BY JOSEPH B. NADEAU

WOONSOCKET — Mayor Susan D. Menard announced last Friday she will be retiring from office on June 15 and by city charter that means City Council President Leo T. Fontaine gets the opportunity to complete the remaining portion of her seventh term in office.

But the question still lingering Monday was whether Fontaine would take on that  role in the months ahead.
Fontaine has not returned telephone calls about Menard’s decision to retire and how that might affect his own service to the city.
The silence is typical for Fontaine, who has taken time in the past to weigh decisions over whether to run for the mayor’s seat or remain a member of the City Council.
Fontaine, in fact, thought about a run for mayor in the most recent city election last November, but at the time decided his family and business commitments would be better served by a run for re-election to the council. He won his current term with a first -place finish in the 14-person contest for seven council seats.
City Council Vice President William D. Schneck on Monday said he last spoke to Fontaine on Saturday and believes he will be taking on the new role when it becomes available. But since Menard is not planning to leave until June 15, Schneck said Fontaine may be waiting until more is known
about what kind of transition process will be needed under the change.
“I don’t really know what the game plan is at this point,” Schneck said. The council won’t meet in regular session until next Monday and more could be known by that date, according to Schneck.
The Mayor was reportedly at City Hall on Monday and it’s possible that  Menard and Fontaine have already begun discussing the transition, he said. Menard, like Fontaine, could not be reached for comment about the pending change in city leadership.
“It’s really up to them to say what is going on,” Schneck said.
Menard’s departure comes at a major crossroads for the city. Although she has been able to hold the line on tax increases during her 12 years in office and raised local taxes just three times in the latter part of her tenure, the state’s current budget deficit and predictions for even deeper red ink at the state level next year has also clouded the city’s financial future.
 Fontaine could well be walking into the role of budget cutter while facing the challenges of running a city with significant staff and program reductions.
 Councilman John F. Ward said that was likely to be on Fontaine’s mind while considering the transition ahead as well as many other issues still in flux at City Hall.
 “Between the two of them, they have to come up with a plan,” Ward said.  While Fontaine had not come forward on Monday with a formal commitment to that process, Ward said he was confident that Fontaine would accept the challenge of running Woonsocket during the remaining portion of Menard’s term, a period of 18 months before the next election will be held.  “I presume he will, but there’s always the potential that he would not or could not take the position,” Ward added. “Technically, he is not required to,” he said.
 That would be a decision Fontaine, traditionally, would make with his wife and family and one he likely would not make lightly, according to Ward. The mayor must take a formal step in relinquishing leadership of the city, a change that may come in a formal letter or possibly with her last official day in office.
 With the number issues still pending action at City Hall, Ward said the announcement of a formal transition process would likely be the next step toward that change.
“It’s not going to be an easy process but it’s something that has to happen,” Ward said.