Municipal budgets are not just financial documents-they represent the direction a city plans to take - telling us where priorities lie. That’s why they need to be looked at with attention and care. Just as all of us face the personal and financial impact of COVID, our city is also many unknowns, making Cranston’s finances key to how well our city will survive the pandemic. I am someone who knows how to do more with less and I am unafraid to make the hard decisions that will come with that approach. I am determined to hold the line on taxes, believing we can make other decisions that will not further burden our residents. But I am also going to be honest and say it is impossible to make any promises other than this: I will be communicative and transparent in how I approach our city’s fiscal health. 

As a citizen-activist, I have already spoken out when I believe our best interests are not being served: when Mayor Fung offered a no-bid contract to an energy company, I stood up and cried foul. I will continue to speak up whenever I believe bad decisions are being made. I worked to bring attention to a similar issue around a no-bid cell-tower contract on city-owned open space. 

I will also work to build on our financial strengths by encouraging the city to pursue grant opportunities to underwrite or supplement projects and items our city needs. Far too many such opportunities have been missed and I believe we can do better. 

Development is often seen as a negative word-probably because many of us hear about it when there is pushback against an unpopular plan-as recently witnessed with the project proposed for Mulligan’s Island. As a proponent of Smart Growth, I believe that the right development choices, while not always the easiest to make, must always balance the fiscal need for growth with the quality of life factors residents demand. It is not necessary to grow our economic base at the expense of our neighborhoods. It is not necessary to invite corporations to Cranston at expense of small, local businesses. I have fought that fight in my neighborhood, and I will fight for it in yours.