By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — There are five Democratic City Council-at-large candidates vying to be one of the three names on the ballot in next Tuesday’s Democratic primary. It is a race that pits the supporters of Mayor James E. Doyle and his administration against those of his reform-minded challenger, City Councilor Donald Grebien.

The top three vote-getters in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary will then face Republican candidate Joseph M. Tirrell and independent candidate Michael W. Newman in the November 4 general election for three open council-at-large seats.
Incumbent candidate Thomas E. Hodge, running for re-election, cites his 10 years of experience on the City Council as well as a stint as a state representative as being a plus for voters during these uncertain financial times. “I’ve lived through the ups and downs of the economy,” he said, while also admitting that he doesn’t remember seeing a time when the economy was so focused on energy and fuel costs.
Hodge, 63, an insurance agent who lives on Wilton Avenue, said his main reason for running is to “continue the vigilance we have on the city’s budget, while also watching the state’s revenue situation,” and said he has a knowledge
of how the state operates from his time as a representative.
Hodge, while not always agreeing with Mayor James E. Doyle’s administration, said he nevertheless thinks it has been “forward-looking” and has worked to keep taxes low while still providing services. He credited the administration for establishing a “rainy day fund,” only to have it be eroded by cuts in state aid. He said that a new school aid formula is one of the most pressing needs, and would also like to see Rhode Island adopt a statewide school system to save costs.
Also citing his experience in government at both the state and local level is former School Committee chairman John S. Baxter, Jr. The 39-year-old Brewster Street resident has worked for a decade as Director of Constituent Services and Reading Clerk of the Rhode Island Senate, and has served on the Pawtucket School Committee since 2005.  
“The City Council will face serious issues that must be addressed by serious people with the proper skills and professional experience,” said Baxter. “I’ve dedicated my life to public service and I’m confident my 10 years of professional government service and four years in elective office will result in a positive contribution to this cause,” he stated.
Active on the Pawtucket Riverfront Commission until recently, Baxter said that one of the most important things the city can do to expand its tax base is to develop the long-dormant riverfront for mixed uses such as retail, commercial and light manufacturing. “The riverfront remains an untapped resource,” he stated.
Baxter maintained that, under his leadership, the School Committee delivered its only balanced budget in the last three years, and that in the initial months of this fiscal year, his efforts have reduced the schools’ current deficit by over $1.5 million. He maintains there are more efficiencies that can likely be found on the city government side as well. “These times call for this type of fiscal creativity and restraint,” he stated.
Lorenzo C. “Larry” Tetreault, 61, said that in the current uncertain economic climate, it is stability that residents are looking for rather than simply a change of administration. “Keep things going in the city and not lose too many services because of cuts at the federal and state levels...I think is what the taxpayers want,” he said.
Tetreault, of Second Street, is a retired Pawtucket school teacher who said he views the council position as an extension of his role as an educator. “I feel that I have been helping people my whole life as a teacher. I look at public service as a way to help the citizens, help the community,” he stated. Although he never held an elective position, he has been active in town politics and currently serves as chairman of the Democratic City Committee.
Tetreault acknowledged a longtime friendship with Mayor James E. Doyle and his family, saying that the two have known each other since their boyhood days in Pleasant View. However, he said he doesn’t see any conflict, and notes that he recently resigned from both the Zoning Board and the Juvenile Hearing Board to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
On the side of those calling for political change is Albert J. Vitali, Jr., a former Ward 3 City Council member who lost a re-election bid to Henry S. Kinch Jr. two years ago. Vitali, 49, of Pequot Road, said that ever since losing in the close race with Kinch, he has been urged by friends and supporters to re-enter local politics, thanks to what he said is his proven track record of responding to constituents’ calls and issues in a timely manner.
Vitali, the son of the late businessman Albert J. “Albo” Vitali, Sr., works for Countryside Properties managing his family’s real estate holdings. In his dealing with the business community, he said he has come upon many instances where the city has not been “business friendly,” and maintains that city officials should be doing more to promote economic development.
Vitali cited the former Pawtucket/Central Falls train depot and the Division Street hotel project as just two cases where city officials could have done more to help progress.  “Not enough is being done to encourage developers to come back to Pawtucket,” he stated.
Vitali also said he thinks public safety should be a priority--both in putting more police officers on the streets to finding the funds to purchase a third rescue for the Fire Department. “We need to take care of the taxpayers, and we need a voice that is independent of ‘the machine,” Vitali asserted.
Also running on a platform of change is former School Committee Chairman Raymond J. Spooner, Jr. Spooner, 47, of Benjamin Street, is a manager of a steel company, North Star Metals.
Spooner was active on the School Committee from 1997-2004 and served for four years as its chairman. “All those years, we had a balanced budget. There was not one penny of increase to the school side,” noted Spooner. He faulted the Doyle Administration for not budgeting more from the city side as state funding levels dropped, calling it “a great injustice to the kids of Pawtucket.”
Spooner also criticized the mayor and his administration as being too complacent. “We can have more of the same, or we can change. I think we deserve better,” said Spooner.
Pointing to places like Providence, Woonsocket, and other communities where new businesses are coming in, Spooner said, “Everyone around us is doing great things. Everything we do gets stalled or ends up in the courts,” he alleged. “There is a lack of economic development here because people think it is too difficult to do business in Pawtucket,” he stated.