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8/27/2008
NORTH PROVIDENCE - A four-way Democratic primary for the District 1 School Committee seat held by board Chairman Vito Martinelli awaits voters at the Sept. 9 primary.
Martinelli is challenged by Janet M. Hooper, Gina M. Picard and Angela M. Samatis. The North Providence Breeze mailed candidate questionnaires to every candidate and invited each to submit a photograph with their response.
Martinelli, Hooper and Picard responded. A reminder telephone call was made to Samatis on Thursday, Aug. 21. She has not responded.
Hooper is 48 and lives at 5 Savoy St. She has been a resident of North Providence for 22 years. She is employed by FM Global Insurance Co. of Johnston as a travel and expense specialist, a position she has held for 13 years. She and her husband, Kevin, have been married for 21 years and the couple have two children. Hooper is a graduate of St. Mary Academy - Bay View, Community College of Rhode Island and the Modern School of Business.
Hooper said she decided to run for School Committee because the town needs someone to put the education of children before politics.
"I feel that the School Committee needs someone who makes decisions using both their head and their heart. We are not talking about politics; we are talking about the education and well-being of our children and our grandchildren, our nieces and our nephews. We the people have a voice and a right to decide how our children should be educated."
"If I am elected I will serve as the voice of the people in all committee meetings and make sure politics never precedes the well-being of our children. I will push only to spend tax payers' money on the most important areas affecting our children like new textbooks, school supplies and new technology. It is also important that we provide our teachers with the support and assurance necessary to allow them to bring their best to work each and every day."
"With two of my children being products of the North Providence School Department, I have seen first hand the kind of issues that need the most attention. I look forward to continuing going door to door and meeting the people of this district and hearing all of their ideas about how we can improve our school department," said Hooper.
Martinelli is 41 and lives at 84 Locust Ave. He is a lifelong resident of North Providence. He is a Rhode Island Deputy Sheriff, serving in both the Supreme Court and Family Court. He is married to Robin (Conti) Martinelli and the couple have three children. He is a graduate of LaSalle Academy and has studied at Roger Williams University, Community College of Rhode Island and Salve Regina University. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island Deputy Sheriff Academy.
He was elected to the School Committee in September 2004.
Martinelli said he worked to eliminate the school department's approximately $4 million deficit and returned more than $2.2 million to the town treasury. He added that for the past two years the school department has run a surplus of more than $1 million.
Martinelli said his top priority is to alleviate the tax burden for the residents of North Providence through his proven record of fiscal responsibility. Before he was elected to the School Committee, Martinelli promised to implement full-day kindergarten without incurring additional taxes. As a committee member, he said he has made good on that promise, bringing full-day kindergarten to North Providence starting this September. In his press release, he also claims to have cut more than $1 million from the budget and to have given back more than $1 million to the town.
Martinelli said, in his release, he has also voted against excessive contracts and, as chairman, he is working toward fair and affordable contracts for the taxpayers while striving to balance the budget and accumulate surpluses. He added that he has voted against nepotism in the school department and eliminated the school practice of having parents simply display their relative's obituaries to have their child's absence excused.
As the chairman of the School Committee, Martinelli said he is moving forward with renovations to the elementary schools. He maintains that under his leadership North Providence residents will pay the same tax rate with no increase to the school budget while receiving increased services.
Picard is 32 and lives at 6 Hickory Road. She has lived in North Providence for 30 years. She is employed by the Providence School Department as the principal administrator at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School, a position she has held for four years. She earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Rhode Island College and master's degree in reading from Rhode Island College. She also holds a master's degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of Rhode Island. She and her husband Patrick have three children.
Picard said she will work to find different ways to save taxpayers' dollars. She said she will follow the lead of the town to work on regionalizing resources with surrounding communities to achieve the lowest cost for materials, fuel, textbooks etc. Picard also said she will work to pursue grant opportunities in order to provide students with more access to technology as well as support the many other educational needs in the North Providence school system.
She said she will work to support athletic, music and art programs, and that these programs are important to maintain in order to guarantee that children receive a well-rounded education.
"We are at a time when North Providence does not just need people to run, they need the right people, who are running for the right reasons. Our children's education must be put first and it must be at an affordable cost to the taxpayer," Picard said.
