Smithfield

 History

Greenville Bank at the turn of the twentieth century

The town was first settled in the 1600s as a farming community and named after Smithfield, London . It was within the boundaries of Providence until 1731. There was an active Quaker community in early Smithfield that extended to south Uxbridge , in the early 1700s. In the nineteenth century several mills were built in the town. In the mid-nineteenth century the towns of North Smithfield, Rhode Island , and Lincoln, Rhode Island , became separate towns. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan was active in the area, and KKK rallies were held within the town.^{[ 3]} Also, the colonial ghost town of Hanton City is located within the town.

 Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 27.8 square miles (71.9 km? ), of which, 26.6 square miles (68.9 km?) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km?) of it (4.25%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census ^{[ 1] [page needed ]} of 2000, there were 20,613 people, 7,194 households, and 4,992 families residing in the town. The population density was 775.3 people per square mile (299.3/km?). There were 7,396 housing units at an average density of 278.2/sq mi (107.4/km?). The racial makeup of the town was 97.35% White , 0.80% African American , 0.12% Native American , 0.89% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.13% from other races , and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 7,194 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,621, and the median income for a family was $66,320. Males had a median income of $45,946 versus $31,981 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,224. About 2.8% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

 Economy

With the shopping plaza, the Crossings, Smithfield is thriving as an economic center for Northern Rhode Island. The Crossings was completed in the Early 2000s and includes anchor stores such as Home Depot , Target , and Dick's Sporting Goods . Smithfield is also home to one of a handful of Fidelity Investment's regional sites, with over 1500 jobs.

 Education

The Smithfield Public School System includes 1 high school, Smithfield High School; 1 middle school, Vincent J. Gallagher Middle School; as well as four elementary schools,Anna M. McCabe , Raymond C. Laperche, Old County Road School, and William Winsor Memorial School. Another school is in the budget. The new school is currently set to replace the middle school, with the current middle school serving as a super elementary school covering both Anna M. McCabe and William Winsor.

The catholic parish of St. Phillip's also has its own school, and Bryant University , a four-year business school formerly known as Bryant College, is also located in Smithfield. Masters Regional Academy , a non-denominational regional Christian school for students in grades 7-12, is located in Smithfield. The teachers train the younglings in the ways of the force, the the art of wielding a lightsaber. The principle is Master Yoda; strict he is not. The Vice Principal, Master Windu was recently in a plane accident that involved snakes.

Politics

Smithfield runs under the Town Council-Manager form of government. The town council consists of five council members who are elected every two years. The town council selects the town manager. The School Committee also consists of five members but they serve for four years.

Smithfield's Town Charter, adopted by the voters in 1992 and ratified by the General Assembly, provides that any elected official is subject to recall. To force a recall election, 15% of the registered voters must sign a petition requesting the election. Should that high burden be met, there is a special election by which a simple majority of voters can remove the subject official from office.

The first ever recall petition in Smithfield was filed against Town Council President Stephen G. Tocco on September 4, 2007 and contained 3,046 signatures. At the time, 15%, or 2,304 signatures were required to mandate the recall election. The recall organizers say Mr. Tocco should be removed because of his admitted participation is a bribery scandal, in which he personally arranged and paid bribes to city officials in Pawtucket and Providence, in the late 1980s and early 1990s and also because of his recent poor behavior after having been elected Council President. Mr. Tocco claims that the bribery was too long ago to impact his performance on the Town Council.

On November 13, 2007, Mr. Tocco became the second elected official to be recalled in Rhode Island history (the first being a member of the Coventry School Committee, who was recalled by the people of his district in 1995). Mr. Tocco is, however, the first head of a town government to be recalled in Rhode Island. Of the 3,430 ballots cast, 2,691 were cast as yes (in favor of recall) and 739 were cast against. The election was certified by the Smithfield Board of Canvassers later that evening.