The Middletown Democratic Town Committee has endorsed four candidates in the 11-way race for Town Council, the committee announced.
The committee voted unanimously at its Sept. 28 meeting to back incumbents Paul Rodrigues, Barbara VonVillas and Christopher Logan, and Henry “Rick” Lombardi, who served on the council from 2014 to 2020.
Rodrigues has served the town for more than 20 years, much of it as council president, a period in which Middletown has maintained one of the state’s better bond ratings and kept its residential tax rate in the bottom quartile among Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities, according to the committee. VonVillas and Logan “have provided steady hands in support of these accomplishments,” the committee said.
The committee cited several challenges facing the town, including the transition into new and renovated school facilities, growth tied to the relocation of NOAA’s Marine Operations Center–Atlantic and Coast Guard cutters homeporting at Naval Station Newport, public safety services and infrastructure.
Voters may select up to seven candidates for the council. “Even though you may vote for up to seven councillors, you do not have to vote for all seven,” the committee said.
