By ALEX MALM

In 2000 Bill Foley beat Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis in a Democratic primary.  Travis regained her seat two years later.

After an almost 20 year hiatus Foley defeated the incumbent Rick Corley in the Ward 1 2020 Democratic primary.

Now Foley hopes to defend his seat in a Democratic Primary against former East Providence City Councilman Barry Cook.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be seeking re-election for the Ward 1 seat on the Warwick City Council,” said Foley.  “Throughout my campaign two years ago, I vowed to be responsive and to utilize my experience to promote a more effective and efficient city council.  To that end, I have responded to numerous individual concerns and issues brought to my attention.  In addition, I have met with several community groups to discuss their issues and assisted them in navigating through the appropriate city departments.”

In a press release Foley touted some of the “important issues” that he addressed which included a no tax increase for two years, a one-third reduction of sewer assessments, and an increased funding for the schools.

Other accomplishments that Foley pointed to include improvements to Salter Grove Park, authoring  a resolution requesting the state to earmark a percentage of future Lottery revenue to alleviate property taxes, and advocating and voting for  two classes of new firefighter recruits who are currently working for the City.

In a release Foley said if re-elected some of the things he plans on continuing to do includes monitoring city finances, working on improvements to city infrastructure, advocating for the building of affordable housing, assisting in the recruiting of new businesses, and being responsive to  constituents’ needs.

A retired educator Foley and his wife Martha moved from their Buttonwoods neighborhood where they raised their three children to Governor Francis.

The winner of the Democratic Primary is expected to face off against Pat Maloney Jr. who is running as an independent.

In 2020 Maloney, the owner of Game On and DrDesktop in Warwick ran against state Rep. Joe McNamara in the District 19 race.

After beating Corley in the Democratic Primary in 2020 Foley went on to beat Republican challenger Scott Phillips.