WOONSOCKET – Three months after news of a secret mayoral land deal blew the lid off City Hall leadership, there’s a contested race brewing for the top municipal seat.
City Council President John Ward, with 23 years of experience in city government and recently retired as Lincoln’s longtime finance director, will challenge state Rep. Robert Phillips, who announced his candidacy last month. And others are said to be considering jumping into the race.
Ward: Baldelli-Hunt land deal was 'embarrassing'
Former Mayor Lisa Baldelli Hunt abruptly resigned last November citing health reasons. But her departure also came soon after revelations she had arranged a $1.1 million land deal with a long-time real estate associate without informing top city officials, including the Council – and was facing possible removal from office for the second time.
The City Council removed her in October 2022 after finding she repeatedly overstepped her authority. A month later she ran unopposed for reelection and won.
The land deal Baldelli-Hunt orchestrated last year, says Ward, was both an embarrassing affront to all Woonsocket residents and “a lesson on how government should never run.”
Baldelli-Hunt was “intentionally attempting to be secretive. And that’s not what government does.”
The former mayor arranged for the city to buy about five acres of vacant land along Mendon Road owned by Raymond Bourque – at five times its assessed value – for possible use as affordable housing.
Ward says it was the latest of several transactions dating back to 2013 when Baldelli-Hunt first took office where she helped the developer liquidate city property into cash.
“It’s a line of transactions that give a strong appearance that she was working in his best interest, not necessarily the city’s,” Ward said. “Mr. Bourque, in his relationship with the former mayor, has managed successfully and very profitably to liquidate properties that he held here in the city.”
“There could be nothing here conspiratorial, it could be just friends helping each other out, if you want to use that argument,” says Ward. “But it was all done so less than entirely open to public view. And so, it makes me uncomfortable. The public deserves some explanation.”
The Council voted in November to hire an outside lawyer to investigate the Mendon Road land purchase, which has since been mutually rescinded.
Reached Thursday, Baldelli-Hunt said she would respond to Ward's remarks in a written statement in the afternoon but did not.
Why is Ward running?
If elected, Ward said “there are a lot of things that have to be set right that the former mayor did not do for her lack of good managerial experience,” including getting a handle on the city’s many projects, their funding and personnel issues.
Ward served 10 years on the School Committee with 4 years as chairman, and 13 years on the Council with 4 years as president. He also served on the Board of Canvassers and the 2011 Charter Review Commission.
He served 29 years as finance director in Lincoln, school business manager for the Johnston School Department, and finance director for the Woonsocket Housing Authority.
“I’m going to run a campaign based on what I hope people feel is my credibility, experience and knowledge of how to get things done in government without being political," he said.
Similarly, Rep. Phillips vowed a "transparent and inclusive government" if elected as mayor.
Phillips, who has served District 51 since 2011, said in a statement last month he had a "profound understanding of the importance of responsible financial management" and was the best candidate to "lead our city out of this stagnant situation.”
Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com
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