Councilman Faria "Politics, Progress and The Future"

The Strength is in Our Unity.

That was my campaign message. I ran a very positive campaign focusing on putting the power back in the hands of the people. When elected, I was determined to unite the Fourth ward. I was not interested in other's vendettas or helping them climb their selfish mountain of political power. For the most part, this is the real issue behind recent events.

I am determined to stand for residents and focus on the issues that are most important to them. Residents are receiving monthly water bills they can't make sense out of. I have residents in my ward that have been forced to sue their own city for relief from excessive property assessments. And I will continue to see every constituent issue to it's resolve.

I have drafted, introduced, and passed 7 City Ordinances in the last 9 months I've served, including a 14 day property tax grace period so that residents would no longer be charged a penalty if days late. I've Introduced 4 resolutions, including one which provided up to $150,000 in loans to homeowners, assisting those living near the water in Riverside to tie into the sewer line. And I've just spent the last several months working hard alongside The Police and Fire Pension Board and have just introduced 4 new, updated ordinances at our last Council meeting.

Dividing people is often how power is retained. This is true in history and true in politics. Those who wish to control the reigns of power in our city thrive on division. Those names that we have seen on social media or forging the attacks, both personal and with their propaganda and news articles, are also the same individuals formally known as "The Committee to Elect Brian Faria". These people are by no means strangers. They are insiders in a political game that ends when unity forms. I felt it was critical to describe this connection to those who may not understand this divisional strategy. So when you hear the rhetoric, you will know enough to question why it takes place and not just fall into a game of division.

In some cases, The Political Factor in this City has really reached an all time low. Although I haven't publicly addressed it until now, there has been a political attempt to monopolize all my time with foolishness in "efforts" to inflict great distress within my family. It has involved everything from manipulating my daughter off the Democratic endorsement committee that she had just been elected to serve on to later erroneously accusing that she forged a notary's signature. I've had the Chairwoman of The Democratic Endorsement Committee, a disgruntled former campaign aid of mine, shamefully assault me while attending a Political Fundraiser. No one should ever have deal with that let alone an Elected Official.

They have recently utilized certain journalists as a weapon to completely mislead the public regarding an old disputed water bill by cherry picking certain details and leaving out truths simply to try to mislead the public. I have found that not everyone realizes what is really happening in the political "realm". Having Grown up in a constant political atmosphere, the "political power in the city" was very often the subject discussed in our home. In this way, I could give many an inside look into the "unknown world" of political agendas. I always took it for granted that everyone knew the idea of retaining political power by dividing and conquering.

I will not allow this pettiness to deter my original focus of getting the job done and listening closely to my constituency. Moving ahead I am proposing an alternative to going out to bond for our roads.The DPW Director stated at a previous Council meeting that they can oversee approx $3 million a year in road construction. I propose we take the already allotted $550,000 in the capital fund set aside for roads and add $2.4 and a half million from the synch fund. Using the map marked for good, fair and bad roads which the DPW Director provided, I believe we would be able to take care of a significant amount of the city roads in the worst condition with no additional tax increase for this repair.

I also support cost saving LED bulbs in streetlights throughout the City and public buildings. "Many cities and towns have done so and have seen great savings. This would brighten our streets and actually bring tax payers relief. Every day I am receiving calls from constituents requesting that red capped lights be turned back back to brighten our dark streets."

I look forward to continuing to get the job done!

Brian Faria East Providence City Councilman Ward 4