Tiverton

A Familiar Drum

By Justin Katz | May 23, 2010 |

I’m keeping up the posting over on the Tiverton Citizens for Change Web site, including the observation that the drum that the Tiverton School Committee beat prior to our financial town meeting are now being played in West Warwick: Sports programs and part-time employees join the list of recommended cuts school officials hope will compensate…

Nothing to See Here, Locally and Globally

By Justin Katz | May 15, 2010 |

Well, we got beat at the Tiverton financial town meeting. Liveblog here, and post-game here. Tiverton’s tax levy will now go up a minimum of 7.88% in the middle of the worst economy in a century, with house values plummeting, businesses closing, and for sale signs loitering for months on end on front lawns around…

Radio Last Night & This Morning

By Justin Katz | May 13, 2010 |

On the Matt Allen Show, last night, I gave a quick explanation of circumstances in Tiverton. Stream by clicking here, or download it. I’ll be on the John DePetro Show, this morning at 6:20 a.m. for the same purpose.

Bringing the Town to the State’s Attention

By Justin Katz | May 12, 2010 |

I’ve got an op-ed in today’s Providence Journal placing Tiverton’s budget battles in the context of community and different notions thereof. In one version of “community,” it’s a good thing to be a slob, thereby creating a need for other residents to pay somebody to clean up, and it’s a bad thing to take an…

Some Tiverton Facts and Arguments

By Justin Katz | May 11, 2010 |

I’ve spent the past six months or so learning the details of current debates in Tiverton government, so I’ve got quite a bit of information to get out into the public during this week between assemblies of the financial town meeting. Here are three posts I’ve put up, this evening: Responding to the tax assessor’s…

2010 FTM, Volume 1

By Justin Katz | May 8, 2010 |

My summary report from the first 2010 Tiverton Financial Town meeting is now up. I’ll get around to posting video, at some point, but since I was so active at the meeting, I didn’t turn the camera at all, so it might be more useful to think of it as audio with a related picture.

Punch Drunk from Local Politics

By Justin Katz | May 8, 2010 |

I just got home from Tiverton’s financial town meeting and a lunch decompression session. I’ll attempt a more thorough report for the TCC Web site once my disorientation dissipates. I’ll say this, for now: I really did not imagine how far — how dirty — the Democratic Town Committee/union coalition was going to be willing…

Different Towns, Different Compassion for Taxpayers’ Plight

By Justin Katz | April 30, 2010 |

According to the Newport Daily News, some elected officials in Middletown are willing to acknowledge the economy in which constituents are having to struggle: Councilman Edward J. Silveira said he submitted a docket item to discuss the issue [of a zero percent increase] after hearing from residents and businesses about the increased hardships they’re facing.…

Shady Maneuvers in Local Government

By Justin Katz | April 27, 2010 |

One periodically hears the complaint that Republican candidates, in Rhode Island, too often shoot for the bigger state and federal elected offices, rather than starting local. Each person has to determine his or her interests and preferences for participation, but I’ve been finding local politics, here in Tiverton, to be extremely instructive in helping to…

TCC on the Richard Urban Show

By Justin Katz | April 22, 2010 |

Two other members of Tiverton Citizens for Change and I had the opportunity to talk Tiverton budgetary politics on the Richard Urban Show, yesterday. The video is up on the TCC Web site.