Adventures in Town Government
They get it up north; in one corner of East Bay, not so much. Last night, the Woonsocket City Council unanimously confirmed Mayor Fontaine’s shift restructuring of the fire department in an effort to alleviate a seven figure overtime overage. From the Woonsocket Call. The council voted 7-0 to roll the 124 members of the…
Not surprisingly, a majority of Little Compton parents would prefer to keep the town’s students flowing through one of the state’s best high schools, in Portsmouth, rather than move them over to Tiverton’s facility right next door. I’ve explained why I would feel the same, were I among them, but the number of reasons that…
This started out as a comment to my previous post on the topic, but it began to feel more like a post in its own right. As usual, our left-leaning readers have got me all wrong. I have absolutely no problem with any religion having an exclusive prayer posted in public schools, even with required…
I’ve been at a loss as to how to respond to the comments to my post this morning about the Cranston school prayer banner, because those who advocate for the removal of the banner are so extreme in their beliefs (even those who are typically reasonable and moderate in their approach) that they appear to…
The debate over a banner with a prayer in a Cranston public school — which the ACLU attempted to bully the district into moving with the threat of a lawsuit and which the school committee has voted to defend — makes very stark the contrast of the sides. On one side is the fact that…
As an applicant for an interim town treasurer job in Tiverton, I found the process to be peculiar: One can objectively question some of the more peculiar aspects of the process. For instance, in every blind selection process that I’ve encountered — whether for employment or, say, for college admissions — the identities of the…
Here’s an interesting tidbit from last week’s Political Scene. The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, which collects dues from the state’s municipalities in order to act as their advocate to the state — thus lightening the necessity of representatives and senators to do their job, one suspects — held some focus groups while…
My Patch column, this week, discusses the latest acronym with which active citizens must acquaint themselves: … OPEB stands for “other post-employment benefits” and, in Tiverton for example, includes health, dental and life insurance covering employees and their families after their retirement. According to a press release announcing the issuance of the final report from…
You may recall the legal battle between Tiverton Citizens for Change (TCC) President and current Town Council Member David Nelson and form Town Council Members Louise Durfee and Joanne Arruda. The latest development is thut Superior Court Judge Melanie Thunberg has denied Nelson’s request for a summary judgment. According to a Sakonnet Times article, not…
Tonight’s Tiverton Town Council agenda includes a public hearing on a proposed tax cap process for the town. The Town Hall is about 20% over capacity (meaning 120 people with a capacity of 100). The fire chief notified the council that, if some people don’t clear out, he’ll have to call the meeting off. Only…