In order to understand the needs and inner workings of the entire town, we set out on a mission about seven years ago to do just that-find out what Tiverton needed to move forward during these difficult times.
We attended all the meetings we could possibly fit into our already busy schedules. The Budget Committee, the Zoning Board, the School Committee, the Town Council, the Senior Center activities, Recreation Commission, the Economic Development Committee. We saw many elected and appointed officials dedicating their time and efforts trying to solve the problems of providing effective and efficient services while not hurting the people paying the bill – the taxpayers. Trying to develop the town while still preserving the rural character and beauty that we hold so dear in Tiverton. Hours, months and years of debate have led us to today. We all want to preserve our services that we are fortunate to have so we realize we must expand our tax base this is not as simple as it sounds in today’s economy.
Tiverton is an amazing place to live. It is a caring community that supports it’s Police, Fire, DPW, the Senior Center, Recreation, Public Schools, theLlibrary and Social Services, so let’s keep it that way and work hard to find a balance between these essential services that provide our quality of life and our ability to pay for them. It will take hard work, dedication, balanced thought, common sense, compromise and the Unity of Effort on everyone’s part.
Our support in this most important election cycle, goes to the candidates for Town Council: Donald Bollin, Stuart Horwitz, and Brett Pelletier. We are still pondering on support for the rest of the candidates for Council. Budget Committee: Louise Durfee, Chris Cotta, Donna Edwards, Laura Epke, and Joanne Arruda. State Representative District 70 is Jay Edwards. State Representative for District 71 is George Alzaibak. State Senate – Walter Felag and Louis DePalma. Town Clerk Nancy Mello. School Committee – Deb Pallasch and Jan Bergundy.
Running for office can be difficult, but nothing compares to governing the Town. The wheels of government churn slowly so one must be patient and persistent at the same time, and be open minded not single-minded.
02878 -- one Town, our Town. Life is for those who show up….so please get out to vote on Tuesday, November 2nd.
Sally Black
Joanne Arruda
Tiverton, RI
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
PLEASE VOTE!
With Election Day upon us, it's not too late to make a difference. If you can, contact friends, family & neighbors and remind them to vote. Forward any emails that you find useful. If you agree with any of the "recommendation" lists posted on CURB, copy it to others, and print it out to bring to the polling place. TCC has deep pockets and has spent big bucks on ads and cards mailed to homes. By printing out a recommendation list, we can make sure supporters of a responsible budget and community & school services know who shares their values.
Above all, however you decide to vote, please vote. However things turn out, you can have the satisfaction that you did your part to preserve the town we love.
Thanks for your interest in CURB, and in your community.
Brian Medeiros
CURB Administrator
Above all, however you decide to vote, please vote. However things turn out, you can have the satisfaction that you did your part to preserve the town we love.
Thanks for your interest in CURB, and in your community.
Brian Medeiros
CURB Administrator
THE BIG PICTURE: WHAT'S AT-STAKE & HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
With all that gets said during the heat of the moment in a political campaign, it's important to sometimes look at the big picture, the long-term view. While we all have our gripes about government, it's not some alien force imposed on us from above. Those in office represent us. And if there are things we don't like, it's our responsibility to get involved and work for changes. But government, like most things in life, will never be perfect. It's been said that our democratic system is the worst one ever, except for every other one that was ever tried. Most people want to go about their lives, not get informed or involved in government, and expect it to all go well. But it doesn't work like that. Democracy is a high-maintenance process; neglect it and it becomes a mess. The cost of having the right to decide your government is also having the responsibility to put in the effort to do so effectively.
I get asked why it matters if you vote tomorrow, or whom you vote for. The reality is that both the short-term and long-term health of our community is at-stake. All the effort that went into preserving our town and school services at this year's FTM are at-risk if candidates with personal agendas prevail. The progress made in making both our school and town services more affordable are at-risk. For all the misinformation about spending being out of control, the fact is that school spending went up about 2% this year, municipal spending about 1%, and this has been trending down each year. What the anti-tax crusaders fail to tell you (or don't understand themselves) is that the cause for this year's 8% tax increase was almost entirely to make up $1.5 million in auto-tax money promised by the State but then withheld. And a majority of voters chose to pay $3 more per week in taxes, rather than allow the State's actions to destroy our schools & town services. It was a responsible, long-term investment in our own community, in each other, and that's the reality that gets lost when some spread misinformation to exploit people's fears during difficult times. Our future, as well as present services, is what's at-risk.
It's easy to proclaim empty, feel-good words about "tax cuts". But if you do so, you have the obligation to explain what you will cut to pay for those cuts. The reality is that "quality of life" is about a lot more than taxes. Things don't happen in a vacuum. Every action affects countless other things, and the "rule of unintended consequences" usually applies. The same tax cuts on the federal and state level that were so popular with many are the same ones that pushed the financial burden down onto property taxes. Saving a few dollars in taxes today can cost us all more in the long-run by failing to make necessary investments in our community. Responsible government attempts to balance all concerns and aspects of the community, for the common good. And that's why you need serious, sincere people representing you, ones with the courage to tackle problems honestly, and even risk being unpopular in order to do the right thing.
Most if not all people agree with the bumper-sticker "issues" most candidates repeat like a mantra: create jobs, lower taxes, lower costs & spending, more transparency. What's really at-stake are the details, how we bring these goals to fruition. Whether on the local, state or national level, it seems to me that just about every issue and debate can be boiled down in its essence to three options: status quo, radical change, and incremental change.
Take the tax issue. Keeping things as they are, the status quo, is generally the position of labor unions, who understandably want to preserve the pay-levels and benefits their members have accrued over the years. But the reality is that far too often, these compensation packages are out of whack with the taxpayers' ability to pay. Most agree that change is needed, but what kind of change? Conservative anti-tax groups (like the Tea Party) advocate radical change, drastic cutbacks in taxes and spending that will cause untold harm in our communities. This is a great option to vent frustration or promote a political agenda, but not to govern real people with real needs. I believe that when the options are clearly understood, smart, incremental change is the best course. Things should at least be heading in the right direction. And despite unprecedented challenges, and some opportunists amplifying and exploiting fears for political gain, the facts demonstrate clearly that they are.
But the problem is that competence and moderation aren't exciting. It's the extremes, full of anger and the dumbing-down of the facts, that draw the attention. And this is where fringe deep-pocketed special-interest groups like the Tea Party and their local versions, anti-tax groups like TCC, come in. Knowing they can't win a majority by promoting their true agenda and views, they put on a mask of reasonableness and populism, exploiting people's fears or lack of true information. They rely on voters' apathy and short-term memories to turn dissatisfaction into an excuse to discard reason.
In the end, it all comes down to values. It's easy to cut schools when you don't have kids in them, to cut community services when you're well-to-do, and to not care about the decimation of a community when you have no history in it. Most TCC candidates, like TC candidates David Nelson & Robert Coulter, have no kids in schools, and have lived in town just a handful of years. They've clearly demonstrated that their only interest is self-interest. They have a right to pursue that agenda, but also an obligation to do so in an honest way.
It's stunning to think that there are two TCC leaders running for the Town Council while supporting lawsuits against Tiverton, looking to overturn the decision of the people of Tiverton at the Financial Town Meeting. These suits cost the town precious time and money to litigate, and if somehow successful, could leave the town millions of dollars in the hole. These same candidates lead an organization that raised and spent untold amounts of money to pay for robocalls on the eve of the FTM to scare senior citizens with the lie of a 22% tax increase. And TCC knew it was a shameful lie; not one of them dared even mention it at the FTM. Now TCC won't tell us who gave them the money for these calls. So we're left to wonder: where did the money come from? Was it from outside developers, who will now be looking for a return on their investment if TCC candidates are elected (and do THEY really have your best interests in mind?) If this isn't the case, why not just tell us the truth about those funds? Is this the "transparency" TCC talks about?
What's exciting and hopeful is that one person can truly make a difference, especially when uniting with others doing the same. I urge all Tiverton voters to get as informed as possible, and get out to vote tomorrow. It's also crucial to get the facts out to family, friends & neighbors, and encourage them to vote in support of their community as well. I have a lot of faith in people and in the outcome if a majority of voters truly understand the facts and vote accordingly. If we were to take the time and energy spent in political infighting and devote it to a unified effort to address our problems, our situation would improve overnight. It may be a cliche, but if we work together in good faith towards a solution, we can preserve our quality of life, now and for the future.
Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI
I get asked why it matters if you vote tomorrow, or whom you vote for. The reality is that both the short-term and long-term health of our community is at-stake. All the effort that went into preserving our town and school services at this year's FTM are at-risk if candidates with personal agendas prevail. The progress made in making both our school and town services more affordable are at-risk. For all the misinformation about spending being out of control, the fact is that school spending went up about 2% this year, municipal spending about 1%, and this has been trending down each year. What the anti-tax crusaders fail to tell you (or don't understand themselves) is that the cause for this year's 8% tax increase was almost entirely to make up $1.5 million in auto-tax money promised by the State but then withheld. And a majority of voters chose to pay $3 more per week in taxes, rather than allow the State's actions to destroy our schools & town services. It was a responsible, long-term investment in our own community, in each other, and that's the reality that gets lost when some spread misinformation to exploit people's fears during difficult times. Our future, as well as present services, is what's at-risk.
It's easy to proclaim empty, feel-good words about "tax cuts". But if you do so, you have the obligation to explain what you will cut to pay for those cuts. The reality is that "quality of life" is about a lot more than taxes. Things don't happen in a vacuum. Every action affects countless other things, and the "rule of unintended consequences" usually applies. The same tax cuts on the federal and state level that were so popular with many are the same ones that pushed the financial burden down onto property taxes. Saving a few dollars in taxes today can cost us all more in the long-run by failing to make necessary investments in our community. Responsible government attempts to balance all concerns and aspects of the community, for the common good. And that's why you need serious, sincere people representing you, ones with the courage to tackle problems honestly, and even risk being unpopular in order to do the right thing.
Most if not all people agree with the bumper-sticker "issues" most candidates repeat like a mantra: create jobs, lower taxes, lower costs & spending, more transparency. What's really at-stake are the details, how we bring these goals to fruition. Whether on the local, state or national level, it seems to me that just about every issue and debate can be boiled down in its essence to three options: status quo, radical change, and incremental change.
Take the tax issue. Keeping things as they are, the status quo, is generally the position of labor unions, who understandably want to preserve the pay-levels and benefits their members have accrued over the years. But the reality is that far too often, these compensation packages are out of whack with the taxpayers' ability to pay. Most agree that change is needed, but what kind of change? Conservative anti-tax groups (like the Tea Party) advocate radical change, drastic cutbacks in taxes and spending that will cause untold harm in our communities. This is a great option to vent frustration or promote a political agenda, but not to govern real people with real needs. I believe that when the options are clearly understood, smart, incremental change is the best course. Things should at least be heading in the right direction. And despite unprecedented challenges, and some opportunists amplifying and exploiting fears for political gain, the facts demonstrate clearly that they are.
But the problem is that competence and moderation aren't exciting. It's the extremes, full of anger and the dumbing-down of the facts, that draw the attention. And this is where fringe deep-pocketed special-interest groups like the Tea Party and their local versions, anti-tax groups like TCC, come in. Knowing they can't win a majority by promoting their true agenda and views, they put on a mask of reasonableness and populism, exploiting people's fears or lack of true information. They rely on voters' apathy and short-term memories to turn dissatisfaction into an excuse to discard reason.
In the end, it all comes down to values. It's easy to cut schools when you don't have kids in them, to cut community services when you're well-to-do, and to not care about the decimation of a community when you have no history in it. Most TCC candidates, like TC candidates David Nelson & Robert Coulter, have no kids in schools, and have lived in town just a handful of years. They've clearly demonstrated that their only interest is self-interest. They have a right to pursue that agenda, but also an obligation to do so in an honest way.
It's stunning to think that there are two TCC leaders running for the Town Council while supporting lawsuits against Tiverton, looking to overturn the decision of the people of Tiverton at the Financial Town Meeting. These suits cost the town precious time and money to litigate, and if somehow successful, could leave the town millions of dollars in the hole. These same candidates lead an organization that raised and spent untold amounts of money to pay for robocalls on the eve of the FTM to scare senior citizens with the lie of a 22% tax increase. And TCC knew it was a shameful lie; not one of them dared even mention it at the FTM. Now TCC won't tell us who gave them the money for these calls. So we're left to wonder: where did the money come from? Was it from outside developers, who will now be looking for a return on their investment if TCC candidates are elected (and do THEY really have your best interests in mind?) If this isn't the case, why not just tell us the truth about those funds? Is this the "transparency" TCC talks about?
What's exciting and hopeful is that one person can truly make a difference, especially when uniting with others doing the same. I urge all Tiverton voters to get as informed as possible, and get out to vote tomorrow. It's also crucial to get the facts out to family, friends & neighbors, and encourage them to vote in support of their community as well. I have a lot of faith in people and in the outcome if a majority of voters truly understand the facts and vote accordingly. If we were to take the time and energy spent in political infighting and devote it to a unified effort to address our problems, our situation would improve overnight. It may be a cliche, but if we work together in good faith towards a solution, we can preserve our quality of life, now and for the future.
Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI
RECOMMENDATIONS: BRIAN MEDEIROS
My recommendations for the local races on tomorrow's ballot, and the reasoning behind them:
TOWN COUNCIL (seven candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
BRETT PELLETIER
STUART HORWITZ
DON BOLLIN
ED RODERICK
Recommended
CECIL LEONARD
JAY LAMBERT
MICHAEL SMITH
Brett Pelletier and Stuart Horwitz will provide a fresh, energetic perspective on the TC, and are dedicated to balancing supporting our schools and community services with containing costs. Don Bollin has a much-respected record of being a passionate advocate for both fiscal responsibility and quality of life issues. Ed Roderick has distinguished himself during his first term as a reasonable, diligent Councilor.
Although I have concerns about some of the positions Cecil Leonard and Jay Lambert have taken over the past two years, I think those are outweighed by their positive contributions. And despite his troubling start as FTM Moderator, I believe Michael Smith showed vast improvement on day 2 and is the most promising option for the seventh Council seat. The other non-TCC candidate, Mark DeMello, has past experience, but comes off as a one-issue candidate advocating economic development to the exclusion of other concerns.
There are four candidates endorsed only by TCC who clearly would be hostile to maintaining our school and community services, and would advocate radical cuts that will cost us all more in the long run and decimate our community. Joan Chabot comes off as well-intentioned but ill-informed, buying into the TCC outlook. Jeffrey Belli has arrogantly trashed other candidates for not sitting in the audience for as many TC meetings as him (where's the attendance sheet?), yet his responses to questions shows him to be both poorly-informed about town matters and reckless enough to make a claim of "fraudulent expenditures by town employees" without a shred of fact.
The candidacies of David Nelson and Robert Coulter are especially disturbing, given their records of less-than-transparent political dealings, support for budgets that would decimate our school and town services, and support for lawsuits attempting to reverse the will of the people of Tiverton at the Financial Town Meeting.
The bottom line: don't be fooled by those trying to use TC votes on a few issues you may disagree with into exchanging solid incumbents for rookies with a personal, anti-Tiverton agenda. Councilors must make many decisions, and most will make one side happy and disappoint others. That's the nature of government. But on balance, while we may all disagree with one decision or another, we've been well-served in difficult times.
BUDGET COMMITTEE (five candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
LAURA EPKE
LOUISE DURFEE
CHRIS COTTA
DONNA EDWARDS
JOANNE ARRUDA
These five candidates provide a vast wealth of experience, knowledge and community commitment. They have the capacity to restore the BC to the respected, non-partisan advisory committee it was before TCC domination made it an irrelevant embarassment over the past two years. The history of the other two candidates on the ballot, Joseph Sousa and James Amarantes, and their TCC ties, promises more of the same.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE (2 candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
DEBORAH PALLASCH
Recommended
JAN BERGANDY
Deb Pallasch has long been a tireless advocate on behalf of our schools and community. She's willing to take a tough stand, standing up to TCC at the FTM to help stop radical budget cuts, but also calling on the teachers' union to accept necessary contract concessions. Jan Bergandy has served our schools well overall, but his recurring strident, often TCC-style hostility towards our teachers is unnecessary and counterproductive as we try to unite the people of Tiverton to preserve our community.
CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION: 20% VOTE TO FORCE BALLOT VOTE AT FTM
REJECT
The proposed Charter Amendment would allow just 20% of attendees at the Financial Town Meeting to force a ballot vote on any issue. While this may sound reasonable on first hearing, the reality is that this would make an already-bad process even worse. With it, an angry minority at the FTM could force ballot votes on every question, either as a protest or in a political move to force the meeting to continue a week later when the turnout might be different. Each ballot vote would require a half-hour at best (possibly an hour or more) to have everyone (over 1000 people this year) file out, cast a ballot, and then have them tabulated. With a four-hour time limit per FTM session, it could take multiple meetings just to get through a few issues. Of course we all hope people won't abuse such a rule, but anyone who's attended an FTM knows that's a futile hope. To avoid even more chaos, I recommend rejecting this amendment.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 70
Strongly Recommended
JOHN G. "JAY" EDWARDS
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 10
WALTER S. FELAG JR.
The burden of proof when asking voters to replace an incumbent falls on the challenger. And in my view, neither challenger offered much beyond the same empty feel-good rhetoric of "create jobs/cut taxes/open government". There were few if any details. It's easy to support lower taxes, but you then have a responsibility to tell voters exactly what you'll cut to pay for those tax cuts, and this was avoided. Moreso, Wally Felag and Jay Edwards have served the people of Tiverton well, and have been hard-working and available to their constituents. Voters also should ask whether we're better represented by someone with the weight that comes from seniority in the vast-majority party, or a newcomer whose a member of the vast-minority party. And for those who care about maintaining town and school services while working to contain costs & taxes, Felag & Edwards are the clear-cut choices.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 71
GEORGE S. ALZAIBAK
While both candidates displayed some rough edges at the recent TV forum, on the issues it's clear that George Alzaibak will best support our town and school services while containing costs & taxes. And the value of a representative who is part of the vast-majority party shouldn't be underestimated.
These are my views. Please share yours with CURB readers.
Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI
TOWN COUNCIL (seven candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
BRETT PELLETIER
STUART HORWITZ
DON BOLLIN
ED RODERICK
Recommended
CECIL LEONARD
JAY LAMBERT
MICHAEL SMITH
Brett Pelletier and Stuart Horwitz will provide a fresh, energetic perspective on the TC, and are dedicated to balancing supporting our schools and community services with containing costs. Don Bollin has a much-respected record of being a passionate advocate for both fiscal responsibility and quality of life issues. Ed Roderick has distinguished himself during his first term as a reasonable, diligent Councilor.
Although I have concerns about some of the positions Cecil Leonard and Jay Lambert have taken over the past two years, I think those are outweighed by their positive contributions. And despite his troubling start as FTM Moderator, I believe Michael Smith showed vast improvement on day 2 and is the most promising option for the seventh Council seat. The other non-TCC candidate, Mark DeMello, has past experience, but comes off as a one-issue candidate advocating economic development to the exclusion of other concerns.
There are four candidates endorsed only by TCC who clearly would be hostile to maintaining our school and community services, and would advocate radical cuts that will cost us all more in the long run and decimate our community. Joan Chabot comes off as well-intentioned but ill-informed, buying into the TCC outlook. Jeffrey Belli has arrogantly trashed other candidates for not sitting in the audience for as many TC meetings as him (where's the attendance sheet?), yet his responses to questions shows him to be both poorly-informed about town matters and reckless enough to make a claim of "fraudulent expenditures by town employees" without a shred of fact.
The candidacies of David Nelson and Robert Coulter are especially disturbing, given their records of less-than-transparent political dealings, support for budgets that would decimate our school and town services, and support for lawsuits attempting to reverse the will of the people of Tiverton at the Financial Town Meeting.
The bottom line: don't be fooled by those trying to use TC votes on a few issues you may disagree with into exchanging solid incumbents for rookies with a personal, anti-Tiverton agenda. Councilors must make many decisions, and most will make one side happy and disappoint others. That's the nature of government. But on balance, while we may all disagree with one decision or another, we've been well-served in difficult times.
BUDGET COMMITTEE (five candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
LAURA EPKE
LOUISE DURFEE
CHRIS COTTA
DONNA EDWARDS
JOANNE ARRUDA
These five candidates provide a vast wealth of experience, knowledge and community commitment. They have the capacity to restore the BC to the respected, non-partisan advisory committee it was before TCC domination made it an irrelevant embarassment over the past two years. The history of the other two candidates on the ballot, Joseph Sousa and James Amarantes, and their TCC ties, promises more of the same.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE (2 candidates elected)
Strongly Recommended
DEBORAH PALLASCH
Recommended
JAN BERGANDY
Deb Pallasch has long been a tireless advocate on behalf of our schools and community. She's willing to take a tough stand, standing up to TCC at the FTM to help stop radical budget cuts, but also calling on the teachers' union to accept necessary contract concessions. Jan Bergandy has served our schools well overall, but his recurring strident, often TCC-style hostility towards our teachers is unnecessary and counterproductive as we try to unite the people of Tiverton to preserve our community.
CHARTER AMENDMENT QUESTION: 20% VOTE TO FORCE BALLOT VOTE AT FTM
REJECT
The proposed Charter Amendment would allow just 20% of attendees at the Financial Town Meeting to force a ballot vote on any issue. While this may sound reasonable on first hearing, the reality is that this would make an already-bad process even worse. With it, an angry minority at the FTM could force ballot votes on every question, either as a protest or in a political move to force the meeting to continue a week later when the turnout might be different. Each ballot vote would require a half-hour at best (possibly an hour or more) to have everyone (over 1000 people this year) file out, cast a ballot, and then have them tabulated. With a four-hour time limit per FTM session, it could take multiple meetings just to get through a few issues. Of course we all hope people won't abuse such a rule, but anyone who's attended an FTM knows that's a futile hope. To avoid even more chaos, I recommend rejecting this amendment.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 70
Strongly Recommended
JOHN G. "JAY" EDWARDS
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 10
WALTER S. FELAG JR.
The burden of proof when asking voters to replace an incumbent falls on the challenger. And in my view, neither challenger offered much beyond the same empty feel-good rhetoric of "create jobs/cut taxes/open government". There were few if any details. It's easy to support lower taxes, but you then have a responsibility to tell voters exactly what you'll cut to pay for those tax cuts, and this was avoided. Moreso, Wally Felag and Jay Edwards have served the people of Tiverton well, and have been hard-working and available to their constituents. Voters also should ask whether we're better represented by someone with the weight that comes from seniority in the vast-majority party, or a newcomer whose a member of the vast-minority party. And for those who care about maintaining town and school services while working to contain costs & taxes, Felag & Edwards are the clear-cut choices.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 71
GEORGE S. ALZAIBAK
While both candidates displayed some rough edges at the recent TV forum, on the issues it's clear that George Alzaibak will best support our town and school services while containing costs & taxes. And the value of a representative who is part of the vast-majority party shouldn't be underestimated.
These are my views. Please share yours with CURB readers.
Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI
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