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Coventry Special Election Adds New Town Councilors

[CREDIT: WP Composite] From left, Robert DeLellis, Dist. 5 candidate and Richard Houle, Dist. 3 candidate in the Coventry Special Election Tuesday, Aug. 5. The two are the likely new Town Council members for their districts with more than 90% of the vote each, according to early voting results.

[CREDIT: WP Composite] From left, Robert DeLellis, Dist. 5 candidate and Richard Houle, Dist. 3 candidate in the Coventry Special Election Tuesday, Aug. 5. The two are the likely new Town Council members for their districts with more than 90% of the vote each, according to early voting results.
[CREDIT: WP Composite] From left, Robert DeLellis, Dist. 5 candidate and Richard Houle, Dist. 3 candidate in the Coventry Special Election Tuesday, Aug. 5. The two are the likely new Town Council members for their districts with more than 90% of the vote each, according to early voting results.
COVENTRY, RI — Tuesday’s unofficial Coventry Special Election results saw a sparse turnout that placed new Town Council members Robert DeLellis for Dist. 5 and Richard Houle for Dist. 3, each winning against single-digit write-in votes.

Houle won 96 percent of the vote with 76 votes to three write-in ballots. DeLellis won 91.1 percent of the votes with 41 votes against four write-in ballots.

DeLellis and Houle were the only candidates running for their seats. Houle’s initial opponent, Kathy Farwell, withdrew from the race due to a health issue. 

The Coventry special election Tuesday was necessary to elect new Town Councillors for each seat, following the resignations of former Dist. 5 Councilman Scott Copley and Dist. 3 Councilman James LeBlanc in April. The pair left the Council in protest over stonewalled attempts to access un-redacted invoices for Town Solicitor Stephen Angell’s services concerning the town’s eminent domain taking of Johnson’s Pond last year.

Copley was arraigned July 25 on a charge of threatening a public official after Council Vice President JD Verducci reported that Copley had threatened Council President Hilary Lima during a phone conversation about the issue.

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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