Posted on by

Coventry At-Large Council Race: Brown

[CREDIT: Brown for At-Large Council] Frank Brown, Hopkins Hill Fire Chief, retiring in March, is running in the Coventry At-Large Council race.
[CREDIT: Brown for At-Large Council] Frank Brown, Hopkins Hill Fire Chief, retiring in March, is running in the Coventry At-Large Council race.
[CREDIT: Brown for At-Large Council] Frank Brown, Hopkins Hill Fire Chief, retiring in March, is running in the Coventry At-Large Council race.
COVENTRY, RI — Frank Brown, lifelong Coventry resident and Hopkins Hill Fire Chief for nearly 50 years, retiring March 2025, entered the Coventry At-Large Council race to continue serving the community.

“This would be a great way to continue to have a positive impact on the community,” Brown said, “As a lifelong resident of Coventry, I am deeply invested in the well-being of the town and its residents.  I believe in fostering a collaborative approach to local governance, prioritizing the needs and concerns of the community while working towards sustainable growth and development,” Brown said in announcing both his retirement and candidacy on his campaign website.

Born in 1959 to the late Frank Brown Sr. and Beatrice Brown, he graduated from Coventry High in 1978. He was recently inducted into the Coventry High School Hall of Fame.

Brown married his high school sweetheart, Denise, in 1981. The couple celebrated their 43rd anniversary this September. They have two daughters who both graduated from the Coventry school system, and four grandchildren ages 7 – 12.

Brown has been employed by General Dynamics Electric Boat/Groton as a Nuclear Test Technician and has worked on the Providence Fire Department, and the North Kingstown Fire Department. In 1976, he joined the Hopkins Hill Fire Department, rising through the ranks to Fire Chief in 1993. In 2017, he was appointed Fire Chief of the Central Coventry Fire District, serving both fire districts.

“I also had the incredible honor to serve as the President of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs in 2018 and 2019,” Brown said.

“My campaign will focus on key issues such as economic development, infrastructure improvements, education, and public safety.  Coventry is a wonderful town with so much potential. I want to work with my fellow council members to build a future that preserves our town’s unique character while embracing progress,” Brown said.

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A rules

Warwickpost.com invited all Coventry Town Council candidates to answer the same six questions, giving them all four days to respond. Candidates were urged to answer the questions directly, and invited to elaborate on each topic after answering the initial question. The answers have been edited for style and spelling, to ensure responses remain on-topic, and to avoid introducing misinformation into the debate.

All the candidates’ answers to the questionnaire have been posted within the same  10-minute window, with a digital dice roll assigning the order each set of answers run on the site, and thus, their order in  the daily newsletter.

Here are Warwick Post’s questions, and Brown’s answers:

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A

1) The state auditor’s assessment of the Coventry Schools to-date $5M deficit lays partial blame on turnover of poor performing prior executive leadership,  and prior finance directors on the school and town side, coinciding with ill-timed Financial Town Meeting votes for level funding. The result was inadequate budgets that didn’t catch deficits early. 

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A –1A) What is your position on level-funded budgets?

BROWN: Level funding does not always mean level funding expenditures. Level funding can be appropriate, but it can also be bad news for the taxpayer. As the town grows it’s important to increase the tax levy. This allows the town to try to keep up with the growing cost and demand for services with little impact on the current rate payers.  Level funding is sometimes just kicking the can down the road.

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 1B) How can the Council be more proactive with financial leadership?
BROWN: Setting up a fiscal oversight committee should happen. This committee could look at the town and school budgets and make recommendations to both the the Town Council and the School Committee.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A -1C) Please  share any other thoughts you have on this.  
BROWN: Both the School Committee and the Town Council need to stay in their budgets.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 2) How can the town’s fire districts be better managed?
BROWN: The town needs to go to a municipal fire department.  The current system is antiquated and does not provide the same level of service to all residents.

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A –3) What is the most important thing you will do to aid small businesses in town?

BROWN: Advocate for policies that support small business, such as grants, zoning laws and tax incentives. These measures could help create a favorable environment for small businesses to thrive, which in turn helps stimulate local economies and create jobs.

Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 4) According to the RI Auditor General’s report on the town’s sewer program, “Only a small portion (approximately 3%) of the Town’s homeowners and businesses are connected to the System,” and, “A longer-term view needs to be part of the overall assessment of the program as there will be a future need in Coventry to expand the sewer program for either health and safety, water contamination, or economic development reasons.”
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A –4a) Given the town-wide benefits to building sewers, is supporting the program in part with the General Fund, as suggested in the report, a good idea?
BROWN: Because all taxpayers benefit when businesses move in, it makes sense to use some of the general funds to help with the sewer expansion.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 4b What would you suggest?
BROWN: The sewer program needs to be made as affordable as possible for the taxpayers it impacts. But it is also important that the costs of the lines are covered, that is when help from the general fund would come in.  There are areas in town that are in desperate need of sewers.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 4c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this.  
Brown did not elaborate on this question.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 5) Council President Hillary Lima suggests new Council members proactively study the town’s finances and budget process with the town’s finance director. What do you think of that suggestion?
BROWN: I agree and would welcome the chance to sit down with the town and school department finance directors to get a complete picture.
Coventry At-Large Council race Q&A – 6) State law splits governance of Schools and Municipal finance, and there tends to be a split in town members’ attention to and attendance of the respective meetings.
6a) Should these groups interact more?
BROWN:  The Finance directors could benefit from sharing the same offices. The School Committee manages the biggest part of the town’s levy so a strong relationship between the School Committee and the Town Council is needed.
6b) If so, how would you approach that?
BROWN: Joint meetings between the Town Council and School Committee should happen on a regular basis. This would especially help improve better communication and transparency.
6c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this.
Brown did not elaborate on this question.

 

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 [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

This is a test