Change of Leadership at Republican Town Committee

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
April 15th 2024

RICHMOND – There’s been a shake-up in the leadership of the Richmond Republican Town Committee. Patricia Pouliot and Ray Pouliot, the committee’s Chair and Treasurer have been replaced by Michael Colasante and Helen Sheehan. Colasante and Sheehan both currently serve on the Town Council.

The Pouliots did not comment on their ouster, but Ray Pouliot referred questions to Joe Powers, who chairs the Rhode Island Republican party.

Reached Monday, Powers said the new leadership had been properly installed.

“They actually pretty much handled everything on their own and it was about a month ago, maybe,” he said. “They all took care of all of that. It was just a changing of the guard. They went through the policies and procedures. They followed the bylaws. They had a special meeting to elect a new chairman and they’re all copacetic.”

Republicans React

Not everyone is “copacetic.” The meeting at which Colasante and Sheehan were elected is reported to have taken place at Colasante’s home.

Town Council President Mark Trimmer, a Republican who says he is now changing his party affiliation, said he was unaware of the meeting or the election.

“Now that it’s official, that just sickens me,” he said. “He was elected to it after a series of meetings where people were bullied out one by one. … Anyone who is anywhere near a reasonable Republican is no longer part of that party anymore. I will probably, at this point, seek the endorsement of the Democrats in town.”

Town Council Vice President Richard Nassaney is another Republican cast out by the committee.

“I’m disappointed in the way that they went about their change of leadership,” he said. “It was done under the cover of darkness, done behind closed doors. … It’s not a party that I wish to even associate myself with.”

Jeff Noble, a Republican who has joined the Richmond Community Alliance political action committee, said he had been following a trail of amendments to the committee leadership, filed with the Rhode Island Board of Elections.

“At the end of 2022, Louise [Dinsmore] was the President of the Richmond Republican Town Committee,” he said. “Then, the next filing was January 30th of 2023, that had Ray [Pouliot] as the Treasurer and Pat [Pouliot] as the President. The next filing that records anything is the annual political party treasurer’s filing. … And then, on February 22nd, they amended their organization, removing Ray as Treasurer. “

On March 5th, there was another amendment, changing the committee’s email address to then - committee President Patricia Pouliot’s address.

The final amendment filed with the Board of Elections was on March 19. Notarized by Hopkinton Town Council Vice President and Republican stalwart, Scott Bill Hirst, that filing changes the committee’s post office box address to the street and email addresses of Michael Colasante. The filing also shows Helen Sheehan as the new Treasurer.

Noble said,

“Just speaking for myself, if it’s not evident, the Richmond Republican Town Committee President is more about him controlling things and less about good public policy, or really, just good behavior. It doesn’t even matter anymore, I think, what’s accomplished. It’s just him being in charge is what the overall goal is.”

Noble described the recent upheaval in the Town Committee as unsettling.

“I’m a Republican,” he said. “I’m still registered as a Republican, and I won’t change because I don’t think change comes from, you know, quitting. I’m more conservative than I am liberal, but there are a couple of things. First, I don’t need to shove it in everybody’s face and the second thing is, to have good government policy, you need to work within the government and make it and, I hate to say it, compromise.”

The leadership changes are not reflected on the state Republican website, that still shows Patricia Pouliot as the Chair of the Richmond Republican Town Committee.

There is no information on the Town Committee website either, which does not appear to have been maintained, and displays a homepage that is blank.