Plumber filed to run for mayor of Warwick, then decided he'd rather not

Ernie Flagg didn't want the mayor of Rhode Island's third largest city to waltz to another term in office unopposed on election day, so he decided he'd throw his hat in the ring before Wednesday's declaration deadline.

But after thinking it over for a little while and sleeping on it, the owner of E.W. Flagg Plumbing and Heating realized he may have bitten off more than he could chew.

On Thursday morning Flagg told The Journal he intends to withdraw his name from the race and not collect the 200 signatures needed to get on the ballot.

Why the change of heart?

"The wife, for one thing," Flagg said with a chuckle. "I have my own business, a couple of them actually, and they told me I cannot have another job and be mayor."

Flagg ran for Warwick City Council, a part-time post for which office holders keep their day jobs, in 2016 and 2018. The first run, as an independent, he lost to the late council president Joseph Solomon.  In 2018 he lost a Democratic primary to James McElroy.

The salary for the mayor of Warwick is $100,000 per year.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, the median wage for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters last year was $30 an hour. The "experienced wage" was $38 an hour.

Flagg said he has no personal grudge with Mayor Frank Picozzi, who is running as an independent, but was upset that he didn't disclose numerous personal debts before being elected in 2020 and until it was reported in The Journal.

"I just don’t like seeing that no one is running against them," Flagg said. "When I ran for council and disclosed everything I had. I wouldn’t have voted for him if I had known."

Take the quiz:Test your knowledge of Rhode Island and the Second Congressional District

We gave them a pop quiz:How well do Congressional hopefuls know District 2?

If Flagg does withdraw, that would leave PIcozzi unopposed and mark the first time in at least two decades that the mayor of Warwick did not have a challenger. (During that period the only year a Democrat was not on the ballot was 2012, when John Kirby, who typically failed to beat Scott Avedisian as a Democrat, lost to him as an independent.)

All members of the Warwick City Council are Democrats and the city's entire General Assembly delegation is made up of Democrats, including the House speaker, Senate majority leader and state Democratic Party chairman. 

Earlier this year, the Democratic Party searched for a candidate to run against Picozzi, but no one jumped at the opportunity. 

Election 2022:Last minute call Wednesday put former state police major in hunt for Senate seat

Other mayors across the state may not have such as easy ride in November.

Providence Candidates for Mayor

Former City Council member Wilbur Jennings filed at the deadline to join the race, as an independent, to succeed term-limited Mayor Jorge Elorza.

The three candidates who have been campaigning for the Democratic nomination all filed to run in the primary: Gonzalo Cuervo, NIrva LaFortune and Brett Smiley.

‘She was hit by a car.’:How safe are pedestrians and bikers from cars in Providence? Here's what we found out.

East Providence Candidates for Mayor

Incumbent Mayor Roberto DaSilva is facing three challengers in the city's nonpartisan mayoral election: Ruarri Miller, Maureen Gomes Lopez and John Rossi. 

DaSilva won East Providence's first mayoral election, after it switched from a town manager, in 2018 and this is his first re-election campaign.       

Intentionally manipulated invoices:National Grid cheated the system, overcharged RI ratepayers up to $2.2 million

Johnston Candidates for Mayor

Joseph Polisena Jr. is hoping to take over the office his father, Mayor Joseph Polisena, has held since 2007. 

Karen Cappelli Chadwick and Brenda Leone have filed to run against the younger Polisena in the general election as independents.

Election 2022 updates:House Speaker Shekarchi, Senate President Ruggerio endorse McKee in crowded race for gover

Lincoln Candidates for Mayor

Republican John Cullen declared for a rematch with incumbent Town Administrator Philip Gould, an independent who won a six-way special election last year.

Pawtucket Candidates for Mayor

Incumbent Democrat Donald Grebien is going for his seventh two-term as Pawtucket mayor. 

Costantino Stratishas filed to challenge him in the Democratic primary.

Kenneth Hazard has  filed to run as a Republican.

Woonsocket Candidate for Mayor

Mayor Lisa-Baldelli Hunt is running unopposed for reelection. She has been mayor since 2013.

panderson@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7384

On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_