Bachus, Testa win school contests

Warwick Beacon ·

Campaign volunteers and candidates alike looked back on their hard fought races as results came in on Tuesday night.

“Now I’m really sad and sentimental,” said Jason Roias with a laugh at Vella-Wilkinson campaign headquarters Tuesday night.

Roias, a CCRI student who hopes to run for office himself someday, was Councilman-elect Tim Howe’s co-campaign manager and did IT and data work for Representative-elect Camille Vella-Wilkinson. Though both his candidates won, he said he’ll miss working on campaigns where his input was valued.

“It’s great to know the candidate beyond just running for office,” he said. “They took our opinions, concerns and our suggestions really seriously and to heart.”

Barry Tedder, another Vella-Wilkinson IT/data team member and campaign manager for School Committee candidate Dean Johnson, was also sentimental about his campaign work and candidate. A Providence schoolteacher who said he could not find work in Warwick, Tedder said he met Johnson and Vella-Wilkinson while he campaigned for Sean Rainey. He found himself motivated by their messages and thus hopped aboard their campaigns.

“Dean truly has one of the biggest hearts I’ve seen. I’ve walked with him during his canvassing, and if someone didn’t have a driveway, he would yell from the street and then we would push him across their lawn for him to talk to them,” he said. “He really is just such a polished and put together candidate.”

Johnson, who came in third in the School Committee race, took 10,981 votes, 21 percent of the vote. He said he plans to oppose School Committee Vice Chair Eugene Nadeau in 2018 should Nadeau seek reelection then. In the meantime, Johnson said he wants to get his certificate to become a substitute teacher and stay active in the community.

“I’m going to start trying to make differences in Warwick. Just because I don’t have a political office doesn’t mean I can’t help,” he said. “I want to support the people that want to support these schools.”

He invited those who also wanted to help “make good changes” to contact him.

“I met so many wonderful people that love this city,” he said. “We’re all going to come together and we’re going to fix it. If anybody stands in our way, look out.”

Danny Hall came in last in the four-way School Committee race with 9,740 votes and 19 percent of the vote. Hall said he was proud of his campaign and made the most of the resources he had without a “giant” team or amount of funds.

“I’m extremely honored and privileged to have represented my supporters this election,” Hall said. “The residents of Warwick are truly lucky to have two people like David [Testa] and Karen [Bachus] representing the Warwick School system. I’ll always be an advocate for our kids and making sure we put them first.”

David Testa saw himself victorious in the School Committee race, taking second place with 12,728 votes, 24.8 percent of the vote. He will take over the seat of member Jennifer Ahearn, who chose not to seek reelection. On Wednesday, Testa said he’s ready to step in “on day one.” He will come in ready to learn and without preconceived notions, he said, and is satisfied with the way the race went.

“All four candidates contributed to the whole debate. All helped elevate schools to a pretty high level throughout the city,” Testa said. “Having four good candidates made us all better candidates. I hope Dean and Danny stay involved, and I think they will. Schools are as important as police and fire to a community.”

Bachus carried the top of the ticket. She kept her School Committee seat with a total of 17,400 votes, 33.9 percent of the vote. She was grateful to her student volunteers Zach Colon, Nathan Cornell and Jacob Madore, who she said have all become her “nephews” during the campaign. She said she’s learned a lot from them, as well as her campaign manager Judy Cobden.

“I’m so fortunate and blessed to have the best campaign manager that has never been a campaign manager,” said Bachus.

Though the two had a few “knockdown dragouts,” she looks back fondly on their time on the campaign and relishes their 15-plus year friendship.

Overall, Democrats had a good night in Warwick.

“We’re very happy. It was almost a clean sweep, but we’ll work on the mayor in two more years,” said Warwick Democratic Party Chair Rob Farrell.

Vella-Wilkinson took the District 21 seat while Democrats snatched other district seats up as well. Democrats also held the City Council, with political newcomer Richard Corley taking Ward 1, Jeremy Rix in Ward 2, Howe in Ward 3, Solomon in Ward 4, and Travis in Ward 6.

“She did a great job in the city and she’ll do an amazing job at the state. We need her intelligence and perseverance and to straighten out matters at the state level,” said Warwick Teachers Union President Darlene Netcoh of Vella-Wilkinson. “I wish we could keep her on City Council. She’ll do great things for Rhode Island.”

Candidates thanked their campaign teams, volunteers and families – Howe specifically pointed out his parents who he said drove all the way from the Berkshires to visit on election night, and Vella-Wilkinson singled out Johnson.

“Wheelchair-bound, he was going door to door [with me]. I could barely keep up with him, by the way,” she said.

The party at Vella-Wilkinson headquarters lasted well into the night, with a few still remaining after 10 p.m. to watch national results.