bestwick

NORTH KINGSTOWN — Seven Democrats are fighting to fill the void left by the outgoing Town Council.

Town officials say it’s the first time in 80 years –– possibly longer –– that all five incumbents have refused to run again.

“With everyone stepping down, it opens the door,” said endorsed Democrat Michael S. Bestwick.

In all, 13 candidates will be on the November ballot for the Town Council — five-member Democratic and Republican slates and three independent candidates.

Only the Democrats will square off in Tuesday’s primary.

The job won’t be easy, says endorsed candidate William H. Gilbert. “We’ve got serious problems and we have to fix them fast. Whoever does it will be unpopular.”

In addition to Bestwick and Gilbert, the endorsed candidates are Steven R. DeToy, Tracey A. McCue and Jeffrey E. Del Gigante.

The unendorsed candidates are Mark Tripp and Matthew H. Leonard Sr.

ACCORDING TO Leonard, endorsements can hobble a candidate. “Because I’m an outsider, I can step in and get things done. I have no ties to the party.”

The 44-year-old safety director got involved in politics after attending meetings on the $144 million Gateway project at the Quonset Business Park. The plan includes office buildings, a museum and two big-box stores, a Lowe’s and a Kohl’s.

While new businesses and offices could benefit the town, the park’s overseer, the Quonset Development Corporation, “is not being a good neighbor or an honest broker with the town,” in part because the town won’t see money from the development until later, Leonard said.

“The Gateway was never designed to be retail.” Some of the buildings, he added, are too close to homes on Newcomb Road.

Other important issues include repairing a “dysfunctional” School Committee, improving the town’s water and cutting costs, he says. “We spend $93 million as a town.”

North Kingstown must merge its services and departments with other communities, he says. But officials must also be sure that dedicated workers are not displaced by consolidation, he says.

TRIPP, a former chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, ran unsuccessfully for a council seat two years ago.

The 60-year-old back-to-basics candidate –– a court officer and a former Warwick police supervisor — said he wants to help residents deal with high taxes and mortgages. “We have people who can no longer afford to live here,” he says, “and we have people who can’t afford to move here.”

Some residents are upset with the large number of political signs on lawns, he says, but “we should be concerned about the For Sale signs instead.”

Residents are getting little value for their taxes, he adds. “I don’t believe the taxpayer is being fairly represented.”

Meanwhile, school spending is out of control, Tripp says.

“The School Committee’s job is to educate the children. It’s gone beyond that. We have sweetheart deals for grass mowing, and we have people arguing about whether they are spending the town’s money or the schools’ money. It’s the taxpayers’ money.”

McCUE SAYS she is concerned about large retailers at the Quonset Business Park. “We don’t want the town to become another Route 2,” she says. Although the town needs a strong business base, “we need the right balance.”

McCue also favors consolidation, but the town must get its own house in order first, she says. Town budgets must be easier to read. “The line items are very vague. I want the taxpayers to better understand how their money is spent.”

Also, the town’s aging water system must be replaced, she says. Residents are complaining about chlorine in their water.

The 49-year-old candidate is a real estate agent and owns a concrete construction company. “I live here and I work here and I want people to be able to stay here,” she says.

DeTOY USES three words to describe the town’s problems: budget, budget, budget.

“The General Assembly is putting an incredible amount of pressure on towns” by reducing state aid –– and then limiting the amount of taxes towns can raise, he says.

Although officials are merging some departments and services, school and town managers must be more aggressive about saving money, says the 54-year-old former Providence store owner. “The two bodies have to work together.”

At the same time, more people need to become involved in town government, says DeToy, who ran unsuccessfully as an independent School Committee candidate in 1998.

The departure of the current council will mean “a loss of institutional memory,” he says. “We have a lot of serious work to do in a short time.”

GILBERT ALSO supports saving money by merging town and school departments, and overlapping services with neighboring communities.

But officials should also talk to employees and seek approval from voters before acting, says the 41-year-old real estate agent. His proposal to involve voters through a referendum departs from current efforts to consolidate services.

“North Kingstown is currently facing its toughest economic times since the Great Depression. People, especially young adults and the elderly, can no longer afford the necessities of life and the current tax load,” he says.

School and town departments are facing a deficit next year –– one that could reach $2 million or more. “In order to avoid further taxes or the reduction of needed programs, we must immediately work with neighboring communities to consolidate duplicative services and departments. The Gravy Train is over,” he says.

BESTWICK, the 49-year-old owner of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, says he wants to help other small business owners. “The mom-and-pop stores are going away. With taxes going up, it’s hard to survive.”

To ensure that local businesses aren’t hurt, Quonset should be developed carefully, he says.

Working with a new council won’t be easy, he says. This year, new members won’t get help from returning veterans. “You need at least one senior person to advise you,” he says. “Still, you try to do the best you can. And you do the right thing.”

His slogan: “Bringing Unity Back to the Community.”

Del GIGANTE, away in Maine this week, could not be reached for comment. But Sanford H. Tully, Democratic town chairman, says Del Gigante’s top concerns are the proper development of Quonset Point, water quality and the addition of sewers on Post Road, the town’s retail corridor.

The town’s water system isn’t working and people are concerned about the taste of chlorine in the water, Tully says.

On Post Road, restaurants and other businesses have been struggling for years with faltering septic systems. The constant pumping is expensive, Tully says. “If you want businesses to thrive out here, you’ve got to have sewers.” More businesses will help expand the town’s tax base, and take the burden off property owners, he said.

pdavis@projo.com