WARWICK, RI — Warwick voting returned an overwhelming majority of Democratic candidates to local and state offices on Election Day 2024, leaving only the mayor’s office and one General Assembly seat in other parties’ control.
Mayor Frank Picozzi (I) outpaced everyone else on the ballot, including Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, with more than 32,000 votes. It marked the third consecutive election where Picozzi finished as the top vote-getter in Warwick.
Following the 2022 vote that created new term lengths and limits for the mayor and city council, Picozzi will now serve for four years and be eligible to serve a second before being term-limited from running for mayor again.
In the election’s lone upset, incumbent Republican state Sen. Anthony DeLuca II lost to Democratic challenger Peter A. Appollonio Jr. by 67 votes in the Dist. 29 race.
Republicans were left with just one General Assembly seat in Warwick after Marie Hopkins’s 90-vote win in the House Dist. 21 race against Democrat James McElroy and Earl A. Read III taking the House Dist. 26 seat left vacant by longtime state Rep. Patricia Morgan, who ran an unsuccessful campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
Here are a few key takeaways from Election 2024:
Warwick voting followed state in staying blue
Warwick voting followed their Rhode Island neighbors in rejecting Donald Trump and local Republican candidates, with the GOP losing one seat in the state Senate and Hopkins’s victory providing a one-seat pickup in the House, leaving the GOP with just 13 of the 114 seats in the General Assembly.
Possibly a reaction to the threat that Trump poses to reproductive rights, the LGBTQI+ community, and the rule of law, Warwick voters ensured that the State House remains solidly in Democratic control.
This result also further cemented Warwick’s influence on Smith Hill, with House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi securing a third term and several Warwick representatives holding key positions in House leadership.
Warwick voting: Picozzi trusted despite recent staff issues
Now four years into his tenure, Picozzi has generally shown a steady hand in dealing with the city’s operations and finances, managing to keep taxes level for three years before last year’s 2.9 percent hike and the current year’s 2 percent increase.
He’s also overseen repair and replacement of city equipment and vehicles, secured a sponsor for the new ice rink in Apponaug, and supported the school department’s planned construction of two new high schools.
All of these changes served to modernize the city and maintain Picozzi’s impressive popularity among residents — but in one case, the city’s handling of alleged sexual harassment within the water department simply didn’t keep up with the times.
With a lawsuit filed by former water department employee Bree Boulais currently pending in court, Picozzi is legally constrained from what he can say about the case; that said, he also has every opportunity to take action within the city ranks to ensure that such cases are dealt with properly before they escalate. Even without commenting directly on the suit, it is not difficult to imagine the Mayor condemning sexual harassment within City Hall ranks and pledging to address whatever failings he discovers, which he has yet to do.
The ‘$1B in debt’ claim needs to end
We’ve heard the same thing from local candidates for 10 years now: Warwick is $1 billion in debt.
These candidates have often used the billion-dollar figure to scare people into thinking that the city is teetering on the edge of financial ruin.
And that should be the first red flag about this claim: People have been repeating the $1 billion number for at least the decade that WarwickPost has been reporting on Warwick elections.
Today, against the backdrop of the $350-million (and climbing) cost for the new high schools, the $1 billion talking point seemingly got new life — but, in fact, it’s based on the same old oversimplification and misdirection as it always was.
While it’s true that the city is taking out $350 million in bonds for the schools, it will be getting 55 percent of that amount reimbursed by the state, significantly reducing the actual amount paid by local taxes in the long run.
Another error in the $1 billion claim is that it often includes the city’s unfunded pension liability, or the difference between what it’s currently paying toward pensions and what is calculated as the cost to to pay those pensions over their lifetimes.
But pensions are not debts that the city owes — they’re benefits provided to its workers.
And in Warwick’s case, the city is keeping up with its annual payments toward its four pension funds, which will eventually reach full funding and cover their costs.
So, while it may be convenient to cite the $1 billion figure in trying to get votes, it’s arguably more effective to honestly explain how the city budget operates.
Conclusion: Warwick voters chose stability over change in 2024, and local officials should reward their trust with responsible and effective leadership.
Author: Joe Hutnak - [email protected]
Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large of Warwick Post. For Warwick Post-related inquiries or communications, email [email protected]
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