Affordability & Aging
Ensure our priorities reflect our values.
Prices are high. But we can dream higher.
Curious to read more? Click here for the proposed draft ordinance language.
Provide humanizing processes that provide flexibility in hardships.
Recently, a resident came before Town Council and asked not to be charged a late fee because their Social Security check hadn't cleared yet. The council said no, because waiving it for one person would mean waiving it for everyone. I understand that position, but I think we can do better for our neighbors.
I'm proposing a simple, private hardship waiver. It would apply in specific situations: the death of an immediate family member, a hospitalization, or a documented delay in Social Security, pension, disability, or other fixed-income payments. The application would be one page, because nobody grieving a loss should have to fill out a 12-page form.
To prevent abuse, I'd build in guardrails. You could use the waiver once per tax year, and only after at least two years of on-time payments. If you miss the extended deadline, you'd owe an added fee plus the accrued penalties, and you couldn't use the waiver again for several years. The tax collector would review and decide each request privately, with no involvement from Town Council, so no one has to share their finances at a public meeting.
To me, "Keep North Smithfield North Smithfield" means being a small town that looks out for each other. Sometimes life knocks people down, and a little grace helps them get back on their feet. That's the kind of idea I want to bring to Town Council.
Our budget reflects our values.
Let’s ensure it values what we want.
North Smithfield has been discussing the Police Station renovations since 2014. In 2014, we voted to pass a $5,300,000 bond to repair the police station. Six years later, 80% of the bond had been spent, and no clear repairs had been made. Now, in 2026, we approved another $9,000,000 bond.
This is too common for our town. We just had to shift to redoing Scouter’s Hall instead of Halliwell — not out of choice, but because our indecision required a decision, and we failed to put up the final 20% needed to create a true multi-generational center.
Town budgets are tight. But our budget reflects our values. Choosing to fund one project means also choosing not to fund another. We need a budget that properly respects our elderly population and our desire to grow our town while preserving what makes it great.
Keeping our family together.
North Smithfield is growing, whether we like it or not. And in many ways, of course it is! Increasing property values reflect the value people across the state place on our stellar schools, beautiful landscape, and supportive community. But, increased property values also threaten the very population that made it great - our parents and grandparents.
Rhode Island recently confirmed that building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) is a right that we all have. These units keep families together, reduce cost burdens, and help expand the housing supply. Towns like North Smithfield could help ease this process by providing pre-approved ADU design plans, a clear and simple permitting checklist, and a dedicated point of contact in the Building Department who can walk homeowners through the process from start to finish. Government is meant to reduce hoops and make access easier.