By JON BAKER

CENTRAL FALLS — City Registrar Trudy Chartier dreads these kinds of days, though she also knows they come with her job.

Those interested in running for either mayor or city council had until Friday at 4 p.m. to submit valid signatures and nomination papers to Chartier. As a result, she spent most of the day attempting to certify each.
“I've been swamped,” said Chartier, keeping her sense of humor. “I've had to go through registration cards, go through their signatures, answering the phone, answering questions from the media, etc.
“I will also say that our incumbent Mayor (Charles D.) Moreau, who only needed to submit 200 signatures from residents, now has 1,532 so far, and we're not done yet as he has more,” she added.
Moreau's opponent during the Nov. 3 non-partisan election may be Hipolito E. Fontes, of 93 Sacred Heart Ave., though the registrar indicated there was still a question as to the signatures he attained. Edna S. Poulin also had expressed interest in running for the position, though failed to present sufficient papers for it, Chartier said.
As for the race for City Council seats (minimum 50 signatures required from same ward), only one incumbent, Patrick J. Szlashta of 385 Dexter St., will run unopposed, he in Ward 3. In Ward 1, three candidates have thrown their names into the ring – including incumbent Eunice DeLaHoz of 66 Pacific St.; Eugene J. Racquier of 33 Cross St.; and Miguel Hamlet Lopez Jr. of 118 Cross St. (though Chartier still was checking his signatures late Friday afternoon).
Hipolito Fontes had declared back on Aug. 5, the first day to pick up such nomination forms and signature sheets, that he would run for the Ward 1 seat, but didn't submit papers.
According to Chartier, should more than two candidates choose to run in the same ward, a special primary would be held Tuesday, Oct. 6. The top two vote-getters then would face off on Nov. 3.
In Ward 2, incumbent Richard A. Aubin, also the city's Liquor Board chair who lives at 127 Chestnut St., will battle Poulin of 68 Notre Dame St.; and, in Ward 4, incumbent Jeremiah A. O'Connor of 124 Butler Ave. will take on newcomer James A. Diossa of 175 Hedley Ave.
Perhaps the most interesting contest hails from Ward 5, where Adam Issa, the 23-year-old son of former State Sen. Daniel Issa and resident of 1154 Lonsdale Ave., looks to dethrone incumbent Council President William Benson Jr., who also acts as the Public Safety Committee chair.
Also in that ward, neither Phillip D. St. Pierre nor Joshua J. Giraldo didn't deliver enough signatures to qualify.
Moreau, who relaxed in the Board of Canvassers' smallish office after 4 p.m., Friday, stated he submitted more signatures than he needed to simply because that's been his plan of attack during each of his first three (two-year) terms in office.
“I've done it in the past … I'm not superstitious,” Moreau stated. “It's just part of the process we go through. We go to the public to say hello to the ones who don't know me, and I reintroduce myself to those who do. There's a lot of shaking hands, but also it gets my team focused, get them 'game-ready.'
“I believe Hipolito Fontes has enough signatures, so I think he'll be my opponent in this election,” he added. “I don't know him, but I believe he and his family have lived in Central Falls for a while now.”
Moreau also indicated that his platform hasn't changed an iota during his six years in office, and will remain the same as the city moves to a new four-year term system for mayor and city council electees.
“As always, public safety is paramount, as is a focus on youth,” he said. “Being a graduate of Bryant University in 1986 (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration), I owned my own restaurant (Magee's) for 10 years; worked for the Federal Housing Authority for almost five; worked for New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft as a sales executive for three years; and I was elected mayor six years ago, so I've worn a lot of hats.
“My platform hasn't changed – we did what we said we were going to do,” he continued. “A bumper sticker I had last time around read, 'Accomplishments, not promises,' and that's accurate. We have more police officers on the street – we had 38 when I started, and there will be 44 by December; we have new streets and sidewalks; a brand new Public Works facility; and an updated (Ralph J. Holden) community center with $3 million put into it.
“When I took over, the facility served only 30 youths; now it's at over 3,000 children, teens and seniors. We've also redone the Francis Corrigan Athletic Complex on Higginson Avenue, adding a brand new track that has to be the best in the state, and I look forward to doing more for this city.”
Moreau claimed he has attracted at least five new businesses into the city, not to mention several smaller ones; and had foreclosed, vacated or abandoned homes boarded up.
“The city has been purchasing some of those homes to demolish as part of our density reduction program,” he said. “On Fletcher Street, for instance, we're working with Habitat for Humanity to build an affordable, single-family home for a Central Falls family, and that money comes from a federal grant.
“In addition, we sold some water supply pipes to the Pawtucket Water Supply Board, and are in the process of completing an upgrade of the city water system, which was over 100 years old,” he added. “It's all at no cost to the taxpayers. We will supply the residents … the highest quality of water Central Falls has ever had.”