Fall River mayoral candidates share ideas at Flint neighborhood forum
Three candidates running for Fall River mayor spoke at a forum hosted by the Flint Neighborhood Association on Wednesday.
- A second debate for candidates in the race to be Fall River’s next mayor was held Sept. 10.
- Incumbent candidate Paul Coogan was flanked by challengers Gabriel “Boomer” Amaral, Carlos Cesar, and Michael Vandal.
- The four candidates talked homelessness, housing, public safety, schools, and more.
- This is the final debate before voters will select two candidates on the preliminary ballot, during the election on Sept. 16.
FALL RIVER — Gabriel “Boomer” Amaral and Carlos Cesar returned to the stage for their second — and final — mayoral debate before the Sept. 16 primary election. This time, they were joined by incumbent candidate Mayor Paul Coogan, and candidate Michael Vandal.
Christopher Silvia confirmed his attendance at the Sept. 10 forum, hosted by the United Interfaith Action organization, prior to suspending his campaign on Aug. 31.
Coogan was invited to participate in the first debate on Aug. 27 held by the Flint Neighborhood Association but could not attend since he had already committed to a prior event. Vandal, too, was contacted by certified mail but did not acknowledge it in time for the late-August forum.
Dozens trickled into the Good Shepherd Parish at 1598 S. Main St. to listen to the four candidates on the campaign trail share their stances about five major ongoing challenges faced by Fall River.
All four in the running agreed that the city of Fall River is rife with “issues,” but that those issues are ripe for solving — with Amaral, Cesar, and Vandal hinting at sweeping plans for change while Coogan favored tried and true methods.
Here’s how each candidate answered in the Wednesday night debate:
Pouring into public safety
Amaral, Cesar, and Vandal universally pledged to reinvent the budget for public safety, with an eye for locating consistent funding mechanisms, and parsing the city ledger with a thorough audit.
“We full fund it,” Cesar said. “We will always have problems,” he added, citing the tragic loss of life in the Gabriel House assisted living facility fire, or Gov. Maura Healey’s spate of funding initiatives to intended to relieve public safety department shortfalls.
At the prospect of a Police Advisory Board, Coogan said collaboration between the Fall River Police Department and neighborhood groups should exist, while questioning how it would function in the city.
“We absolutely should have something like that,” Amaral said. Cesar recalled former Fall River Police Chief Daniel Racine meeting with the presidents of city neighborhood associations in what he described as a “win-win situation.”
While Vandal eyed cuts to weaker systems, Amaral admitted to a “multitude” of issues before agreeing with Coogan, who likened the city to a pinwheel, and said schools, homelessness and infrastructure are all “equally as important.”
All candidates agree vulnerable populations need access to affordable housing
All four candidates agreed that income-restricted, elderly, disabled populations ought to be prioritized equitably in bringing about safety, in Fall River and beyond.
Coogan said Fall River’s 30% affordable housing is triple the statewide minimum 10% and envisioned a future where the city’s comparable surplus could be incentivized.
Vandal spoke of business law and his collegiate education that he believed could translate to improvements made to affordable housing. To Cesar, money is the answer in bringing about affordable housing offerings in the city. “I’ll use every single dollar,” he told listeners.
Amaral said he’s a big advocate of getting more communities built for residents age 55 and older. “They seem to be forgotten…and it’s not fair to them.” Amaral indicated plans to aid homeless populations in building wealth and unburdening the average homeowner to cool other costs in the city.
Chronic homelessness earns varied responses
Amaral and Cesar agreed that the city’s approach to addressing homelessness needs to shift, with Amaral claiming “we’re throwing the money in the wrong direction,” when it comes to a city who he alleged pays $3.3 million each year to address homelessness.
Similarly, Cesar determined the one-size-fits-all approach to homelessness is not working and cited the absence of a plan. “We need to identify individuals and help them,” he said.
The idea of a tiny house village as a long-term solution, accommodated by a change in zoning by-laws, earned the consideration of three of the candidates, apart from Vandal, who maintained that “the eve of the train” had impacted residents living on fixed incomes.
Coogan said his last six years in office has been spent “attacking” homelessness, he said, citing 65 people who were rehabilitated out of homelessness and active addiction with help from new city directives that have cleaned up encampments, such as the Aug. 5 coordinated cleanup of the Quequechan River Rail Trail, and organizations willing to help shelter and treat unhoused individuals.
When Coogan pointed to accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as a pocket of opportunity added to state regulations that would not require zoning, at the same time he named Watuppa Heights as a potential location for a tiny house village.
Safer classrooms leading to teacher recruitment
Coogan said increasing staffing levels and school resource officers in Fall River’s public schools is consistent with attendance, academics and conduct — pillars of learning emphasized in the district. In his remarks, Coogan cited the educator benefits agreed upon between the School Committee and Fall River Educators’ Association earlier this year.
Cesar struck back, relying on his experience as a bus driver to throw his support behind faculty and teachers who are “struggling,” especially when attendance and suspension rates are high. “Buildings don’t teach kids. Teachers teach kids,” Cesar said, while acknowleding some teachers’ job security should be improved.
“I’m the one who took them to court for the sexual assaults,” said Amaral without elaborating on the nature of the incidents he was referring to. According to his calculations, there’s $28 million in excess spending in the school budget. “Most of these teachers are just not being heard,” Amaral said.
Vandal backed a morale boost in schools and said he supported an increase in communication between the mayor and the school department.
City-first ambitions when it comes to parks and the waterfront
Amaral said he wants a “vibrant reality” for adolescents and youth. He vouched for getting younger people involved in environmental cleanups around the city, and in the same token, expressed his disappointment at the lack of green space planned for the Route 79-Davol Corridor development. If elected mayor, “I’m not going to give it to market-rate housing,” he said.
Cesar, who grew up along the Ponta Delgada waterfront, said Fall River’s is the last frontier to bring “big revenue” into the city. A champion of centering the city’s control over its land and parks, Cesar denounced park privatization and questioned unknowns related to who will gain control of the 18 to 22 acres of developable land along the Taunton River.
A sensory playground being negotiated at Abbott Court Playground and skating slopes coming to Lafayette Park spelled out success to Coogan. “We’re going to bring our parks up to a standard that will make everyone in our city proud,” he said.
As for the waterfront, Coogan called for a consistent plan that would generate a gradual uptick in foot traffic — for residents and tourists alike.
Vandal refused to answer some questions, claiming Coogan’s experience was gained in-house and caused an advantage. He continues to frown upon Coogan’s original answers, saying planners and administrators could have aided his responses. “It’s ridiculous,” he repeated.
The two-hour event was recorded and broadcast by Fall River Community Media. To watch the full event, go to https://www.facebook.com/FRCMedia.
