Ernest Pitochelli is not a newcomer to the political arena.
A veteran of previous mayoral campaigns as a Republican who served on the Town Council for 12 years after being elected in 2000, he is now seeking the community’s top elected office as an independent because of what he sees as a need to address the town’s finances and improve transparency in local government.
“I’m in the race. I’m going to stay in till the end,” he said. “I’m not for sale.”
Pitochelli is challenging Democratic Mayor Joseph Polisena in November’s election, and he was sharply critical of the incumbent.
“Somebody has to take him down a peg,” he said. “He abuses people.”
Pitochelli pointed to a letter sent out with recent tax bills – in which the mayor highlighted the accomplishments of the administration and local leaders and glaringly omitted the name of District 1 Councilwoman Eileen Fuoco – as an example of the administration’s approach.
“There’s a lot of unrest…[town officials are] afraid of intimidation,” he said.
Pitochelli said his top concern and priority is the town’s finances. He specifically cited plans to continue investigating the legal costs associated with recent settlements the town reached with Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (RIRRC) and Broadrock Gas Services LLC.
“I will ask for an in-depth audit of the books of the town of Johnston,” he said.
Tied into the fiscal focus, said Pitochelli, is a focus on making information more accessible to constituents. He said the town’s government is currently “the least transparent” he has seen.
“They don’t want to answer the questions,” he said.
Republican Peter A. Filippi III, who has withdrawn his candidacy for mayor, said he is supporting Pitochelli in the race.
“I know Ernie will work hard for reforms that will bring much-needed transparency regarding town finances, including cost-effective initiatives that will benefit all the people,” Filippi said.
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