Former Fall River mayor Sam Sutter announces campaign to take on incumbent Paul Coogan

FALL RIVER — The citywide election isn’t until next November, but a familiar face who once held the position of mayor has thrown his hat in the political ring again to challenge incumbent Mayor Paul Coogan for the office.

Former Fall River mayor and Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter announced his intention Wednesday night at a private fundraiser at his Dexter Street home.

News spread Thursday after political supporter and former political candidate Walter Moniz posted the event on his Facebook page, declaring “HE IS IN.”

Sutter confirmed the news.

"After a lot of thought and many conversations with people in Fall River from all walks of life on a regular basis, I can see that people are worried about where the city is going," said Sutter.

He pointed to citizens' concerns about crime, and specifically recent gun data that he reviewed.

"And I was shocked, because it was so much greater than when I was district attorney," said Sutter. "And then you have the schools. What are we at, 335 out of 350? That is absolutely unacceptable."

Sutter said he plans on a formal announcement later in January where he will map out his platform "and the data will be precise."

He hinted that a major point he will be campaigning on is the issue of affordable housing.

"And the present mayor seems completely disconnected from that issue," said Sutter.

Rumors had been flying in recent weeks that Sutter was contemplating a run to take back the job as mayor he held for one year in 2015 after successfully beating former mayor Will Flanagan in a recall election.

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Sam Sutter's stinging loss in 2015

In a defeat not foreseen by political prognosticators at the time, voters rejected Sutter after less than a year in office, electing 23-year-old City Councilor Jasiel Correia II. Correia went on to two tumultuous terms before he was ousted by Coogan in a landslide election in 2019.

Correia was indicted twice while in office, once for defrauding investors in his smartphone app company SnoOwl and once for political corruption as mayor. He was convicted of felony charges of fraud and extortion by a jury in 2021 and was sentenced to six years in prison. Correia recently lost an appeal of his conviction and is serving his prison term in New Hampshire.

During the nasty 2015 mayoral race, Sutter had exposed Correia’s questionable business practices concerning SnoOwl, but the accusations never stuck with voters.

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Sutter’s downfall at the time was widely blamed on his creation of an unpopular trash disposal fee of $10 per month per household, meant to close large gaps in the sanitation budget. The race that ended with Correia earning 52% of the vote to Sutter’s 48%.

Still, in his short tenure, Sutter was credited with sealing the deal with Amazon to build a distribution center in Fall River's North End and the redevelopment of the former New Harbour Mall, now the thriving South Coast Marketplace, in the South End.

A popular Bristol County district attorney, Sutter successfully ran for that office in 2006 and served from 2007 to 2014 before leaving the job to become mayor.

After leaving elected office in January 2016, Sutter returned to the law, and is currently a defense and personal injury lawyer based in Fall River.

Campaign finance numbers

Coogan took the news in stride after it was confirmed that Sutter had officially announced his candidacy.

“Well, every other election I’ve ever been in, it's been a race against other people so it's really not that different,” said Coogan, who is seeking a third term. “People have a right to run for office.”

While there are over 10 months to the November election, and still time for other candidates to join in the mayoral race, at this point Coogan has a financial advantage over Sutter.

According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Coogan currently has $34,210 in cash on hand as of the December monthly reporting period. Sutter, in the same reporting timeframe, has just $890.

Sutter’s Dec. 28 fundraiser and an event for Coogan earlier in December will be reflected in the January OCPF reports.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Sam Sutter announces campaign for Fall River mayor against Paul Coogan