LINCOLN – Early voting is strong in Rhode Island, but plenty of people will still submit a ballot on Nov. 3 Election Day, including in Lincoln, where there are several races on the ballot.
Town Administrator Phil Gould is facing opposition from perennial candidate John Cullen, who has run in at least 25 past races.
Gould is running on a platform of accomplishment, including investments in schools, athletic facilities, strengthened public safety, improved roads and infrastructure, responsible economic development, improved government communication, fiscal responsibility that uses grant funding to limit tax increases, and carefully planning for the future.
The local developer Cullen is using numerous AI-generated posts to rip Gould on a number of issues, including questioning the circumstances of his car crash 16 years ago, describing him as a “corrupt criminal” as he calls for a Flock camera ban, and accusing Gould of acting like big brother for promoting rules on outdoor fires and e-bikes.
Gould defeated Cullen by a wide margin in 2022, winning 6,880 votes, or 76.1 percent, to 2,115 votes, or 23.4 percent.
Other town races concluding Tuesday, Nov. 3, include:
- The District 4 Town Council race, where Public House owner Teddy Sullivan is taking on incumbent Councilor Pam Azar. Sullivan, an independent, has the backing of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee. Azar, a Democrat, is highlighting her intimate knowledge of the district, as well as her previous advocacy to get the Albion Post Office rebuilt. She’s also advocating for greater efforts to combat speeding, among others. Sullivan, meanwhile, is focused on smarter planning and reimagining vacant or underutilized properties as modern housing instead of projects such as the proposed Wilbur Park development. He’s also called for reopening the former youth center in the district.
- In District 2, incumbent independent Councilor Bruce Ogni is again being challenged by Democrat Bonnie Taylor, who is advocating for improved access for pedestrians and bicyclists, more housing, and improvements to the library, among others. Both have advocated for protecting open spaces, but Ogni has called for a hiatus on new housing. Ogni has also emphasized a record of voting no on spending he didn’t see as appropriate. Ogni won 61.4 percent of the vote against Taylor two years ago.
Other councilors in Lincoln are running unopposed.
For Senate District 17, which covers parts of Lincoln, North Providence, and North Smithfield, three candidates are challenging incumbent Sen. Thomas Paolino, including John Barr, Nelly Burdette, and Jina Petrarca.
In a head-to-head Senate 17 race two years ago, Paolino, a Republican, defeated Democrat Cameron Deutsch by a margin of 57.9 percent to 41.8 percent.
