Coventry Town Council Candidates Declare May 29-30

COVENTRY, RI — Coventry Town Council candidates for the Dist. 3 and Dist. 5 special elections Aug. 5 must declare May 29-30, Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore announced this week.

Anyone interested in running needs to declare their candidacy, using this form with the Coventry Board of Canvassers at 1675 Flat River Road between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on May 29 and May 30.

Nomination papers will be available for pickup June 5, and must be returned by June 10. Candidates may call the Coventry Board of Canvassers office for additional information at 401-822-9150.

Special primaries will be held on July 8, if necessary, Amore announced.

The RI Department of State Elections Division announced informational materials for candidates and voters are now available for the upcoming special elections to fill the seats left unrepresented by the resignations of former Dist. 3 Councilman Scott Copley and Dist. 5 Councilman James LeBlanc April 7.

Town Council Candidates Seats Open Following Resignations

The Councilmen’s resignations, each said in letters to the Town Clerk and social media, were in protest of their stonewalled attempts to access un-redacted invoices for Town Solicitor Stephen Angell’s services. The remaining members of the Coventry Town Council expanded access to Angell’s  unredacted invoices to the entire Town Council, and also amended the town’s contract with Angell to reflect the change, during its April 22 meeting.

The wider access to the information among council members does not compromise information protected from public disclosure under the state’s Access to Public Record Act (APRA), but  relies on the discretion and judgment of more people. In an April 18  Warwick Post report, ‘Pascua: Give Entire Coventry Solicitor Invoices To Full Council April 22,’  Warwick City Councilman Jeremy Rix, a lawyer with experience with such documents, said that information could compromise town legal negotiations if shared publicly before the negotiations are resolved.

Amore encouraged voters to be aware of voter registration deadlines as well as mail ballot application deadlines for these special elections. Information about registering to vote as well as applying for a mail ballot, voting early, and voting on Election Day can be found at vote.ri.gov.

Special election dates and information for candidates and voters can be found online at https://vote.sos.ri.gov/Candidates/CandidateCalendar.