By JOSEPH FITZGERALD 

NORTH SMITHFIELD — Voters going to the polls Tuesday will decide whether it's incumbent Town Administrator Robert B. Lowe or his opponent Paulette D. Hamilton who becomes the town's next chief administrative officer.

It's been non-stop for the two candidates who have ratcheted up their campaigns since the September non-partisan run-off election. In that election, voters narrowed a field of four candidates vying for the town administrator post to two. Lowe and Hamilton came out on top with the two highest vote tallies, which earned them a spot on Tuesday's ballot.
The town administrator race is among three local contests on the ballot, which also includes a heated race for Town Council — 10 candidates vying for five seats — and a three-way contest for state representative in House District 48 between Democratic incumbent Raymond Church and Republican challenger Brian C. Newberry and Independent candidate Gary Ezovski.
See ADMINISTRATOR, Page A-2
Polls Tuesday will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the following locations:
North Smithfield Elementary School, 2214 Providence Pike; The Villa at St. Antoine, 400 Mendon Road; North Smithfield Fire & Rescue Service Station #1, 675 St. Paul St.; North Smithfield Fire & Rescue Service Station #2 (Primrose), 1470 Providence Pike; Scouters' Hall, 3 Main St.: Kendall-Dean School, 83 Greene St.
Lowe, 62, of 19 Freitas Lane, is seeking a third term as town administrator.
Formerly self-employed, he was chairman of the North Smithfield School Committee from 1979 to 1985 and state representative in District 61 and 48 from 1987 to 2004.
Hamilton, 53, of 473 Black Plain Roadway, has been president of Hamilton and Associates Consulting for 20 years and was assistant vice president of marketing at Marquette Credit Union. Until recently she was an administrative assistant for the North Smithfield Police Department. She is director of the North Smithfield Prevention Task Force.
In the weeks leading up to the general election, the candidates have made known their stand on a number of issues ranging from economic development to taxes to education, The following are the candidates' platforms on some of those key issues:

HAMILTON
Homestead Gardens: "I do not support the purchasing of the Homestead properties for the location of a senior center when that seven acres of buildable land can be retained on the tax roll and used for its intended purpose as an industrial parcel that will generate revenue. I agree that there is a need for a community center. We are one of a few communities in the state that do no have planned activities for youth and seniors. In these tough economic times, we must utilize existing space to full capacity. Scouter's Hall is a perfect example of underutilization of space. Working with groups that need and want space we can work together to craft a schedule that will provide use of an existing town- maintained building in a more effective manner."
Economic development: "We have to look at our long-range plans and realize that everything we do today will impact that plan in some way down the road. If we have the courage to adhere to it we currently have a document that can guide us in future economic development. Our 2006 Comprehensive Plan is a blue print for us to use as we encourage economic growth, utilize existing resources and seek to encourage new business to take root in North Smithfield. It is all well and good to hold charrettes, town meetings and focus groups, all of which tell us that the people want to increase the tax base. The problem is that we have no one designated to accomplish this. We have an industrial development commission, yet no one is specifically responsible to attract new business."
Taxes, spending and the economy: "With the financial state of our economy, the first thing on people's minds is their ability to pay taxes and a need to keep spending down. To cut costs and consolidate I would collectively bid for town and school resources and purchases in areas such as gas, oil, electricity, maintenance, snow removal, maintenance contracts and supplies, and collaborate with neighboring cities and towns to save even further. To enhance the current tax base I will work with the Chamber of Commerce, a part-time economic development professional and state officials. I will market North Smithfield to atttract businesses and turn around our anti-business reputation. We are hitting the most dire economic hurdles in over half a century and our goal must be to reign in spending, tighten our belts and look for ways to cut costs. There is no easy way and our only hope is to ensure that all stakeholders have the information they need to make sound choices. My administration will lead the charge to increase involvement from school, municipal, economic and residential sectors as we navigate these uncertain times."
Schools: "There has been discussion about me being a 'stalking horse' for the School Department, meaning that I am working only for the benefit of the School Department. Neither I nor my opponent can break the state law on spending on the school or municipal side due to an imposed tax levy limit. That fixed limit prevents over-spending. Therefore, to state that I will spend and tax is erroneous. However, with cooperation from school and municipal staff, we will review areas that can produce savings. But most importantly, it's not up to any town administrator to say whether a new school should be built in town. It's up to the voters to decide. No decision should be made unless all the facts are out there. Look at the reports that have been posted on line at the School Department since the need was discovered. This is not new news. The Rhode Island Department of Education's mandates about fixing Halliwell have been discussed for more than a year. The present administration did not inform the public when it discovered the information. I will work to obtain accurate census data, student projections and school master building plan review that will offer sound facts, not speculation."
Community pride: "Our town and villages should present themselves as historic places at which people stop, not just pass through. We should capitalize on our strong sense of history. A ride through our town reveals  various levels of decay of our existing buildings, including the Memorial Town Hall building on which the letter 'A' has been hanging sideways for years. Chipped paint on town buildings, exposed peeling paint and unvarnished floors at Kendall Dean for town council meetings; only one park that offers any services to seniors or youth; underutilized Scouter's Hall in dire need of paint and repair. The list goes on. We don't ignore the maintenance of our homes, why are we allowing our town to fall into disrepair? Where is the pride that once was part of the fabric of our community? In times ahead, with diminishing state aid, we will need to rely on voluntarism, taking care of each other and working to solve our own issues as John Slater did over 200 years ago."
A word to voters: "We are in the defining moment of this campaign, in which we turn our backs on the politics of division in order to embrace hope and change. I am confident that with the current economic climate all departments will work together to create a solvent town government that we can be proud of. I have met with leaders from neighboring communities, as well as our School Department, and we are poised to cooperate and collaborate on matters of common need. I have set a tone of respect and concern. I have called for renewed pride in our town. I have a full grasp of budgetary concerns and realize that we must be realistic in the direction we choose. I have reached out, offering a common sense approach to leadership, not only in a highly successful debate, but to the thousands of kind people who opened their doors to me. There is nothing unclear about my positions. Here is our slogan: “Great People Live in North Smithfield!” The choice is now in your hands. I thank you for the opportunity to make this a better community."

LOWE
Taxes: "We can all agree that the most regressive tax is property tax. Yet, the Federal and State Government continue to cut aid to cities and towns leaving the burden of paying for any shortfall to the only revenue source available - property tax. My administration has worked extremely hard over the past four years generating new commercial tax dollars. We have built the infrastructure with water and sewers so essential for commercial growth. I have worked with landowners to encourage investment resulting in an increase in new revenue. I have, and will continue, to meet with investors. I must say proudly that my office has received encouraging responses from investors, which is a complete turnaround from when I first came into office. We have many needs for the future and I have an actual plan in action to meet our future needs. This is not the time to gamble on change. We have too much at stake."
Schools and education: "I am committed to ensuring that our children receive the highest quality education possible. My involvement with the schools began 30 years ago when I served as chairman of the School Committee. My understanding of the operation of the School Department affords me the ability to make the best possible decisions for our children. I am proud that our town showed its commitment to education by voting for the new Middle School. Today we see the reward for our sacrifice and will continue to benefit as potential residents and commercial investors see our willingness to support quality education.
With one phase of our development near completion we must look to the future of our schools. Five years ago we created a Master Plan to guide our decision making process. An important and pressing issue continues to be the future of Halliwell School. Since the budget negotiations held this past June, I have questioned whether there is even a need to continue the use of Halliwell let alone the need for its new $25 million dollar replacement. According to our 5-year-old Master Plan, our student population should be increasing. Contrary to that projection, which states our enrollment would be 2033 today, the actual enrollment in 2008 was 1871. The student population has fallen far short of that estimate. We need to continue to update and analyze these numbers so we can make sound decisions for the future of our schools. If it is determined that a new school is needed, I will support the project provided the funding is secured by commercial investment to offset the burden on taxpayers."
Open space: At this time, the town has $3 million set aside to purchase open space. We are currently negotiating with the owner to purchase 146 acres of his land on Mattity Road and Douglas Pike. This property has enormous potential for both passive and active recreation. The property includes 8 miles of trails that wind along the ridges of glacial eskers, through open fields, along the edges of wetlands teeming with wildlife, and along the eastern shore of Tarkiln Pond. Picturesque Lake Bel Aire and 1.6 miles of former rail bed offer opportunities for bikeway linkages to Burrillville and Smithfield. The property is also historically significant in that it contains the remnants of the former Augustus Field piggery thought to be one of the largest piggeries in New England at the time.
The opportunity to purchase a property with this type of potential does not come along very often and my administration is committed to making this acquisition a reality. The owner has agreed to accept partial payment for the property from the bond funds allowing us to pursue other properties such as the Cesario lot on Pond House Road which, if acquired, would protect 18 acres of active farm land and prevent numerous homes from being developed adjacent to the Audubon reserve. Numerous other parcels have been evaluated for possible acquisition including land on Iron Mine Hill Road, Rocky Hill Road and Douglas Pike/Greenville Road.
Dowling Village: "When I became town administrator in 2004, talk of a tax treaty with the developers was being discussed. Such a treaty offered no economic benefit to the citizens of the town - the very people who elected me to represent their interests. Commercial retail complexes choose where to locate and Dowling Village was an attractive piece of property without the tax treaty. As a result of my decision to deny this request, DowlingVillage will generate close to two million dollars a year in tax revenue for the town.
Branch Village: "In January 2007, I took a proactive approach to commercial development in town and organized the Branch Village Revitalization Project. The committee included people from all walks of life – stakeholders like business owners, professionals, taxpayers, the Valley Alliance and Economic Development members. These people with seemingly conflicting interests engaged in productive discussion as to the future of Branch Village. Branch Village is an exceptional parcel of over 175 acres of commercial property. After careful study, projections estimate that this land could be a two million dollar revenue source for the town. I spearheaded this rare pro-active approach to commercial investment and look forward to continue to work promote the future economic well being of our town. The project has the unanimous support of the committee itself, the Planning Board and the Town Council as well as accolades from around the state. This potential revenue source will allow the town to invest in Halliwell School and other improvements."
Lowe cited several accomplishments in recent years, including securing a $500,000 surplus for North Smithfield through financial stability and efficiency; holding the line on large property tax increases while building a new middle school; and working in cooperation with the School Department to join with other communities in the purchase of Blue Cross health coverage with a total $400,000 savings to the town budget.
A word to voters: "I have proudly served this town for four years and relish the opportunity to continue to make North Smithfield a place we can all be proud of. I have a proven record of successful leadership and strong vision for our future. The proactive approach of my administration for the last four years has brought development and investment in line with our vision of preserving our rural character. Although these are critical financial times, North Smithfield’s future looks bright with controlled commercial development, combined with the preservation of our rural charm. The best of times are ahead of us because of our financial stability and the investments we have made for the future."
The two candidates for town adminstrator who were weeded out in the  Sept. 9 run-off election were Donald Gagnon with 370 votes, followed by Ernest H. Alter with 255 votes.
Gagnon of 9 Sayles Road says many residents "most of whom are dissatisfied with the current offering of candidates for both council and administrator" have urged him to consider a write-in campaign for next Tuesday's election.
"My years of service to the community, coupled with my strong business and professional background, plus a thorough understanding of all the issues the town faces, would indeed qualify me to serve in either role extremely effectively and I would welcome that opportunity, should voters choose to write me in," Gagnon said. "The process is rather simple. Just write-in my name in the box provided and connect the arrow next to it. The arrow must be connected for the vote to count. The name spelling and format are not critical, but connecting the arrow is."
Gagnon currently serves as chairman of the North Smithfield Conservation Commission, chairman of the town's Ordinance Review Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council.