State Representative Steven Howitt is always there for those in need !

Several years ago, I was the Chairman of Trustees for Memorial Baptist Church. We were responsible for the maintenance and purchasing decisions for goods and services. Our custodian passed away and was living in a home which needed more work to repair than it was worth. our Church was paying thousands of dollars yearly in taxes and improvements for a decaying structure.

After much internal debate, the committee decided to tear this building down. We researched various demolition companies and choose the lowest bidder. I signed a contract with a Rhode Island firm and patiently waited for the house to be destroyed.

The contractor promptly arrived and removed all the valuable copper pipes. We discussed a completion date and then things went very wrong. My demolition contractor never showed up and was suddenly unavailable to return any of our phone calls. Many frustrating months passed with nothing being done. People kept asking me why the delay ?

I called every Rhode Island and Massachusetts Regulatory agency in an effort to get this project completed.

You probably have figured out by now that I had failed to specify a completion date in the signed contract. This left things open ended and very messy. I trusted the man and he let me down.

NOBODY was willing to help our Church except Steven Howitt. He promptly returned my calls and immediately went to work. Twenty four hours after I contacted Steve requesting his assistance and intervention, our unrelaible contractor arrived and removed the building.

I learned several lessons from this fiasco. Most contractors are honest but many don't have proper licenses. The contracts always favor them. They could take your money and run. A super low bid is a bad sign. You could pay dearly if the contractor is not properly insured. They make cut corners to save money and if a general contractor stiffs a subcontractor he may be able to file a lien against your property.

But the most important lesson was that Steven HOWITT IS ALWAYS THERE FOR THOSE IN NEED ! Being a modest guy he completely down played his crucial role in getting this problem solved. HOWITT WORKS !

I'm proud to call Steve my friend. He has written letters of recommendation for our children to attend college. He recently publicly recognized Susan Smith's 38 years of community service to the local area. Many of you know her from the Food N Friends Soup Kitchen which operates every Friday Night at Memorial Baptist Church.

My parents always taught me to consider the source of anything you read or view in the media. Remember that next time some fool attacks the reputation of an honest and devoted public servant.

Douglas Brown LPN, 70 Brookfield Street, Seekonk, Ma. (508) 761-7289

Seekonk Water Commissioner, Seekonk's Representative to Tri-county Regional Vocation Technical High School, Retired Police Officer, US Navy Veteran, and Life long resident.