District 1 Town Council hopefuls make case

Spaur seeks to be constituents `voice'

Johnston Sun Rise ·

Independent candidate Deb (Tirocchi) Spaur, born and raised in the Windsor Hill section of Johnston, believes her 30 years of self-employed experience with her home and business cleaning service will provide a fresh voice to District 1 constituents in her bid for Town Council.

“I’m not a politician by any means, I’m just not. I’m a mom on a mission,” she said.

A graduate of the first class of the then newly constructed Johnston High School, Spaur is married with two grown sons. In 1986, she established Maid Perfect, a cleaning business originally based in Massachusetts that services everything from small condos to large homes and offices. Bonded, fully insured, and always working on her cell phone, she takes pride in her staff of four to provide the highest quality and service to her clients throughout the state.

Several years ago, after her sons graduated from the town’s schools, Spaur began to attend council meetings and became concerned about issues being addressed in town. She felt that she could do more, and this year decided to throw her hat in the ring and make a run for the council seat.

“I have done countless hours volunteering at the high school, and I’ve devoted six years there,” she said, adding that she served as PTO vice president during that time. “We helped with the sound system there by raising money, bought books, formed scholarships, and purchased computers.”

A strong advocate for Johnston’s schools, she’s concerned about funding for education and facilities, including the modular structures at Thornton, a once temporary solution she feels has become permanent.

“At Thornton Elementary School, I cannot say enough about those teachers there. Those teachers groomed my boys to be what they are today,” Spaur said, adding that she’s been happy with recent administrative transitions, such as Dennis Morrell becoming principal at the high school. “The people working within the guts inside the schools, if you will, are tremendous.”

Spaur takes issue with recent changes approved by the council, such as an ordinance limiting public comments to three minutes during meetings.

“I think the public needs to be addressed first. I think the public needs to have their input. We’re working for the people,” she said.

She also believes that recent business proposals in Johnston could have been better negotiated

“I would have approved the Citizens [Bank corporate campus] project, but I would have asked for more money from them. The tax agreement wasn’t fair enough,” she said. “I think it was great that the mayor got them to come here, but money wise I think we needed more and I would have fought for more.”

Spaur also believes terms between the town and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation should be renegotiated.

“We should have state-of-the-art roads, we should have state-of-the-art for what we host,” she said. “We’re never going to get rid of the dump, and with that being said we need to fight for more. The roads aren’t good at all and I would have to say they get sugar coated during election season.”

Excited by the prospects offered by Johnston to potential businesses, Spaur believes her personal experiences could facilitate better working arrangements.

“We in Johnston have a prime location in the state. It’s central to everything. We should have the best of everything here and we don’t,” she said. “As far as businesses are concerned, some have come in, but I think we can do better, and I’d reach out to as many as I can.” 

Spaur also believes her work experiences would be valuable in tackling financial issues, such as worker contracts and legacy pension costs.

“Being a businesswoman for the last 30 years, I think I’m pretty well educated, and I get what the priorities are and what they aren’t,” she said. “I’ve always negotiated on a daily basis, and I’m experienced in negotiating right down to the penny. I’d be willing to work with them to come to a solution.”

Campaigning door-to-door in neighborhoods across her district, Spaur said the feedback she’s received has been invaluable in her quest to provide a voice with new ideas.

“I’m proud of my town. I’m not out to hurt anybody. I want to make things better for everybody,” she said. “I want to be the voice of the people, I don’t want them to consider me a politician, because I don’t want to be one. I want to be their voice.”