Submitted Press Release
WOONSOCKET, RI - As dedicated members of the Woonsocket community, incumbent City Councilor Alex Kithes, Vaughan Miller, Charmaine Webster, and Marlene Guay are excited to announce they are running together for the Woonsocket City Council, as the Woonsocket Democratic slate and members of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative.
This announcement comes at a turning point in history. Our community is suffering massive wealth inequality, a housing crisis, an underfunded public education system, and a tide of fascism that has been emboldened by the Trump administration. Our neighbors of color are protesting for their lives against police brutality and systemic racism, and all of this is happening against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and a climate crisis that is going largely ignored by our governments on every level.
Each candidate has deeply personal reasons for deciding to run for the Woonsocket City Council: ”My run for office coincides with my innate love of our youth, our diversity, and all things Woonsocket. As a 22 year resident, I am committed to all the great things our city has and launching us all forward!”, said Charmaine Webster, a committed mother whose family is active with the Boys & Girls Club of Northern RI and the W.A.T.C.H. Coalition.
“I believe in Woonsocket,” added Marlene Guay, an educator and staunch advocate for education, mental health, and equity at The United Way, “and that the residents feel unheard and disenfranchised from the political process. I hope to return public service back to politics, empower the residents to feel heard and valued and that government transparency is front and center.”
Vaughan Miller, a principled, disciplined, and compassionate student of political science at URI, devoted to the furtherance of the American Dream, said “I wish to serve the best interests of my city. My time spent in the Military taught me the value of service to others, and I wish to spend my time and talent doing the vital task of representing the common person in the halls of power.”
Alex Kithes, an incumbent city councilor who was first elected last summer and an organizer with Sunrise Providence and Climate Action RI, added “We need champions on our city council who are willing to fight for a higher quality of life for the working-class people of our city, a clean and stable environment, a transparent and accountable city government, and true justice for all. I have spent my first term fighting for our community, and I’m excited to run and work with a group of people committed to real leadership.”
The Woonsocket Democrats are running to restore bold, compassionate, forward-thinking leadership to the Woonsocket City Council. “We’re committed to Democratic values, and that’s why we’re running with the RI Political Cooperative. They’re advocating for policies that are the heart and soul of the Democratic Party” said Guay, Miller, Webster, and Kithes on Tuesday, “and our Woonsocket Democratic slate is excited to fight for a better today and a brighter tomorrow in our community. Woonsocket deserves leaders with vision, leaders who act in the best interests in our whole community, leaders who are capable and committed to emerging from each crisis stronger than before.” Visit us on Facebook at ‘Woonsocket Democrats’ (facebook.com/WoonsocketDems).
A man is in the hospital after setting himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Trump's hush money trial is being held. It happened in the park where protesters can stand, just as a full jury panel was selected. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. 
