User:City of Pawtucket/sandbox

David F Norton (born March, 1970) is an American Democratic politician, Army Veteran, proud father, and Bryant University Graduate. Norton ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Pawtucket in 2018 and is running again in 2020. Norton is known for his opposition to economic inequality and crony capitalism occurring in the City of Pawtucket and the State of Rhode Island. Norton is most known for his opposition to using taxpayer money to move the city's minor league baseball team and build new a stadium in another city for a wealthy billionaire ownership group. In his 2018 run for mayor, affiliated Democrat David Norton used a unique feature of Rhode Island election law to run on a political principal and concept that put #HospitalsBeforeStadiums. On city policy, he broadly supports progressive and humanist values and has called strongly for specific reforms to the current political system and establishment with calls for more diversity in the City of Pawtucket workforce. David Norton fought to keep open Pawtucket's only Hospital: Memorial Hospital. He compared the lack of effort by Pawtucket's elected officials to keep open Pawtucket's only hospital to the strong attempts and focus on a taxpayer funded stadium for a wealthy ownership group. On State policy as it affects the city, he broadly supports increasing school spending, pursuing more funding for ESL education and Special Needs education and putting greater emphasis on increasing racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in the Pawtucket School Department.

Norton was born and raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and left for active duty in the United States Army where he served 3 year and was stationed in Germany. While a soldier in Germany, and in addition to active duty service, Norton studied German history and German language. After his military service, he attended Bryant University graduating in 1995 with a BS in International Studies. While a student he spent one year abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark where he studied European economic and monetary integration along with Danish language. During this year abroad Norton was an active traveler visiting many cities in both Eastern and Western Europe in both his leisure and study time. After graduating from university in 1995, Norton moved to Saitama, Japan where he was employed as an English teacher. He continued his now-independent study of other languages, culture, and socio-economic systems. Norton returned from Japan in 1997 for a short time and employed as an ESL and Citizenship Teacher and left the US again 1999 for Santiago, Chile in pursuit of increased understanding of Latin America and Spanish language. Norton returned to the US in 2000 briefly and decided to return to Japan to continue his independent study where he stayed for approximately 10 years. Norton returned to the US in 2011 and became a Pawtucket resident once again around 2014. Norton first became involved in local politics in around 2013 motivated by the Sandy Hook massacre. He worked on gun control issues with Moms Demand Action Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence Norton has been self employed as an internet marketing consultant since returning to the US in 2011 and most recently started a small business called WorkForce Value Languages.