CONTRIBUTE TODAY

To volunteer on Mike’s campaign or to put up a yard sign, please contact Mike at 401.641.2800 or michaeldonegan@cox.net

Why I am running for re-election

In 2018, I made the decision to run for East Greenwich Town Council because I saw that our community was headed in the wrong direction and we were becoming fractured along the fault lines that we too often see play out on the national news. I did not believe that the prior Town Council was effectively or efficiently serving the people of East Greenwich – so I decided to do something about it.

On November 6th, 2018, the residents of East Greenwich spoke loudly and clearly – delivering a resounding mandate for changing the way our town government operates. That election resulted in a sea change of the Town Council, and we promised a better way forward. In my two terms serving as Vice President of the Town Council, our community has undergone the dramatic and positive change that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents overwhelmingly demanded in that 2018 election (see accomplishments below).

I look forward to elaborating on these accomplishments and more during my campaign for re-election. I am grateful that we were able to restore civility and competent local government to our truly wonderful community, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. I hope my work over these four years has earned your vote in the upcoming general election on Tuesday, November 8th.

With your support, we can keep up the forward progress and ensure that our Town continues to provide the top-notch services and quality of life that we all expect and deserve. If you have any questions of me or would like to discuss issues impacting you, your family or our community, please reach out to me at any time. I would welcome the opportunity to hear from you: (401) 641-2800 or michaeldonegan@cox.net.

-Mike

About Mike

  • Current two-term Vice President, EG Town Council 
  • Resides in East Greenwich with wife Dr. Linda Donegan
  • Five children through EG Public Schools
  • Education: Dartmouth College (B.A.) and University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D.)
  • Attorney, Orson & Brusini, Ltd.
  • Former Chairman, East Greenwich Planning Board (6 years)
  • Former Member, East Greenwich Conservation Commission (4 years)
  • Former Coach/Advisor, EGHS Debate Team and EGHS Model United Nations Club 
  • Former Coach, Cole Middle School Mock Trial Team (6 yrs.)

Accomplishments

First and foremost, we replaced the former unethical town manager.
  • At the insistence of the vast majority of voters, we replaced our former, unethical town manager Gayle Corrigan with Andy Nota, who is recognized as the best of the best in Rhode Island, with an impeccable track record.
We rebuilt the Finance Department.
  • We replaced the finance director (Gayle Corrigan’s business associate) with an experienced, professional and transparent finance director who is supported by professional, competent staff members.
We debunked the false bankruptcy narrative.
  • We worked with auditors, the general treasurer, and financial professionals to get our town finances in order and exposed as fiction the false-bankruptcy narrative that led to many of our town’s embarrassing public controversies that played out almost daily in the press prior to our election in 2018.
We restored school funding.
  • We provided a supplemental appropriation a few months after taking office that allowed the schools to restore critical programs that were cut due to lack of funding (even the library at the high school had been closed). In every budget we passed, we ensured full funding for school budgets that enabled the growth of school surplus funds every year. The excellence of our schools is vital for our children. Our schools are the gem of our community and their excellence supports our property values.
We established an open and transparent town government.
  • We “turned the lights on” in our town, as the court ordered our prior town council to do, and have restored an open and transparent government that is fully engaged with the community.
  • For the first time ever, we made the investment to livestream our council meetings (we did this pre-Covid).
  • We moved public comment at meetings to the beginning and end of every meeting and now allow public comment before we vote on items – as opposed to the prior council’s practice of owing it only after they voted on an issue.
  • We created town manager-led public workshops on various issues of importance in our community.
We worked with the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce to help small businesses thrive.
  • Supported our businesses with Main Street initiatives and town resources to help navigate the Covid crisis
  • Allowed outdoor seating and relaxed parking requirements for restaurants during the Covid crisis
  • Established e-licensing for our businesses, saving them time and effort to renew their various business licenses
We passed responsible budgets that ended deficit spending.
  • We passed fiscally responsible budgets that restored and increased the previously plundered reserves so that we are now on solid financial footing and enjoy an excellent bond rating.
We reduced the tax burden on residents.
  • I kept my campaign promise and played the lead role in amending the state law to allow the reallocation of the tax burden in town so that the large businesses are finally supporting the residents and not the reverse – a new policy supported by the EG Chamber of Commerce. Because of this and a council emphasis on driving non-tax revenue, our residents have seen the lowest tax increases over a four year period in memory – a small fraction of the inflation rate. The average residential tax increased over these four years by only 1.02% while the average rate of inflation was 4.21% (US Bureau of Labor Statics).
We managed our community through the COVID pandemic.
  • We kept the business of town government open and running smoothly throughout the crisis and provided the vital services our residents and businesses needed to move our community through the pandemic. Our vaccination clinic provided early protection and allowed us to have the highest vaccination rate in the State.
We successfully defeated MedRecycler
  • As an environmental lawyer, I was the council’s delegate working with our residents, solicitors, environmental consultants and our General Assembly representatives to successfully defeat this irresponsible plan to locate a medical waste high-heat facility on Division Road.

Get In Touch

Feel free to contact me on my cell phone at 401.641.2800 or by email at michaeldonegan@cox.net