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NOVEMBER 3-9, 2016
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BREEZE PHOTOS BY ROBERT EMERSON
Beacon senior and theater major
ZACH LUSSIER, above, performs
as a living statue during the Beacon
Charter Gala on Oct. 27. Beacon
Charter High School for the Arts
held its 4th annual Gala and Silent
Auction to raise funds for, and
increase awareness of, its arts and
academic programming, while taking
time to recognize the accomplish-
ments of others. At left, senior ZOE
GILLIS performs a musical number.
See more photos on Page 16.
Artistic expression
WOONSOCKET NORTH SMITHFIELD
WINTER VEGGIES
Enjoy freshness year-round at the
Wintertime Farmers Market.
LIVING
FALL BACK
Don't forget to set your clocks
back at 2 a.m. on Sunday.
NORTH SMITHFIELD – After
two years that saw increased conflict
surrounding the Town Council, from
a public dispute over alleged choco-
late "bribes," to spats with the town
administrator that ultimately ended with
her refusal to attend meetings, many
of the candidates in North Smithfield
have focused their 2016 campaigns on
"unity" and "consensus building."
On Tuesday, voters will decide just
what that means to them while selecting
leaders for every elected town office.
If they look closely, they will find that
there is no shortage of issues, and that
many of the candidates have vastly dif-
ferent assets and proposed approaches
to leadership.
Among the top concerns for many
candidates on the Town Council this
year is the town's ongoing dispute
over sewer fees with Woonsocket.
The current council's rejection of a
new proposed 20-year agreement that
includes $200,000 a year in host fees
Contentious
years bring
election focus
on 'consensus
building'
By SANDY SEOANE
Valley Breeze Staff Writer
sandy@valleybreeze.com
See NO. SMITHFIELD, Page 30
WOONSOCKET – City voters got
an extra year off from local politics in
2015, as a change to the City Charter
gave Woonsocket's elected officials an
unprecedented three years to accom-
plish their goals in office.
But the start of "on-year" elections
– held in conjunction with other state
and national races – has the potential to
change the dynamic of city politics this
year. A study by Weinschenk's research
found that shifting mayoral elections to
presidential years results in an average
18.5 percentage point jump in voter
turnout.
The change could have a huge impact
on municipal results, which in 2013
were determined by about 28 percent
of the city's roughly 23,000 registered
voters.
In addition to choosing a mayor, and
seven of the 14 City Council candidates
on the ballot, Tuesday's crop of voters
will also weigh in on potential charter
changes that could clarify how appoint-
ments are made to the city's boards and
commissions, move back the date by
which the school department is required
to submit its annual budget, and create
City holds
first 'on year'
election
Tuesday
By SANDY SEOANE
Valley Breeze Staff Writer
sandy@valleybreeze.com
See WOONSOCKET, Page 7
