North Smithfield Public Comment

Early voting is here! Sarah and Elizabeth are back — just the two of them — to break down all 10 local ballot questions facing North Smithfield voters (questions 6 through 15). From the controversial town council term lengths (Q6) to the new Department of Facilities and Capital Assets (Q8) to the code of ethics update (Q15), they dig through the legalese so you don't have to. We cover: • Q6: T...

Hosts Sarah LaFontaine and Elizabeth Hammond interview David Punchak, a town council member running for re-election. The conversation covers David's upbringing in Lincoln, Rhode Island, where he grew up surrounded by extended family; his career in design, where most of his work is budget-driven municipal projects rather than the creative work he prefers; and his years of volunteer involvement...

In this episode, hosts Elizabeth Hammond and Sarah LaFontaine sit down with Nelly Burdette, a psychologist, working mom, and first-generation immigrant running for Rhode Island Senate District 17 (Lincoln, North Smithfield, and North Providence). Nelly shares why two decades in mental healthcare pushed her to run for office — not as a career politician, but as a community member determined to fix...

Veronica Vega is running for Rhode Island House District 49,representing Woonsocket and part of North Smithfield. We talk about economic development, school funding, infrastructure, clean energy, and what it really means to be an accessible representative. Veronica also shares her personal story — from experiencing homelessness to running for office. Public Comment: North Smithfield is local news...

Sarah and Elizabeth sit down with Rhode Island StateRepresentative Jon Brien, the only independent in the RI General Assembly, representing District 49 (Woonsocket & North Smithfield). Jon shares his remarkable political journey — from serving as a Democrat, to losing his seat by 50 votes, to returning a decade later and winning by the exact same marginas an independent. They dig into his land...

Sometimes following local politics is enough to drive you to drink - so that's what we did. Elizabeth and Sarah are joined by guest host Bryan Murray for the first-ever episode of Public Comment After Dark. They do a wine and tequila filled deep dive into the North Smithfield town council race. They unpack the pettiness of the local campaign season, from sign-stealing drama to Facebook feuds,...

In this episode of Public Comment, Elizabeth and Sarahwelcome Mark Fasano, candidate for North Smithfield School Committee. Mark talks about his 20 years as a North Smithfield resident, his work building the town's youth softball program, and his goals for the school system if elected. It's a conversation about community, kids, and what it means to serve your town. Public Comment is a loca...

This week on Public Comment, we sit down with Ken Block —independent candidate for Rhode Island governor — for a deep, no-talking-points conversation about the state's biggest problems and what it actually takes to fix them. Ken gets into it all: why housing affordability is one ofthe hardest problems Rhode Island faces and why there are no easy answers. Why he believes bus fares should be eli...

Former Newport mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong joins Elizabeth and Sarah to discuss his run for Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor. The conversation covers his family's immigrant story, the real responsibilities of the LG office, and why workforce is the through line connecting every major challenge facing the state — from housing construction and healthcare access to infrastructure and education. Topi...

Michael Plante, candidate for North Smithfield Town Council,joins Elizabeth and Sarah to talk about why he's trading a 43-year real estate career for local government. From contaminated school water that's gone unfixed for years, to budget waste hiding in plain sight, to his fiduciary-firstphilosophy — Michael makes the case that local politics needs more business sense and fewer cheerlead...

Elizabeth and Sarah sit down with Sue AnderBois — candidatefor Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor and current Providence City Council member — for a wide-ranging conversation about energy policy, road safety, governmenttransparency, and surveillance. Sue breaks down what a lieutenant governor actually does inRhode Island, previews her upcoming energy plan, and explains how Rhode Island's regulat...

Gabby Stelle is running for North Smithfield SchoolCommittee — and she's not a politician. She's a born-and-raised North Smithfield mom, PTO treasurer, soccer commissioner, softball coach, and the person who helped bring the Hoops program back to town. In this episode,Elizabeth sits down with Gabby to talk about what she'd protect in the school system, why she believes every school nee...

Ann Lilley has been quietly doing the work in NorthSmithfield for years — community garden, Parks & Rec Commission, Groundwater Protection Commission — and now she's running for Town Council. In this episode, she joins Elizabeth and Sarah to talk about why she's taking that step, and what she thinks is broken in how our town communicates, spends money, and plans for the future. From th...

Sarah and Elizabeth are back with a deep dive into two of North Smithfield's most contentious local issues. First up: the quarry. Known officially as Material Sand & Stone (or Pound Hill Quarry), this operation has been battling the town over grandfathered mining rights, noise ordinances, silica dust, and well contamination since at least 2022 — though the legal saga stretches back to the...

Sarah and Elizabeth sit down with Paul Jones — small business owner, community advocate, and candidate for North Smithfield Town Council — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to govern a town well. Follow Paul's campaign at his website, electpauljones.com and get in touch at paul@electpauljones.comFollow Public Comment at  facebook.com / publiccommentnorthsmithfield  ...

In this episode of Public Comment North Smithfield , hosts Sarah and Elizabeth interview Kevin Carrier , a candidate for North Smithfield Town Council and professor of social and political psychology at Stonehill College. Kevin discusses his three core campaign priorities: government transparency , environmental protection , and housing affordability in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. The conversa...

The North Smithfield police station has been a problem since 2014. In this episode, Elizabeth Hammond and Sarah LaFontaine break down the full history — from the original $5.4 million bond that wasn't enough, to a failed $20 million ballot measure, to the $9 million bond that finally passed in early 2026. They dig into what "minimum standards" actually means for the officers and resi...

What do you do with an empty lot where a school used to be? If you're North Smithfield, RI — apparently you think about it for seven years. Elizabeth and Sarah dig into the full Halliwell Elementary saga: the closed school, the demolished building, the $5M in federal grants, the multi-generational center that never quite came to be, and the latest pivot back to Scouters Hall. They break down w...

Follow us on social media @NSpublic comment North Smithfield residents can join the conversation at https://www.facebook.com/groups/northsmithfieldpubliccomment Transcripts are available at our website nspubliccomment.com Correction: Elizabeth mentions volunteering at CPAC in 2010. The conference she mentioned took place in 2011.Sarah and Elizabeth introduce themselves and their podcast — a monthl...