Christopher Silvia leads Fall River mayoral poll

After nearly 1,000 votes in the most popular Fall River group on Facebook, business owner and homeless advocate Christopher Silvia beat all other candidates by a wide margin.

Incumbent Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, who finished third in the poll with 8% of the vote, has already announced that he will seek re-election this year.

Flint Neighborhood Association President Carlos Cesar, the only other person in the poll to have announced their candidacy finished last in the poll with 4% of the vote.

Former recalled Fall River mayor, cannabis dispensary owner and lawyer Will Flanagan has not officially announced his candidacy, but he’s been very politically active on local issues on social media this year and rumor is he will run for mayor. Three months ago, and after the majority of Fall River residents voted for President Trump, Flanagan switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.

Owner of Christopher’s restaurant and vocal homeless advocate Christopher Silvia hasn’t announced any ambitions for elected office, but he’s been extremely vocal on his social media accounts and politically active regarding the Fall River homeless issue, and his Christopher’s business partner Nathan Silvia has announced his intention to run for Fall River City Council. Most recently, Silvia was a vocal advocate for pushing Steppingstone to open more beds for the homeless, which put a spotlight on Steppingstone’s operations and high leadership salaries.