By JON BAKER

CENTRAL FALLS — When asked why he's running again for the Ward 5 City Council seat, William Benson Jr. grinned, leaned back in a chair at Campaign Headquarters and delivered a simple but poignant statement.

“When I ran the first time, six years ago, (my opponent) backed out of the race, and I made up my mind right then and there that — as long as I was having fun, working hard and accomplishing important things for the city — I'd continue with it,” he said. “Before I was elected, the brother of my opponent, (Adam Issa's older sibling) Jonathan, was the Ward 5 Councilman, but he had to miss about seven, eight months as he was serving in Iraq.
“I remember one council member insisting Jon step down due to his absence, and I told the guy, 'Hey, he's not downtown eating doughnuts. He's serving our country, plus the law protects him,'” he added. “That really upset me, so that's another reason.”
To be honest, Benson Jr., who also acts as the council president and Public Safety Committee chairman, has much more political experience than his adversary —
Adam Issa, 24, the youngest son of former Central Falls Mayor and State Sen. Daniel Issa.
He noted he has introduced dozens of city laws, including the child safety zone ordinance (which prevents sex offenders from being any closer than 1,500 feet from schools, playgrounds and other child-gathering points); the “vicious dog,” pit bull and leash law ordinances; helped raise the Homestead Exemption for seniors, veterans and blind citizens on two separate occasions; and the Homestead Exemption for all homeowners.
“”We've had no increase in property taxes here in over two years,” he said. “And, with the other Homestead Exemption … let's put it this way, if you're 65 or older, a veteran or blind, and your house is worth $100,000, you can knock off $7,000 from that $100,000 total, and that's what you would be taxed on.
“With the vicious dog and pit bull ordinances, we did some research through our law department and discovered that, in other cities nationally, such laws had been challenged,” he added. “We used one that was upheld in court, and went with it.”

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Benson's experience travels far beyond those he's accomplished in office. He was supposed to graduate from Cumberland High in 1963, but left school to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, and spent two years and six months in it. When he returned home, he earned his GED.
He spent over 30 years as a private investigator and private security business owner, and also served as a special police officer in the city, as well as Central Falls' Animal Control Officer. Even now, he maintains his position as the city's Homeland Security Coordinator. In fact, he says he has served on every committee except finance during his six-year tenure.
“I've been involved in politics since I was a kid, when I had a volunteer job handing out fliers and putting up signs,” Benson noted. “That dates back to Frank and Ray Garvey's time as mayor, 40-50 years ago. In fact, you know what one of my proudest accomplishments was? Frank passed away a couple of years ago, and he was the best politician we ever had. He was an absolute gentleman, and he helped Chuck (Mayor Charles D. Moreau) and myself get involved in politics.
“After his death, a developer had been building a subdivision off Lonsdale Avenue, so I went to him and asked him to name a street after Frank,” he continued. “It's now called Garvey Court. He meant the world to me.
“I must say I've introduced, written and sponsored so many ordinances, it's hard to pinpoint which ones are the most important … I really don't have any specific issue to offer. Nothing outstanding, because – as things come up – we deal with them. The only problem we're really having now is we're not receiving the usual amount of state funds. That's the biggest hassle.”
If there's one thing that irks him, it's opposition to this particular council allegedly following the mayor's lead in decision making.
“I've been called the mayor's boy since Day One, and that's crazy,” he stated. “I don't know how many times the mayor and I have had discussions, even heated debates. The thing is, we just don't do it publicly, but behind closed doors. In fact, we decided from our first term that the council and mayor would iron out any problems anybody had before we addressed it in a public debate. That way, we don't spend all night arguing at a council meeting.”

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Frankly, Benson admits being upset by some statements in Issa's candidate profile, published in The Times in early October.
“My opponent listed his address as 1154 Lonsdale Ave., but his license says he lives at 1140 Lonsdale, which is his father's home address; he also lists his phone number – on the card he gives out to Ward 5 residents – as his dad's,” stated Benson, who lives with wife Dolores at 1100 Lonsdale Ave. “My question is, 'How does he get his phone messages?'
“I'd also like to know why his two cars – a Mercedes and Volkswagen – are registered at his brother's house (Jonathan's) in Warwick,” he added. “Jon's cars are listed there, too. He says he wants to do good by this city as a council member, but any (excise) taxes he pays on those cars go to Warwick, not the City of Central Falls.
“How can he be living in this city if he's paying taxes to a different city?”
Issa response: “I was living in Warwick. When my brother came back from Iraq, via Walter Reed Hospital, he needed someone to stay with him, and that was me. But I've been back in Central Falls for at least two years. I had my license and registration switched after I came back.
“I went to Warwick's Department of Motor Vehicles two days ago because I had noticed while going through my glove compartment that the registration still was listed at Jon's house in Warwick,” he added. “The woman I spoke with said, 'Your license checks out for Central Falls, but your registration is still in Warwick. That's an error on our part.'”
Benson also took umbrage to Issa calling the move to four-year terms for the mayor and council “sneaky.”
“His own father, when he was senator, introduced the 'four-year term' bill to the Senate – on behalf of Central Falls,” Benson said. “How sneaky could it be?”
Issa indicated his statement concerned four-year terms for the councilors, not the mayorship.
Benson also contradicted Issa's declaration that the city had been fined $30,000 by the state for not sending its budget three months late.
“The fact of the matter is we've never had to pay a fine for being late,” he fired. “After speaking with the finance director, we'll have this fiscal year's audit finished by Dec. 1, and it's not due until late June … (Adam) also mentioned there's no accountability from people holding office now, and that we're serving our own agendas.
“My only agenda is to continue to serve the constituents of Ward 5 and the residents of this city the same way I have for the last six years,” he added. “I'm not interested in any other office – city, state or federal. I don't want to be a mayor, and I'm probably the only council president who never had ambitions to become one. I've very happy serving as representative of Ward 5 and being council president.”
A few candidates, none of them incumbents, have expressed desire to get council meetings back on live cable television. Benson stated that's an impossibility.
“In terms of meetings being televised live on cable, (Issa is) absolutely right: They're not,” he said. “What he didn't tell anybody is that Rhode Island PBS no longer televises any council meetings anymore. We received a letter from PBS in October 2008 that local council meetings and community events would no longer be carried live on Chs. 17 and 18.”
Benson revealed it was his notion to place the six incumbents' placards outside campaign headquarters at 96 Hadwin St. in a pyramid – with Moreau's on top, followed by Benson's and Eunice DeLaHoz' and thenthe remaining – including Patrick Szlashta, Richard G. Aubin Jr. and Jeremiah A. O'Connor.
“That pyramid says it all,” he said. “We're a cohesive unit, and we really work well together. It's just the way it is. The things we've accomplished should show that … I do want to say that the average resident doesn't understand how this city works, some of the intracacies to it. A lot of our workers do extra things, things they don't get paid for but volunteer. They go above and beyond.
“I'd say our city's very lucky,” he continued. “We probably have the finest police and fire departments in the state, including the chiefs. The same goes for the public works department.
“I would think my six years of experience – and the fact I know where to register my cars – proves I have an interest in this city. I care what happens in my ward.”