CUMBERLAND – Incumbent District 2 Cumberland Fire Committee member Paul Santoro didn’t file to run through official channels, but he’s now mounting a write-in campaign to keep the seat.
Liam Kane announced his write-in candidacy for the seat last week, after no one filed paperwork to be on the ballot.
Santoro said he is humbly requesting residents’ support as a write-in candidate.
“Since I joined the board 10 years ago, I am proud to be part of the dedicated fellow commissioners working for you,” he said in a release. “Fiscal responsibility has always been a top priority of mine while forging relationships with of our department’s administrative staff as well our brave firefighters. I am proud that I have been an integral part of the current balanced budget. My dedication to the district is extremely important to me as is being the chairman of the personel subcommittee.”
He said he is a lifelong Cumberland resident except while away for medical school and his residency in Chicago and Newark. Prior to going to medical school, he was a volunteer/paid call man for the Ashton Fire Department for 10 years.
“Being a doctor working in emergency medicine gives me a fresh perspective in how the Fire Department works seamlessly with our EMS partners,” he said. “About two-thirds of the responses of our firefighters are to assist the paramedic rescue service. These two experiences plus attending Bryant University as a business student have allowed me to have the unique perspective in this vital position on the Fire Board. As time passes, so does the fire service.”
Added Santoro, “I am always looking for ways to save money for taxpayers. I will continue to work for the District on my “One Town – One Tax” initiative. There is no reason we should receive separate tax bills from the town of Cumberland and the Cumberland Fire District. I will also work to lower the fire tax to below 4 percent. Furthermore, since the firefighters assist the rescue so often, it is time for them to share money they are reimbursed for patient care. The EMS division profits for services that are divided between the paramedics, while the firefighters do not. I will continue to fight to cancel the $450,000 hydrant access fees we pay the town of Cumberland’s Water Department and the Pawtucket Water Supply Board. I see this fee as just wrong and possibly double taxation.”
Santoro graduated from Cumberland High School in 1984, went to Bryant University from 1984 to 1988, RIC Pre-Med from 1988 to 1992, and Midwestern University from 1992 to 1996.
