Tiverton

TCC Announces 2012 Candidate Endorsements

By Monique Chartier | September 22, 2012 |

The following arrived via e-mail earlier this afternoon. Yes, one of TCC’s endorsed candidates for school committee is THE Justin Katz, Anchor Rising contributor extraordinaire and Managing Editor of the Ocean State Current. Check out Tiverton Citizens for Change’s website here. Tiverton Citizens for Change are pleased to announce our candidate endorsements for the 2012…

Devious Democracy

By Justin Katz | December 31, 2011 |

This time of year, you can tell quite a bit about a writer or publication by the items it highlights from the past year and wishes it expresses for the coming one. This gem of a wish, from the Sakonnet Times, is an excellent example: That Tiverton’s new Financial Town Referendum really does bring peace…

Lambert’s Council Brings Disappointing Chill in Negotiation Season

By Justin Katz | November 21, 2011 |

Meanwhile, in Tiverton, a Town Council that looked likely to stand firm in union negotiations is not performing as expected.

Woo-hoo (with an asterisk)

By Justin Katz | November 8, 2011 |

Matt Sanderson of the Tiverton Patch is reporting that both the library bond and the financial town referendum (FTR) questions passed. So, there’s a big woo-hoo for the FTR. Of course, that’s tempered by the fact that voters just agreed to borrow several million more dollars in order to build a new library — on…

A Referendum to Thwart Dishonest Politics

By Justin Katz | November 8, 2011 |

So, today Tiverton voters will have the opportunity finally to do away with the financial town meeting (FTM) that has allowed a relatively small group of very motivated people to double taxes in the past ten years and ensure that they would continue to climb even during the worst economy that most of us have…

Wouldn’t an All Day Financial Town Referendum Be More Democratic Than A Financial Town Meeting?

By Monique Chartier | October 22, 2011 |

Currently, the Town of Tiverton determines its annual budget via the Financial Town Meeting. On November 8, Tiverton voters will have the opportunity to consider switching from a Financial Town Meeting to a Financial Town Referendum. [Text of the referendum question here.] Which process is more democratic? Set aside the facility offered by the FTMeeting…

The Government’s Monopoly on Garbage

By Justin Katz | August 3, 2011 |

This fiscal year, residents of Tiverton are paying $580,000 through their tax bills for trash collection. The town dump is approaching capacity, however, and due to decades of poor fiscal management, the local government lacks the funds to pay for its closure and for the initiation of an alternative method of disposal. So, the powers…

The Kaleidoscopic Arguments Against Democracy

By Justin Katz | July 26, 2011 |

Last week, in Tiverton, the committee tasked to create an alternative to the financial town meeting (FTM) held a hearing on its proposal. Basically, the budget process would follow the same steps, with the Town Council and School Committee submitting budgets to the Budget Committee, which puts together a final request for the consideration of…

An A Priori Ruling from RIDE

By Justin Katz | June 28, 2011 |

Every year, for the past several, Tiverton’s Financial Town Meeting has made a distinction between the amount that it was appropriating from “local funds” and the amount that it expected from state and federal aid. For fiscal year 2010, the state aid came in $367,165 less than predicted, and the school department took the money…

Fun at the FTM

By Justin Katz | May 14, 2011 |

I really hope Tiverton’s financial town meeting (FTM) practice disappears with a proposed all-day referendum that townspeople will have the opportunity to approve in the fall. But in the meantime, we have to come out and fight the good fight. The only striking aspect so far has been the mocking grumbles and sneering looks that…