer, I have the background and experience to do this job. I possess the tools that I gained from the private sector and I’m implementing it in the public sector.”

Solomon was born in Providence, and is a graduate of Classical High School. He holds a degree in accounting from Providence College and a law degree from New England School of Law. Having lived in Warwick for over 40 years, Solomon is an attorney, and was the chief judge of Warwick’s Municipal Court for five years, and also owns Legal Motors, which has been inactive as of late.

Solomon’s accomplishments over the last two years include the conversion of the Buttonwoods Community Center into municipal offices; the acquisition of two police patrol boats donated by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and plans for a boardwalk and splash park at Oakland Beach through DEM and Community Development Block Grant funds.

However, Solomon’s time as mayor has not been without controversy. Last year’s school budget almost eliminated athletics, which resulted students storming City Hall until the city changed course. It also took weeks to repair the Main Avenue and Buttonwoods Avenue traffic light that Solomon initially argued was the state’s responsibility to fix, which ended up not being the case. Solomon eliminated 38 city jobs after union negotiations stalled, and most recently, the unkempt appearance of the Apponaug circulator became a hot spot after the Providence Journal reported the state spent $1 million on landscaping before turning over upkeep of the project to the city.

Bainum, 72, grew up in Warwick, graduated from Warwick Veterans High School (now a middle school) and worked in real estate after high school for more than 40 years. A known animal lover, she also ran Pinky’s Market Convenience Store in Oakland Beach, which was named after her poodle Pinky, until it the store down three years later. Bainum is also a known animal lover, and worked as Warwick’s animal control supervisor.

Bainum ran for mayor in 2014, but dropped out in order to address three separate lawsuits. The cases each involve families of elderly men who loaned Bainum money, but their families argue Bainum manipulated the men into changing the start date of her payments. Bainum lost a recent appeal on the ruling and was ordered to pay $179,000 in interest and penalties on the $120,000 loan, according to the Providence Journal.

Representing herself, she has brought a counter suit that she feels would have been resolved by this time had it not been for the pandemic.

Solomon, 63, is no stranger to animal rights either. In his video he said he sponsored legislation to protect pets left outside in bad weather or locked inside hot vehicles during the summer, which later became state law.

“This city took a lead and I was proud to be part of that lead,” Solomon said.

Bainum’s campaign focuses heavily on cutting spending and lowering taxes.

“[I'm running] because I've been a taxpayer in the City of Warwick for many years,” Callahan Bainum said in an interview. “I've had over 16 or 18 properties here in the city and the waste that I've seen, foolish spending or irresponsible spending. I watched through the years my taxes go up and up like everyone else's has gone up. And for some reason the people in Warwick, they complain all they complain they complain. But they never do anything about it. They keep putting the same people back in.”

Although no taxes increased this year in Warwick due to the mayor’s no tax-increase budget, Bainum said that she believes taxes will inevitably go up if Solomon remains in office. She also believes that the city’s spending is excessive compared to its revenue.

“I understand we were almost bankrupt at one point, yet we keep spending,” Bainum said. “We have this new [Mickey Stevens Sports Complex], but my understanding is that the athletic fields that we have, they haven't been maintained. Do we need brand new everything or can we maintain and fix and make do with what we have? Because as far as athletics. I don't think it's the field. I think it's the enthusiasm of the kids. It's about the kids it’s not about what's around us.”

Under a proposal Solomon unveiled earlier this summer, improvements to the complex including a state of the art football field to be used by Toll Gate and Pilgrim High Schools as well as rented out, would be funded by a $7 million bond that voters approved in 2006. He believes additional funding would come from grants.

Also in recent months, Solomon has touted his program to spend $10 million over the next three years to repair city roads as well as replace streetlights with energy-saving LEDs. He has stressed this is the time to address these capital improvements because of low-interest bond rates.

“We’re installing energy-efficient lighting that will save the city money and improve our safety,” Solomon said. “Again, the savings of electrical costs alone will cover our debt service on the road paving costs.”

Solomon boasts of his “more-for-less” philosophy.

“I’ve recently passed a no-tax-increase budget,” Solomon said. “I’ve given extensions for tax payments so that working families, who one or two [parents] may be out of work, can help work through these difficult times.”

Solomon has $168,815.14 in his campaign account, and has spent $8,105.85 on his campaign as of Sept. 1. The most common types of expenditures include consultant services, donations to other political campaigns and rent and utilities. Solomon’s campaign office is located at 155 Jefferson Blvd, Suite 4. His website is solomon4warwick.com.

When asked how she would address specific issues such as economic relief from COVID-19, Bainum said she isn’t sure yet, but will be when she has access to data and records in the future.

“ I have no idea because I haven't taken the time to study the situation, and I don't want to just give an idea that many people have liked that sounds good off the top of my head and when I say something, I researched it,” Bainum said. “If I have an answer, I believe in it and then I will share it with the community.”

Bainum has not filed any campaign reports for the 2020 election. She has promoted her campaign on her Facebook page and by posting her blue and white campaign signs. She reported that several of her signs were stolen within 24 hours. She is distributing a single black and white flyer urging voters to contact her with their questions at her email, warwickdogbeach@gmail.com or calling 204-3045. Her website is carelbainum.com. She does not have a campaign manager or headquarters.

Solomon said that he thinks that his experience will allow him to give the city stability to deal with the pandemic.

“At the present time, I need two more years to continue doing good for the city, and at the present time, I am asking for your support,” Solomon said.

The winner of the primary will face independent candidate and former school committee chairman Frank Picozzi on Nov. 3.