WOONSOCKET – As the November election approaches, City Council candidate Damon Flynn says his campaign continues to focus on the simple things: getting out into the community, listening to residents, and bringing their concerns into the public conversation.
Flynn says he has knocked on more than 2,500 doors across Woonsocket during this campaign, following roughly 6,000 doors during his previous campaign.
“For me, campaigning isn’t just about asking someone for their vote,” he said in a release. “It’s an opportunity to hear directly from residents about what is happening on their street, in their neighborhood and across the city. Those conversations help shape the issues I believe the City Council needs to be focused on.”
Flynn said he has also made visiting local businesses a regular part of his campaign, meeting directly with owners and employees to hear about their experiences doing business in Woonsocket, the challenges they face and what they believe the city can do better.
“Our businesses need to be part of the conversation too,” he said. “I want to hear directly from the people who are investing in Woonsocket, employing people here and serving our community. Sometimes the best way to understand what is working and what isn’t is simply to walk through the door and listen.”
Flynn said his priorities include strengthening public safety and supporting adequate police, fire and rescue staffing; responsible city spending; encouraging business growth; addressing homelessness and encampments responsibly and compassionately; and continuing efforts to shut down the city incinerator.
Flynn says his campaign has also increasingly focused on another question: How can Woonsocket do a better job promoting itself?
“I think we need to give people more reasons to come into Woonsocket, spend time here and support our businesses,” he said. “We have restaurants, small businesses, parks, entertainment, history and a community that we should be proud to promote.”
Flynn points to the Woonsocket Crit, a bicycle race held on Main Street, as an example of the type of event that can bring excitement and visitors into the city.
“The Woonsocket Crit was an amazing event on Main Street,” he said. “It wasn’t a city-run event, but that doesn’t mean the city can’t help promote it. When organizations and individuals are putting the work into bringing events like this to Woonsocket, I think we should be doing everything we reasonably can to help people know about them.”
If elected to the council, Flynn said he wants to use his position to help promote events taking place throughout the city and encourage greater collaboration between the city, local businesses, and event organizers.
“We should be one of the biggest cheerleaders for Woonsocket,” he said. “If there’s a great event happening here, I want people in northern Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts to know about it.”
Flynn said he would also like to see Woonsocket explore additional events and promotions that could attract visitors, including a Woonsocket Restaurant Week, community watch events surrounding major sporting events such as the World Cup, and other activities that encourage people to visit the city and discover its restaurants and businesses.
“When someone comes into Woonsocket for an event, they may grab dinner, stop at a local business or discover something here they didn’t know existed,” he said. “The goal is to create more reasons for people to come to Woonsocket, and more reasons for them to come back.”
Listening to residents remains a major part of Flynn’s campaign. On his Damon Flynn for City Council Facebook page, he said, he posts frequent updates discussing the issues, concerns and ideas he hears while canvassing neighborhoods throughout Woonsocket. He also shares his visits with local businesses, helping tell their stories and highlighting the people investing and working in the city.
Rather than simply talking about his own platform, Flynn says he wants his social media presence to provide residents with a sense of what their neighbors and local business owners are talking about across the city.
“I think it’s important to share what I’m hearing,” he said. “When the same concerns come up at doors, in different neighborhoods or from our business owners, that tells you something. I want residents to know what I’m hearing and how those conversations are helping shape my understanding of the issues facing Woonsocket.”
Flynn will also continue that conversation on WNRI radio, with scheduled appearances on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, where he plans to discuss his campaign, priorities and the issues residents have raised with him.
“As an independent candidate, I don’t have a party agenda,” he said. “My focus is Woonsocket. I want to listen, make informed decisions and look for practical ways to make our city safer, financially stronger and a place where residents, businesses and visitors want to be.”
Residents can follow Damon Flynn for City Council on Facebook for campaign updates, local business visits and Flynn’s regular discussions about the issues and concerns he is hearing throughout Woonsocket.
