‘I love this town’

Born here, raised here, educated here, worked here, retired here, returned to lead here — 2023 Chief Marshal Steve Contente has spent his life in service to Bristol

BY MANUEL C. “MANNY” CORREIRA

Meet Steve Contente, the new 2023 Bristol Fourth of July Celebration Chief Marshal.

Actually, Mr. Contente really needs no formal introduction, having served his community well on a number of fronts. When Fourth of July Committee chairman Chuck MacDonough made the official announcement on March 30, the packed Burnside Building audience applauded long and hard when Mr. Contente was formally introduced.

From this writer’s perspective, I was a bit thrown off before the actual announcement was made, because Mr. Contente, Bristol’s town administrator since 2016, was already seated with other town officials in the front of the room. In recent years, when the announcement is made, the Chief Marshal makes his grand entrance from the back of the upstairs room and strolls proudly to the front to the cheers of everyone. Not this year.

“Yeah, I guess it was a little different,“ said Mr. Contente in a recent interview in his Town Hall office. “As has been the case in recent years, I take my place with the other town officials before the official Chief Marshal announcement is made.”

Regardless which protocol was followed, Steve Contente was the man of the hour, and as Chuck MacDonough so eloquently put it, “a well-deserving choice.”

“This year’s Chief Marshal is a native son of Bristol, he is a passionate advocate of our town, and has served us for more than 30 years,” Mr. MacDonough said. “He works tirelessly with businesses and other community leaders to find solutions to problems and always has the best interest of all of us as his driving force.”

A 1990 graduate of Bristol High School when he joined Bristol Fire and Rescue service, he entered CCRI and earned a degree in business. He was also encouraged to pursue a career in law enforcement and graduated from the R.I. Municipal Police Academy in 1995, and immediately joined the Bristol Police Dept.

He continued his education at Roger Williams University, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice, and in 2008, he graduated with a Master’s Degree in Justice Studies.

His other professional training includes FBI Executive Development, National Center for Biomedical Research and Training.

During his time as an officer in the Bristol Police Dept., Steve maintained the Police Mountain Bike Certification, the Violence Against Women Instructor Certification, the Critical Incident Stress Certifications, and the Advanced Level Incident Command Certifications.

He also started the first Bristol Citizens Police Academy in 2005 and later led the Detective’s Division.

In addition, Steve successfully led the Department’s National Reaccreditation and was involved with implementing the National Incident Management System to the Department’s large-scale event planning.

No question, serving his community as a well-respected police officer helped him in his current role as Town Administrator.

Relaxing back in his office in Town Hall, Steve Contente reflected a bit on what it was liked being asked to be the Chief Marshal of America’s most renowned Fourth of July Parade.

“I was surprised,” he admitted. “I am truly more than honored. I’m very excited about it. I’m sharing this with all of my family, friends, and colleagues who have helped me along the way. I will be honored to march and celebrate with my family and friends.”

Getting a little choked with emotion, Steve said he was very proud of his Portuguese heritage and the fact that his grandparents worked hard all their lives “and came here to this country with no money,” and lived the American dream.

Steve’s own parents, Ilidio “Leo” and Barbara (Barboza) Contente, also raised him and his three other brothers to the point where they all became successful workers and citizens. Leo himself prospered as an educator and became former Superintendent of Schools in Bristol, not to mention as a proud drum corps member with the Bristol Kingsmen years ago.

Some people may not realize that Steve Contente was more than a fierce law enforcement advocate, starting as a 1980s tribute band bass guitarist, and a proud employee during the early days at Newport Creamery on Gooding Avenue. He and his wife, Kristen, are now the proud parents of three children, Alaina, Levi, and Matthew.

And with that, Steve relishes the opportunity, whenever possible, to spend additional time with his family, including participating in the annual Halloween Walkabout, the Bristol Christmas Festival, and other community and school events.

As he said in conclusion, “I love this town. I’ll always do whatever I can to make it a town that everyone can always be proud of. And, on the Fourth of July, I’m going to be so proud to march along the parade route as the Chief Marshal in this great town of ours.”

1826 Col. Giles Luther 1826-1834 No record

1834 Col. Arnold H. Bush

1835 Col John Gladding

1836 Col. Nathaniel Fales 1837 No Parade

1838 Col. Nathaniel Fales 1839 No Parade

1840 No Parade

1840 Martin Bennett, Esq. 1841-1843 No Parade

1844 W.H.S. Bayley

1845 David S. Coit, Esq.

1846 John Adams, Esq. 1847 John Adams, Esq. 1848 John Adams, Esq. 1849 Col. John Gladding

1850 James F. D’Wolf, Esq. 1851 James F. D’Wolf, Esq. 1852 James F. D’Wolf, Esq. 1853 James F. D’Wolf, Esq.

1854 Maj. Ambrose Burnside

1855 Charles Sherry, Jr., Esq.

1856 James H. West, Esq.

1857 Charles Sherry, Jr.

1858 Alexander D’W. Perry

1859 Capt. John Y. Lawless

1860 James D’W. Perry, Jr.

1861 Charles Sherry, Jr.

1862 Walter C. Barclay

1863 Charles F. Page

Lt. Charles Gibson 1865 James DeW. Perry, Esq.

Gen. Lewis Richmond 1867 Lt. William J. Bradford 1868 William B. D’Wolf

1869 Maj. Raymond H. Perry

1870 Mark A. D’Wolf, Esq.

1871 Col. Samuel P. Colt

Capt. Allen G. Wright

Isaac F. Williams

Col. Samuel P. Colt