DALY-LABELLE

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The six Democrats in the running for five Town Council seats all rank the economy and how best to support the town and schools as leading concerns.

But they differ in some of the issues they hope to tackle as town leaders, expressing interest in a range problems facing South Kingstown — from the growing number of residents seeking social services to balancing the town’s rural character with the need for affordable housing.

Five of the candidates, including three incumbents, are endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee. Council President Mary S. “Polly” Eddy, Vice President Kathleen A. Fogarty, and member Ella M. Whaley are joined on that slate by former state legislator Spencer E. Dickinson and lawyer Carol Hagan McEntee. Also running in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary is Jonathan Daly-LaBelle, a real estate agent.

Daly-LaBelle said he had not sought the endorsement nor had he been sought out by the local party.

Brendan Fogarty, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee and husband of Kathleen Fogarty, did not return a phone call seeking comment yesterday.

Daly-LaBelle, a Realtor with RE/Max Flagship, became involved in town politics several years ago in an effort to defend school budgets following a $1.23-million cut. He since has been a regular presence at town meetings.

He said crucial issues for the town are education funding and overreliance on property taxes to pay for school spending.

“I would strongly advocate to state leadership to live up to their obligation of equitable education funding, as called for in the 2006 Paiva-Weed law,” said Daly-LaBelle, referring to the state law that imposes an annual cap on tax levy increases.

He suggested that a tax rebate or deferral program for those on modest incomes should also be investigated.

He would endeavor, he said, to involve more of the community in town government, particularly the budget process.

In addition, he said he would like to see the town approach affordable housing in the same manner it addresses open space preservation. He would support pursuing a $1-million bond to seed a housing trust fund, he said. “I would like to help lead that discussion.”

He would bring the “patience and persistence” he has shown in approaching issues to the council, he said, and pledged to continue his efforts with the same work ethic.

Daly-LaBelle, 38, and his wife, Eileen, have four children.

DICKINSON, a state representative from 1972 to 1980 who rose to deputy majority leader, said keeping the town on track financially is a prime issue. He praised the current council and Town Manager Stephen A. Alfred’s work. “The important thing is to maintain that continuity,” Dickinson, 64, said.

But the town must be sensitive to homeowners as well as local businesses and cultivate solid relationships with the University of Rhode Island, the town’s biggest employer, and American Power Conversion, whose national headquarters are in West Kingston, he said.

“This is a rich town,” he said, with URI, South County Hospital, beaches and an active recreation department.

A builder who owns MP Construction, Dickinson said the town needs to balance preserving its rural character with the need for affordable housing. He said he believed there is a way for the town to accomplish both.

“Maybe what I can bring is a creative approach that finds solutions where there were really two problems,” said Dickinson, adding that he would be very accessible to citizens.

Dickinson was defeated by Jack Reed for U.S. Senate in 1992 and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor two years ago.

Dickinson’s wife, Avery, is an office manager for Ultra Scientific, a chemical testing firm in North Kingstown. They have four grown children.

EDDY has served on the council since 2002, leading it for the past four years. Prior to that, she sat on the Zoning Board for 14 years.

She identified keeping taxes affordable while maintaining municipal services as a main issue confronting the community.

“I would support innovations such as the new health insurance plan that we hope will save the town money,” she said, adding that she would encourage collaborating with other communities.

(The town this summer opted to go with a cost-plus health-care plan through Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, estimating it could save up to $700,000.)

Eddy ranked the rising cost of education as a concern, saying she would encourage the School Committee to “continue their fine work while seeking new possibilities for savings.”

Eddy also noted an increasing number of people seeking social-service help, including elderly seeking adult day care necessitating the need for expansion of that program space.

To combat the problem, as a town leader she said she would continue to support agencies serving the needy.

Eddy said she brings enthusiasm, experience and a love of South Kingstown to the council.

Eddy, 78, has four grown children and is the widow of former URI president Edward D. Eddy.

FOGARTY was first elected to the council in 2002, and has been its vice president for four years.

She mentioned tight budget times resulting from the state tax-levy limit as a challenge facing South Kingstown.

“Primarily we have to learn to do more with less,” said Fogarty, 43, a sales representative for GlaxoSmithKline Plc. “It’s going to be difficult the next few years.”

The town, she said, is going to have to look closely at what it can do without while maintaining buildings, roads and infrastructure.

Fogarty wants to see the town keep its bond rating. “The town is well run,” she said. “I’d like to see it still well run.”

The town needs to do more for affordable housing, she said. “We’re still working toward out goal there.”

If elected, she said she would work to continue on the “fair and balanced” path she and Eddy and other council members have set over the past several years.

“We do listen to everybody,” she said. “So far people are very happy with the way the town is run.”

Fogarty, who did not provide a photo, has two children in South Kingstown schools.

McENTEE, a lawyer, lists the economy as the top concern.“We need to aggressively engage in solutions that include state and federal support,” said McEntee, 54. “Promoting economic development in our town is an effective way to increase our tax base, without overburdening out residents.”

She backed implementing tax incentive programs to help new business and revitalize Peace Dale and Wakefield.

(The council last year adopted an ordinance that empowers the town to broker tax treaties with businesses that prove they would benefit the community.)

Education is the most important investment the town can make in the future, she said.

“As a member of the Town Council, I would support and promote initiatives that would maintain and improve our educational system,” McEntee said. “A high-quality educational system affects the values of our homes and our overall quality of our life in South Kingstown.”

She lists protecting the environment through recycling as a leading issue. In addition, long-term steps must be taken to secure the shoreline, which is being altered by coastal erosion and rising sea level and is essential to tourist-based businesses, she said.

The council, she said, would benefit from her experience as a lawyer practicing in many areas of state, city and town governments. She has worked previously as a prosecutor as well as an assistant city solicitor for the City of Warwick, where she helped negotiate contracts and craft city ordinances, she said.

In 1994, she ran unsuccessfully in a Democratic primary for Warwick mayor.

A mother of three children who attended South Kingstown public schools, she said she would “add a new perspective.” She is married to Michael J. McEntee.

WHALEY is vying for a second council term after serving eight years on the School Committee and acting as that board’s chairwoman.

Sustaining affordable taxes is the leading issue facing the town, she said.

“We need to increase economic development, further communication and plans with South County Hospital and the University of Rhode Island, pay off bonds to lower taxes, and further collaborate with other towns and agencies to avoid duplication of services,” she said.

She named preserving education and municipal programs in part by lobbying the legislature to seek more education funding as a priority as well as finding a creative way to finance affordable housing and advocating for senior services.

She said the town is well managed and that the mandatory recycling program about to be launched “will help protect our waters and [keep] land free from pollution.”

Asked why residents should vote for her, she responded “I am an advocate for all citizens of South Kingstown. I have been a respectful, dedicated, team player, who has shown the ability to problem solve many issues for the town.”

As incumbent and former school board member, she said she has solid budgeting experience and makes data-driven decisions.

Whaley, 53, a teacher at Wickford Elementary School, is married to Harry R. Whaley. The couple has two children.

The five primary winners will face off in November against incumbent Councilman James W. O’Neill, a registered Democrat who is running as an independent; J. Stephen Garnett, a registered Republican also running as an independent, and independent Kenneth Capalbo, as well as Republicans Sean O’Donnell and Bryan Owens.

kmulvane@projo.com