Mayor-elect Paul Coogan announces transition team

Fall River, MA – Mayor-elect Paul E. Coogan announced today the members of his transition team. The team is charged with providing advice and counsel to Mayor-elect Coogan as he formalizes plans for his first term in office.

“I am honored and privileged to announce the following group comprised of elected officials, business, community and union leadership, educators and private citizens who have graciously agreed to lend their leadership experience and expertise to the City of Fall River”.

The Transition Team includes the following eight subcommittees:

Finance

Economic and Workforce Development

Housing and Urban Development

Public Safety and Health

Education

Arts, Culture and Tourism

Infrastructure, Environment and Community Maintenance

Public Integrity

According to Coogan, these subcommittees will focus on specific goals and objectives that will assist in formulating plans to insure a safe, clean and financially sound City. There will be further opportunities following the transition for others to offer their assistance and expertise in various advisory roles.

Mayor Elect Paul Coogan Transition Team

Finance Transition Team

Joan Medeiros, Vice President Bristol County Savings Bank (Chair)
Carlos Da Cunha, Senior Vice President & Senior Lending Officer, St. Anne’s Credit Union
Jose Pacheco, Owner, Pacheco Realty Company
Carl Taber, Executive Vice President & Chief Lending Officer, Bay Coast Bank
William Eccles, Jr., President & CEO, Bank 5
Matthew Schondek, President & CEO, Fall River Municipal Credit Union
Robert Camara, Public Employees Representative, City of Fall River & Retired Fall River Fire Department
Sergeant Joseph Castro, Member FRPD, Chairman of the Insurance Advisory Committee, City of Fall River

Economic and Workforce Development

Joseph Marshall, Founder & President J. Marshall and Associates (Chair)
Karl Hetzler, President, H&S Tool and President, Fall River Industrial Park Association
Frank Marchione, President & CEO Boardwalk Crossing and President, Bristol County EDC
Michael Lund, President, Borden Light Marina, Inc.
Louis Gonsalves, Owner, Juiced Cafe
Michael Benevides, Owner, Portugulia Marketplace
Diane Nadeau, Executive Director Bristol County Training Consortium (Retired)
James Pimental, Vice President/Organizer Bricklayers, Local 3
Bradford Higson, Owner Higson Seafood

Housing and Urban Development

Ronald Rusin, Owner Ron Rusin Real Estate (Chair)
Carole Fiola, State Representative, 6th Bristol District
Steven Long, City Councilor
Deb Fastino, Director, Coalition for Social Justice
Kathleen Schedler Clark, Executive Director, Steppingstone, Inc.
David Underhill, Member Fall River Housing Authority, Joint Tenant Council and FRHA Board Member
Aaron Tetrault, Owner, Fall River Pawn Brokers

Public Safety and Health

Mark Costa, Assistant Chief Probation Officer (Chair)
Thomas Quinn, Bristol County District Attorney
John LaPointe, Fall River Police Department (Retired)
Alan Silvia, State Representative, 7th Bristol District
Natalie Mello, President Bank Street Neighborhood Association
Carlos Caesar, President Flint Neighborhood Association
James Cusick, Fall River Fire Department (Retired)
Laura Ferreira Washington, Program Director, Steppingstone, Inc.
Dr. Henry Vaillancourt, Director of Public Health, City of Fall River (Retired)

Education

Traci Almeida, Coordinator of Graduate Admissions & Licensure, UMass Dartmouth (Chair)
Dr. Armand Desmarais, Professor Emeritus, UMass Dartmouth
Melissa Panchley, Senior Property Manager, Karam Financial Group
Dr. Edward Costar, Administrator, Fall River Pubic Schools (Retired)
Rick Sahady, Administrator, Fall River Public Schools (Retired)
William Kelly, Professor Arts & Humanities, Bristol Community College (Retired)

Arts, Culture and Tourism

Patrick Norton, Executive Director, Narrows Center for the Arts (Chair)
Sandy Dennis,Co-Founder Creative Arts Network
James Sousa, Owner New Boston Bakery
Walter Fraze,Jr., Owner Walter Fraze,Jr. Law Office
Kathleen Castro, Professor of Arts & Humanities, Bristol Community College
Scott Lopes, Assistant Vice President of Training & Development, BayCoast Bank
Tony Rodrigues, World Language Instructor, BMC Durfee High School

Public Integrity

William Kenney, Attorney, Law Office William Kenney (Chair)
Rev. Robert Nemiocovick, Pastor, Blessed Trinity Church
Kim Gosson Almeida, Director of Benefits Operations, Brown University
Antonio Teixeira, Community Activist
William Whitty, Former Mayor & City Councilor President, City of Fall River
August Venice, Community Activist
Roberta Brooks Tetrault

Infrastructure, Environment and Community Maintenance

Rebecca Collins, President, Collins Construction, Inc. (Chair)
Daniel Raposa, Director of Buildings and Grounds, Fall River School Department (Retired)
Michael Grimo, IT Professional, Senior Executive, (Retired)
Byron Holmes, Engineer, City of Fall River (Retired)
Alfred J. Lima- Community Activist
Arnaldo “Junior” Paquette, Community Activist, Former Director of Operations, BFI, Inc.
Terrance Sullivan, Director of Community Utilities, City of Fall River (Retired)
James Terrio, Director of Administrative Services Water Department and Clerk Watuppa Water Board (Retired)
Michael Dunn, Senior Project Manager, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Technology Services and Security