Steven Filippi is the President/Owner of Ballard's Inn on Block Island.

He is also running for Town Council as an Independent despite being a registered Republican.

Ballard's has recently been in the news as the site of at least one assault – as well as dangerous overcrowding both on Block Island and on the ferry service provided by Interstate Navigation – on August 8th, 2022.

Over the course of the July 4th holiday, Ballard’s was also mentioned in media reports as the site of at least one alleged sexual assault.

Since then, allegations ranging from perpetually serving underage customers to profiting from cabana rentals and alcohol sales on public land to consistent poor crowd management to blatantly lying to the public have run rampant.

On Monday night, after nearly 5 hours of testimony, the Town Council voted to suspend Ballard's liquor and entertainment licenses for 14 days.

As the subject of so many violations in and against the Town, it is clear Steven Filippi is not the type of leadership Block Island needs right now.

Those who continuously violate the law cannot be trusted to uphold it.

By signing this petition, we ask Steven Filippi to officially withdraw from the race for Town Council and notify the Rhode Island Secretary of State's office publicly -- and in writing -- of his decision to do so.

PS - While we realize the official deadline for a candidate to withdraw has since passed, we're also aware that the ballots for November have not yet been printed.

There is still time for Steven to do the right thing, step aside, and give the Block Island community a chance at the type of leadership it deserves.