NORTH SMITHFIELD – Former Town Administrator Paulette Hamilton will join the North Smithfield Town Council following a General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8 that saw three out of the four incumbents running retain their seats.
Hamilton, who held the town’s top office for eight years before moving on to a position as policy advisor and deputy chief of staff for then Lt. Gov. McKee, had received 2,409 votes as of the unofficial tally Tuesday night, coming in fourth among candidates for the five-member board.
And Douglas Osier, who previously served one term on the council before a lost bid for the role of town administrator in 2020, also fared well with voters, coming in second with 2,486 votes.
Current Town Council Vice President Kimberly Alves was the top vote getter among the eight candidates, securing 3,039 votes as of Tuesday’s count. Alves will serve her second consecutive term after previously serving for six years from 2010-2016, before opting not to seek re-election that year.
Following Alves and Osier was Town Council President John Beauregard with 2,443 votes. Councilor Claire O’Hara also appeared to have secured another term Tuesday, coming in fifth by a narrow margin ahead of incumbent Councilor Stephen Corriveau by just 56 votes.
Osier joined those celebrating victories at Gator’s Pub Tuesday night.
“I just want to make North Smithfield a better place to live,” Osier told NRI NOW, adding that he plans to bring a collaborative and data-driven approach to the role.
If the early results hold, Corriveau will not be serving a second term, with Parks and Recreation Commission member Cheryl Marandola also coming up short for a seat. Former Councilor Paul Vadenais,meanwhile, opted not to seek re-election in 2022.
On the School Committee, Teresa Bartomioli, a local business owner who previously served one term on the council, will now join the board. Bartomioli, co-owner of North Smithfield Fence, was the top vote getter in the unofficial results at 2,225 votes, followed by incumbent member William Connell, who retained his seat with 1,796 votes.
“I think what I’d like to bring is more transparency about the mandates that come from RIDE, and make parents more aware of the changes that come through,” Bartomioli said Tuesday of her intentions for the North Smithfield school board.
The new board member recently served with Osier on the Budget Committee, and the pair noted that their emphasis on fiscal responsibility may have resonated with voters.
“I never considered myself a politician,” Bartomioli said. “I’m a member of the community. I look at things as a parent and a grandparent – and a taxpayer.”
Former Committee member Paul Jones did not run for the school board in 2022, instead challenging Rep. Brian Newberry for his District 48 seat.
Jones was not successful in the contest. Newberry, who has served six terms, was re-elected by a wide margin, winning with 3,634 votes to Jones’s 2,045.
Can we go back to looking into why Zwolenski is still allowed to go to work at town hall? I hope we have not forgotten this embarrassing situation.
Perhaps seeing Paulette Hamilton was a past administrator might help…..? And the fact that Kim Alves who was top vote getter, and THE one person who has been checking in on Ms Donna Rovedo can additionally assist….? Let’s hope so.
Not the results I had hoped for but maybe fiscal responsibility can out way foolish spending.