Seekonk Town News

The Clerk’s Corner

October was an unprecedented month as we processed thousands of early voting ballots. The Presidential Election would have taken place by the time you read this article. So, you already know the results. However, I can provide you with some of election numbers in terms of participation. Florice Craig

EARLY VOTING day and amount of people who voted

• Saturday, October 17 voted: 172 • Sunday, October 18 voted: 135 • Monday October 19 voted: 268 • Tuesday, October 20 voted: 217 • Wednesday, October 21 voted: 298 • Thursday, October 22 voted: 128 • Friday, October 23 voted: 94 • Saturday, October 24 voted: 113 • Sunday, October 25 voted: 114 • Monday October 26 voted: 217 • Tuesday, October 27 voted: 217 • Wednesday, October 28 voted: 308 • Thursday, October 29 voted: 206

The summary below is from 9:00 pM on Thursday 10/29

• Registered Voters: 11375 • Ballots Distributed: 6177 • Ballots Mailed: 3852 • In-Person Early Voters: 2340 • Mail-in ballots Accepted: 3171 • Total Ballots Cast: 5511

That’s as much as I can provide as this article had to be in to the editor before October 29th.

The Fall Town Meeting will take place 7pm, Monday, November 9th at the Seekonk High School Auditorium. Covid protocols will be in effect. Town Offices will be closed Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, in honor of our Veterans. Thank you for your service, sacrifice and the continued security that you provide.

Town Hall schedule for Thanksgiving will be: Wednesday Nov. 25th 8:30– 12:30 PM, Thursday Nov. 26, closed Friday Nov. 27 closed. My December article will have the results of town meeting and the election. Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

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Seekonk Reports Massive Turnout on Election Day By Joe Siegel

November 4, 2020-The 2020 Presidential Election brought out a record number of voters to the polls Tuesday. • 8,972 total votes were cast. That number is 78 percent of the town’s 11, 375 eligible voters. • Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, won 4, 769 votes. President Donald Trump, a Republican, and his running mate, Vice President

Mike Pence, won 3, 957 votes. • Democratic Senator Edward Markey won 4, 721 votes. Markey’s

Republican opponent Kevin J. O’Connor won 3, 986 votes. • Democrat Jake Auchincloss defeated his Republican rival Julie

Hall for a seat in Congress. However, Hall won 4, 392 votes to

Auchincloss’ 4,250 in Seekonk. • Democratic State Senator Paul Feeney, who ran unopposed, garnered 6, 248 votes. • Republican State Representative Steven Howitt, who was unopposed, won 6, 941 votes. • Councillor Robert Jubinville, who ran unopposed, got 6,181 votes. • In the contest for two County Commissioner seats, Paul Kitchen won 3, 917 votes. John Mitchell won 3, 711 votes. Nancy

Stanton-Cross won 3, 877 votes. • Christopher Saunders, who ran unopposed for County Treasurer, won 6, 108 votes. • For Register of Probate, Thomas Hoye won 4,146 votes. Melanie Patenaude Layden got 3, 618 votes. • Question One, which concerned motor vehicle repair, got 5, 470 votes in support and 3, 109 in opposition. • Question Two, which was for rank choice voting, got 2, 856 votes in favor and 5,516 in opposition.

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Doorways Grateful for Community Food Drive

On the cover: Volunteers from Our Lady of Mount Carmel who collected food on October 10.

Several local churches came together to conduct a community food drive in support of two local food pantries. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, and the Rehoboth Congregational Church all joined together to conduct a food drive in support of the Doorways Food Pantry in Seekonk and the Rehoboth Food Pantry in Rehoboth. We at Doorways would like to thank the dozens of volunteers gave up their mornings to collect donations and deliver the food to the food pantries. We would also like to thank the many people who made donations in support of their neighbors in need - over one hundred families depend on the Doorways and the Rehoboth Food Pantries, and these food pantries depend on the support of people like you. We are humbled by your continued support.

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Volunteers from Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church collected donations in a community wide food drive in support of local food pantries.

Seekonk Animal Shelter News

Meet “The Adams Family” litter… Gomez, Morticia and Wednesday They are 14-16 week old kittens who came to us from a local farm. They are all friendly and are up to date on vaccines and tests. Upon adoption, they will have been spayed/neutered and microchipped. Meet them at the Seekonk Animal Shelter, 100 Peck Street, Seekonk MA 508-336-6663.

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November 2020 The Reporter 23 Seekonk Schools Will Remain in Hybrid Model By Joe Siegel Seekonk Public Schools will remain in a hybrid model for the foreseeable future due to rising rates of Covid-19 in Massachusetts. For the last two weeks of October, the state Department of Health has placed Seekonk in the red zone, for cities and towns with the BlueStone Driveways& Masonryhighest rate of new infections. There were 19 cases reported the week ending October 22. That number jumped to 40 for the week ending October 29. The daily incidence rate was 20.4 cases per 100,000 residents for the last 14 days. “We want to keep six feet of distancing through our hybrid model,” Superintendent Rich Drolet said Monday. “I won’t be talking about bringing more students back until the Chimney Repairs & Repointing Gravel Driveways Decorative Stone Macadam numbers do decrease.” Drolet said if the statistics showed Seekonk in the red for a three Patios & Walkways or four week period, the schools might return to a fully remote model. Stone Walls Governor Charlie Baker and the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are urging schools to remain open for now. “We would definitely shift to remote learning for a school if we ever had a cluster or Subpumps & French Drains Small Excavation Services any sort of transmission in the schools,” Drolet said. Last month, two positive cases of Covid-19 were reported at Aitken and Martin Elementary schools. Drolet said the contract tracing for those individuals revealed the transmission occurred outside of the schools. Landscaping & Hardscaping Commercial & Residential “Our staff and students are doing a great job with following all of the rules,” Drolet added. “I do think schools are the safest public places to be because we’re doing such a good job following all of the rules.” FREE ESTIMATES Bill Card 774.306.6217 Rehoboth, MA Aitken Addition Set For Spring Completion Insured By Joe Siegel

Work on the $10.5 million addition for the Aitken Elementary School is set to be completed in the spring. There will be 10 new classrooms to accommodate a growing school population. Modular units were used for Aitken and Martin schools to help deal with the overcrowding. Another $1.5 million was spent to install air conditioning throughout the school. There is also a new boiler and ventilation system. Voters approved a temporary The Law Offices of tax increase in June 2019 to pay for the construction. Tanya M. Gravel, Esq.

The project has experienced some problems in recent months. In a letter to parents, Seekonk School Superintendent Rich Drolet and Principal John Haidemenos explained that “unforeseen con- Divorce, Child Custody, Child struction delays” had pushed back the opening of school by two weeks to September 29. “We were hopeful that Aitken students would be able to start the school year in-person on Tuesday, September 15 like the rest Support, & Restraining Orders Criminal Defense: Misdemeanors and Felonies of the district, however the final unit ventilators for the remaining classrooms in the original portion of the building were just delivered Call NOW for your free consultation! this week,” Drolet and Haidemenos wrote. MA Bar & RI Bar P: 401-680-6259 • www.gravellegal.com

Seekonk Voters to Decide Expenditures 127 Dorrance St., Third Floor, Providence RI 02903 By Joe Siegel

Voters at the Fall Town Meeting on November 9 will be asked to approve a large number of expenditures, including $500,000 to fund the construction of an ADA compliant sidewalk, new curbing, and wooden guardrail along Arcade Avenue near the Senior Center. Other items include: Americana Auction • Authorizing the town treasurer to borrow up to $350,000 for the cost of renovating or reconstructing the age 18 – 22 Transition ANTIQUE AUCTION • Program at Seekonk High School Transfer from available funds that have been reserved for ap- Sunday, December 6th at 11am propriation the sum of $144, 310 to fund the purchase and Live Preview Thursday-Saturday 10am-4pm equipping of a Trackless Machine to be used by the Department of Public Works 380 Winthrop Street, Rte. 44 • Rehoboth, MA • Appropriating $50,000 for repairs and upgrades to the Public Antique Estate Online Auction • Safety building on Taunton Avenue. The appropriation of $157,000 to fund the purchase and installation of guardrails, paving, landscaping and other site work at the Town Hall playground Antiques ~ Sterling Silver ~ Period Americana Furniture Paintings & Object d’Art ~ Oriental Rugs Jewlery ~ Large selection of 19th & 20th Century In addition, there are some zoning bylaw amendments and Nautical Items & Ship Paintings ~ Mission Oak changes to the Town Charter which are to be voted on. The entire Antique Weapons ~ Civil War Memorabilia meeting warrant can be accessed by visiting the town website: https://www.seekonk-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1191/f/news/ Dr. Polly Warren, Owner Ed Tessier, Jr., Auctioneer signed_warrant.pdf. For more info on the web: www.americana-auction.com

The meeting will begin at 7 pm in the auditorium at Seekonk For info or consignment call 508-771-1722 High School, 261 Arcade Avenue.

24 The Reporter November 2020

After 4 Months, Seekonk Has No New Police Chief

By Joe Siegel

Four months after the Board of Selectmen selected Dean Isabella to serve as the new Police Chief, an investigation into his background is still not complete. “I can tell you that the Board of Selectmen and I are fully aware of an incident that occurred 20 years ago and Mr. Isabella has been forthright with all of our questions,” Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said in a statement last week. “Mr. Isabella is currently undergoing the Town’s comprehensive background check, which is conducted on all applicants who have been given a conditional offer of employment. After the background check is complete and the Board of Selectmen vote on an offer of employment, the Town will be prepared to make a public statement regarding the position of Police Chief.”

Last month, Chairman Justin Sullivan told the Reporter the background check for Isabella was still ongoing. “Hopefully it should be done within the next few weeks,” Sullivan said at the time.

Isabella worked for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families in Rhode Island as assistant director of Child Services, overseeing the Child Protective Services unit that investigates child abuse.

Isabella, who lives in Narragansett, had been a member of the Providence Police Department since 1987 and retired as a captain in 2019.

Last January, members of the police department lobbied selectmen on behalf of Acting Chief David Enos. Enos was appointed to serve as Chief on an interim basis following the retirement of Frank John in July 2019.

John had been placed on administrative leave in March 2019 after being in the position for six months. At the time, Enos had been appointed to serve as Deputy Chief.

Under the terms of Enos’ three-year contract, his salary is currently $122,400. That figure will increase to $124, 848 next February.

Installation for Seekonk’s New Fire Chief By Joe Siegel

David Rave was sworn in as the town’s new Fire Chief at a ceremony held recently at the Public Safety headquarters. Rave was appointed at the August 5 Board of Selectmen meeting. Rave was a Battalion Chief from East Providence with 35 years experience. There were 29 applicants for the position. “I learned from everyone that I worked with and worked for and guys that worked under me too,” Rave said. “Sometimes they teach you the greatest lessons of all.”

“As Battalion Chief, he was highly regarded among his peers and had an outstanding reputation for his experience and leadership,” said Selectmen Chairman Justin Sullivan. State Representative Steven Howitt, R-Seekonk, and State Senator Paul Feeney, D-Walpole, also paid tribute to Rave. “Being a public servant is not easy in normal times,” Feeney said. “But during these times when there’s trepidation in the midst of a pandemic and a public health crisis, communities like Seekonk look to our leaders. I know they have chosen the right person here in Seekonk to lead this department.”

Former Fire Chief Michael Healy retired in May 2019 but had remained in the position during the search process for a replacement. The installation ceremony can be viewed at various times on TV9 Seekonk.

Seekonk Pays Tribute to Retired Fire Chief By Joe Siegel

The Board of Selectmen honored former Fire Chief Michael Healy, who served in the department for the last 35 years.

Healy began as a call firefighter in 1985. He soon made his way up through the ranks to Lieutenant, Fire Captain, and finally Chief in 2014. Healy retired in 2019 but remained in his position until a replacement was found.

A proclamation read by Chairman Justin Sullivan at last Wednesday’s meeting said Healy “had the vision to further develop the town of Seekonk Fire Department. During his tenure he replaced frontline apparatus, increased staffing, oversaw the building and completion of the Banna Fire Station, and was instrumental in establishing the department’s first Deputy Fire Chief.”

Healy also held the position of Emergency Management Director of the Task Force team.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Healy’s unwavering commitment remained with the health and safety of the town’s residents,” Sullivan added. Former Fire Chief Michael Healy (center), former Police Chief