TIVERTON — With 18 candidates, only seven of whom will be elected, the race for the Tiverton Town Council this election cycle is hotly contested. 
In a heated atmosphere, we wanted to know what two issues — other than "taxes, the FTR, and charter amendments" — the candidates each believed were most important, that they and the council might have to deal with after the election was over.
We sent out a one-question survey, and tried to limit candidates' answers to 100 words. All but one of the candidates responded, and most complied with the spirit and intent of the single question format. Some of the candidates were also running for election to a party office, and we so indicated.
The question posed to candidates:
"Putting taxes, the FTR, and charter amendments to the side, what two issues do you believe should be top priority, and most important to the people of Tiverton, that the town council, and you if elected, should deal with over the next two years?"
Candidate responses;
• Michael Burk (also a candidate for Democratic Town Committee)
"Economic development in a way that's consistent with the comprehensive community plan, and ensuring that we use the casino revenue to invest in our future, through short and long-term infrastructure issues, reducing our debt, and property tax relief that is fair to those who have trouble affording property."
• Joan Chabot, incumbent (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"Focus on public safety by completing union contract negotiations with Police and Fire. Address our aging fleet of vehicles and equipment to ensure any impacts are mitigated in a timely manner.
Focus on business development in the Business Park and having an environment favorable to support our local businesses with review of ordinances and fee updates to determine impacts to business and their growth potential."
• Stephen Clarke (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"I will endeavor to promote a strong planning organization to attract business and preserve Tiverton’s small town character. As for immediate planning issues, each case must be researched and all parties must be heard. Only then can informed decisions be made.
I think we would all agree how important education is. Beyond the obvious benefits to society, a highly rated school system is one of the first things a family will look at when choosing a town to live in. Therefore it is very important to give the school system the tools it needs and hold them accountable for results."
• Donna Cook (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"Personally, the casino and the revenue it will generate must be controlled by the people.  This is by far the biggest issue.  Separating the casino revenue from the budget is a recipe for corruption.  No transparency, no real plan except an outline, no consent by voters.  I will work for the people, not against them.
All development needs to meet the Comprehensive Plan.  If elected, I will do my best to maintain the historical character of the town. Solar ordinances that don’t allow massive environmental damage to our open space, farms and bucolic beauty.  I will preserve the character of the town with common sense planning and zoning."
• Robert Coulter (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"Aside from lowering taxes, protecting voter rights in the financial town referendum, and letting the voters vote on charter review commission proposals, the other top two priorities for the town council should be, first, to go back go having a town council that conducts itself professionally while honestly and openly working for everyone (rather than use its powers and town resources to pursue personal agendas).  Next it should finally create and follow a meaningful long-term planning framework to keep Tiverton government affordable while protecting basic services."
• Denise deMedeiros, Incumbent (did not respond)
• Nancy Driggs (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"Bolstering the economic attractiveness of Tiverton for families and businesses, and assuring Tiverton residents a sense of accountability, transparency and fairness from their government.  Interestingly these the top priorities are affected by taxes, the FTR, and CRC proposed charter amendments, and cannot be maximized without consideration of all three which, of necessity, reflect an understanding of what the proper role of government is, and how best to get there.  Lower taxes does not mean an end to basic, essential services.  It does necessitate prudent management of your tax dollars, and a fierce intolerance of waste, malfeasance, and unessential spending."
• John Edwards, Incumbent (also a candidate for Democratic State Committee)
"1. Settling contracts for police and fire unions. Tiverton has not completed negotiations and protracted labor negations place the future of public safety in jeopardy.
2. Future of trash service as the landfill approaches capacity and expected capping date. Tiverton does not have a cost effective solution for the continuance of trash beyond the landfill closure date and this desperately needs to be addressed to prevent large increases in the trash contract."
• Patricia Hilton, Incumbent
"Managing the casino revenue wisely is a top priority. We can have both affordable property taxes and quality services but it will take a smart fiscal and strategic approach. We also need to be mindful of how to manage growth. The new home market was very slow after the 2008 recession but that’s changing. We need to be attentive in managing residential growth so as not to outstrip the available resources. On the commercial side, updates to our commercial zoning code and moving to an e-permitting platform would make it easier to attract a mix of businesses."
• Justin Katz
"We must unwind the damage the current Town Council has done.  It has used the solicitor to erase residents’ rights.  It has established that employees who are willing to retire can steal from the town.  Its members have allowed insiders to guide them by the noses with false claims about how things must be done.  It has attempted to punish the people of Tiverton, battling residents and businesses at the expense of everybody.  It has sought to take even more power away from the people for its own use. All this has to end, and if voters elect the TTA slate, it will."
• Randy Lebeau, Incumbent (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)
"We need to appoint qualified people to the planning board, people with experience in the field. Engineers, architects ,business minded people. We need to hire department heads long term even if it means paying more to get the best. Let’s face it, it’s cheaper in the long run to keep good qualified people . 
We need to be mindful that the residents want clean, plowed streets, trash pickup, and the freedom to use their property in any manner that the town Book of Ordinances allows. Most of all public safety at an affordable price. It’s governments job to stay out of people’s lives and to help when the people need it."
• Kelley Levesque (also a candidate for Democratic Town Committee)
"Tiverton is a beautiful coastal community. We need to ensure that our beaches, parks and preserves, recreation areas, community events and activities remain accessible, safe, and affordable to all. Grant opportunities need to be explored to repair and replace some areas that have fallen into disrepair such as the tennis courts and playground equipment at Town Farm. We need to ensure that all potential new businesses, developers, and individuals are treated consistently through the planning and zoning processes following the direction of the Comprehensive Plan. I look forward to serving all Tivertonians with fairness and respect."
• William McLaughlin
"Working to reduce the $70 million dollar debt to allow a long term reduction of taxes through more responsible spending and streamlining operations an making them more efficient, an responsive to taxpayers needs. Setting longterm goals for the town and make council decisions based on that.  There are no quick fixes to the problems caused by short sighted self interested decisions from the town council in the past . But insisting on ethical actions an common sense decision's going forward is a good start. Thank you Billy mac candidate for town council."
• David Paull
"We must get our community back on track with road paving and infrastructure. One of the biggest issues I hear about is that our roads are crumbling, that our recreational facilities are worn down and that our waterfront area is in shambles. The responsibility of replacing the sidewalks in that area lies with the state. The sidewalks are crumbling and there are no crosswalks. We need to pressure the state to fix those sidewalks. These issues are overdue for attention.
We must also monitor the projected growth and adhere to our comprehensive Plan so that we maintain the farm-coast character of our community. A spike in development will certainly strain our services that are already at minimum levels.
• David Perry (also a candidate for Democratic Town Committee)
"Trust: I have spoken to numerous residents of our Town, they seem to have a lack of Trust in Town Government. We need Councilors who will make sound decisions for our future. I have been involved because I love our Town. I have the integrity, knowledge, and Trust to be your next Councilor. Zoning and Planning; Three years ago we talked about a total rewrite of both zoning and planning, nothing has happened over the past two years. we are trying to run a Town with 1980 laws in the year 2018 that doesn't work. Vote for #8 first. "
• Joseph Perry Jr., Incumbent
"Reducing town debt and getting a good qualified building inspector, and also getting the industrial park going."
• • Richard Rom (also a candidate for Republican Town Committee)

Zoning:  I am concerned with keeping the small town look and feel. I prefer to increase small business rather than new home development, as our town does not need to grow infrastructure such as schools and roads.  I do not prefer large scale corporate retail businesses … However, land ownership rights must always be respected.  Should a large retail business developer acquire legally zoned land, they should be allowed to develop, with the caveat that taxpayers are not impacted.  Town Services: I am concerned about purple bag trash pick-up. I would suggest selling trash stamps directly from Town Hall, that a homeowner would stick on each trash bag to be picked up, giving homeowners a choice of purchasing any kind of bag.