Portsmouth RI Democrats

10/29/2026

If you picked up this week’s Portsmouth Times, you probably noticed the Portsmouth Democrats insert tucked inside. Hang on to it and bring it with you when you vote. It has the full slate for Town Council and School Committee, plus where we stand on the ballot questions.

The people on that page have put real time into this town. Between them, they’ve served on committees, on past Town Councils, and on boards all over Portsmouth. They show up to the meetings, they do the homework, and they care about getting it right for the people who live here.

For Town Council:
David Fiorillo, Leonard Katzman, John McDaid, Juan Carlos Payero, Alexander Roberts, J. Mark Ryan, MD, and Conley Wake Zani.

For School Committee:
Isabelle Kelly, Tasha MacGibbon, and Valerie A. Seveney.

On the ballot questions:
Vote YES on Question 6 for safe and modern schools
Vote REJECT Question 7 to keep Portsmouth’s elections local and accountable.

Early voting runs through Monday, Nov. 2 at Town Hall. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3 at your usual polling place. Not sure where that is? Call (401) 683-3157.

Let’s keep Putting Portsmouth first!

See you at the polls.

10/29/2026

Signs can be replaced. Your vote can’t.

We want to thank the Portsmouth and Tiverton Police Departments for their thorough investigation and for helping resolve the recent campaign sign thefts. We appreciate their professionalism and commitment to our communities.

Campaign season can get spirited, but at the end of the day, we are all neighbors. Elections should be about ideas, participation, and giving every voter the opportunity to be heard.

Instead of focusing on missing signs, let’s focus on what really matters: voting.

Signs don’t decide elections. People do.

Make your voice heard. Talk to your neighbors. Encourage your friends and family to participate. And most importantly, cast your vote.

Let’s finish this election the right way: with positivity, community spirit, and strong turnout from Portsmouth.

Every voice matters. Every vote matters. Let’s finish strong, Portsmouth!

Tiverton police said 22 campaign signs were recovered after a man was arrested in connection with the theft of political campaign signs on Monday.

10/28/2026

The Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee wants to thank the Tiverton and Portsmouth Police RI .

Over the past couple of weeks, campaign signs went missing across both towns, including signs for our Town Council candidates David Fiorillo, Juan Carlos Payero, and Conley Wake Zani, as well as several state candidates. Tiverton police spent close to a week investigating, reviewed surveillance footage with help from Longplex, and worked with Portsmouth police to make an arrest Monday evening. In total, 22 signs were recovered for local and statewide candidates.

Political signs are one of the simplest ways people in our community show who they’re supporting, and every candidate deserves to have that respected, no matter their party.

Thank you to the officers from each police department for working together and recovering the signs.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. We hope to see you at the polls.

A Portsmouth man faces theft charges for allegedly stealing more than 20 political signs across Tiverton and Portsmouth. Tiverton police arrested Philip Myerson, 39, on Monday, Oct. 26, …

10/28/2026

✅ APPROVE QUESTION 6 🗳️

Last night, during the last school tour, Town Council candidates David Fiorillo, Mark Ryan and Alex Roberts toured Portsmouth Middle School to see firsthand what’s at stake with Question 6.

Question 6 asks voters to approve or reject a bond of up to $41 million for repairs and upgrades at all four Portsmouth schools. About $29 million of that would go to the middle school.

Our candidates saw a roof at the Middle School that is actively leaking. In the science rooms, the sinks don’t work, and the school’s own photos show the ceiling leaking during a recent storm. Many classrooms have no natural light, and in one area four classes share a single large open room. The middle school plan includes about $12.7 million for the roof and building exterior, $13.3 million for an addition and renovations, and $3 million for site work.

The rest of the bond covers the other schools: about $9 million at the high school for the roof, bathrooms, science labs, lighting and parking lot, and roughly $1.3 million at Hathaway and $1 million at Melville, mostly for site improvements and mechanical systems. The projects were chosen with state reimbursement eligibility in mind.

Portsmouth children deserve to go to schools that are Warm, Safe & Dry!

If Question 6 passes, the next Town Council will be responsible for funding these projects carefully and keeping a close eye on the impact to taxpayers. All of your Democratic candidates understand that responsibility and are ready to take it on!

Portsmouth’s schools are among the best in the state, and keeping them that way matters to all of us. You can learn more about the bond here:
https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/o/psd/page/facilities-bond-copy

Thank you to the school staff who took the time to show our candidates and residents round.

Early voting is going on now at Town Hall until Monday, November 2.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3 at your polling station.

10/26/2026

Question 7 on this year’s ballot asks whether Town Council and School Committee should be “non-partisan.”

We're asking to vote Reject, and I want to explain why.

If it passes, party labels come off the ballot for council and school committee. That’s the main change. The Democratic and Republican parties can still endorse candidates, knock doors for them, and send mail for them. The only thing that goes away is the information printed next to each name when you’re standing in the booth.

Portsmouth voters have had that information for generations. With a long list of candidates for seven council seats, a lot of people use it as a starting point, especially if they haven’t had time to read up on everyone.

I’d rather voters walk in with more information, not less.

You may have heard that this change would let federal employees, under the Hatch Act, taking the labels off the ballot doesn’t make a race nonpartisan when the parties are still endorsing. An advisory opinion from the federal Office of Special Counsel on this was shared with the council over a year ago.

Whatever you think about political parties, you deserve to know as much as possible when you vote. Please make sure you get to the ballot questions this year and vote Reject on Question 7.

Below are some helpful information.

🔵 Hatch Act Advisory Opinion Regarding Candidacy in
Nominally Nonpartisan Elections
https://www.osc.gov/~assets/docs/candidacy-in-nominally-nonpartisan-elections.pdf
🔵 Town of Portsmouth Local Ballot Questions, Nov. 3, 2026
https://www.portsmouthri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7981/Portsmouth-Local-Ballot-Question-Explanation-2026?bidId=
🔵 In Portsmouth: The great debate on party labels (East Bay RI)
https://www.eastbayri.com/stories/in-portsmouth-the-great-debate-on-party-labels,143394
🔵 Letter: Passage of Question 7 would reduce transparency (East Bay RI)
https://www.eastbayri.com/stories/letter-passage-of-question-7-would-reduce-transparency,143441
🔵Portsmouth Town Council rejects nonpartisan elections (East Bay RI, 2020)
https://www.eastbayri.com/stories/portsmouth-town-council-rejects-nonpartisan-elections,82913
🔵 Recap: Portsmouth Council Hears Nonpartisan Ballot Debate (Uprise RI)
https://upriseri.com/article/recap-portsmouth-council-hears-nonpartisan-ballot-debate-reviews-short-term-rentals/

10/23/2026

The back page of the Portsmouth Times never looked so good!

Check us out and make a plan to go vote!

Early voting is going on now through November 2 at the Portsmouth Town Hall.

Election day is Tuesday, November 3 at your polling station.

10/22/2026

We agree with the Portsmouth Times: Voters deserve MORE information — not less.

That is exactly why the Portsmouth Democrats are urging voters to REJECT Question 7 this Election Day.

Question 7 would remove party labels from Portsmouth’s local elections. But taking information off the ballot doesn’t make politics disappear. Political organizations will still exist. Candidates will still have political affiliations, supporters, donors, and values. The only difference is that voters will have less information in front of them when they cast their ballots.

As the Portsmouth Times editorial makes clear, party affiliation is one piece of information voters can use to understand who is asking for their vote. It doesn’t tell you everything about a candidate — and it shouldn’t. Voters should still examine candidates’ records, qualifications, positions, and judgment.

But the answer is more transparency, not less.

Removing party labels does not magically make an election nonpolitical or candidates more independent. It simply removes information from the ballot and puts more responsibility on voters to uncover political connections for themselves.

Portsmouth voters deserve an election system that is open, transparent, and gives them as much useful information as possible.

We encourage every Portsmouth voter to read the Portsmouth Times editorial and consider what Question 7 would actually change.

Keep Portsmouth elections transparent.
Vote NO on Question 7.

Read the editorial:

There is much to be said for keeping national party politics out of local government. Fixing roads, maintaining schools and managing taxpayers’ money should not be Republican or Democratic issues. …

10/21/2026

What a great night at VFW last night! Thanks to everyone who came out for the Portsmouth Democrats Trivia Night. The room was packed, the questions were tough, and there was a lot of laughing (and some arguing over answers).

And yes, our table took first place. 🏆

Nights like this are what we love about Portsmouth. Neighbors sitting down together, meeting new people, and just having a good time. Thank you to the VFW for hosting us and to everyone who helped put it together.

Already looking forward to the next one.

We have to defend our title! 👑