The Charlestown Town Council Candidate Forum
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island and
the South County Star...
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| Does anyone look like they're having a good time? |
The League of Women Voters of Rhode Island (LWV) and the South County Star sponsored the Charlestown Town Council Candidate Forum featuring Deborah Carney (D), Incumbent Council President; Stephen Stokes (R), Incumbent Council Member; Jill Marie Fonnemann (D); Sasha Puchalski (Independent); Craig Marr (R), Incumbent Council Member; Cynthia Drummond (D); and Bonnita Van Slyke (Independent), Incumbent Council Member.
Matthew Westover (R) was absent.
The forum was moderated by Torey Malatia, the
executive director of Literacy
Volunteers of Washington County. As a journalist, Malatia ran public
media nonprofit organizations in Chicago and Providence for over 40 years. He
currently serves on the board of directors of the new non-profit digital
newspaper, South County Star.
He trained as a medieval English literature specialist and earned an MA from Arizona
State University.
Here’s the video (running time just under 90 minutes):
Videography by Paul Roselli.
Here’s the transcript, edited for clarity:
What is the most important challenge facing Charlestown
today, and how would you address it?
Deborah Carney: The most important issue facing
Charlestown right now is the housing crisis. Housing costs in Charlestown are
so high that it’s virtually impossible for our young families, workforce, and
seniors to afford them.
Steven Stokes: Another major issue facing Charlestown
right now is the struggle between state and local control of local issues.
We’ve seen that slowly erode over the last several years, and it only seems to
be picking up steam. We’re seeing pushback now, and that’s going to be the
future for the next two years. This council will have to look into that and
address the issue.
Jill Fonneman: I agree with Deb. She said it would be
affordable housing and ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). Everybody who lives in
this town deserves to be able to stay in this town if they choose to, whether
they’re senior citizens or our children, while also following strict guidelines
and regulations to protect our environment.
Sasha Puchalski: I agree that housing affordability
in town and people’s ability to move, live, raise, and support their families
here is a massive issue, and that townspeople also need to understand the
specific limitations on development, because while we can hope to liaise with
the state in terms of maintaining control over development in town, we also
need the town to be educated about responsible development and potentially
alternative approaches to development of affordable housing and housing
generally. We need a clear sense of the specific need and data on the number of
people, so we’re catering to families that need it rather than developers.
Craig Marr: I can’t disagree with any of the comments
made before me. The housing issue is the biggest challenge because we have no
infrastructure in the town, so it’s very difficult. As Steve said, we also need
to control development, because without it, an imposition may not fit our town.
But we are an aging community, and we clearly need to bring in young families
to sustain the town and move forward. These two issues are the most important
ones facing the county.
Cynthia Drummond: I agree that housing is an
overarching issue and that local control is paramount. I also feel that unless
we do whatever we can to protect our principal economic driver, which is our
coastline, nothing else will matter. It’s what keeps our taxes low, keeps
people coming to Charlestown to visit, and makes people want to live here.
Bonnita Van Slyke: I agree with Steve that local
control is essential to solving our housing problem. Our water is critically
important and would be threatened by state mandates that greatly increase
market-rate housing but not affordability. And that is a problem for us.
What specific ideas do you have to increase affordable housing in Charlestown?
Steven Stokes: Our focus on affordable housing should
be in cyclical units. We’ve always talked about affordable housing and
homeownership. Unfortunately, in an area along the coastline, not just
Charlestown-specific, but Rhode Island-specific, it’s become so unaffordable
that we should focus our efforts on rental-style units so they can be recycled
as families move on. If I’m low-income today, I get a slightly better spot in
line, and then I can move on to my next step. Somebody else can then take that
rate, unlike the structure we have today, where we put long-term holds, leases,
and restrictions on housing units. It’s very hard to pull yourself out of that.
So I prefer rentals more than housing.
Jill Fonneman: I know a realtor, and she’s looking
forward to creating affordable housing. With developers, a small percentage has
to be affordable housing, which is imperative, but we need to stick to strict
guidelines and listen to the community, because it’s not what I want; it’s what
everybody else wants. We need to band together, expand smartly, and follow
environmental regulations. I want to protect our town. I want everybody to be
involved. I’m not just representing myself. I’m representing everybody. So I
want to hear everybody’s input.
Sasha Puchalski: On affordable housing, we also need
to promote engagement with the affordable housing panel because, historically,
they’ve failed to meet quorums in their meetings, so decisions or advisories
can’t move forward. Second, conservation is a major factor in affordable
housing development. Alternative approaches, such as incentivizing conservation
easements so that we can protect the groundwater and environment without
compromising on dense, affordable housing units, whether they’re rentals or
cluster homes, are also something that we should look into.
Craig Marr: There are no simple solutions to this,
but we do have a phenomenal organization located here in Charlestown, Habitat
for Humanity, and the town can look to them and hopefully partner. We can look
for parcels the town may own that might be available. We can also look for
other types of land grants that might be available. There’s not one simple
solution. Sasha made an interesting point that people have resigned recently
from the Affordable Housing Commission because they couldn’t get a quorum. That
speaks to the need in this town for more volunteers to step up for all of our
commissions, because townspeople get a say in what goes on here. We need people
to step up and get involved.
Cynthia Drummond: I agree with everything that people
have said so far, but unfortunately a lot of people have stigmatized affordable
housing. What affordable housing is, basically, in terms of its general
purpose, is workforce housing. It’s housing working people can afford, but
there seems to be stigma around it and a reluctance to help make it easier to
build or renovate these units. As Craig said, it’s complicated. I hope we can
all work together to find a solution.
Bonnita Van Slyke: Charleston has an affordable
housing plan. It’s in our 2021 Comprehensive Plan. It includes ordinances,
creative partnerships, and financial mechanisms. One of my favorites is
mandatory inclusionary zoning, which lets us incorporate affordable housing into
new developments without greatly increasing density. There’s a difference
between affordable housing and low- and moderate-income housing, and we’re
trying to get both in town. We want a diverse housing mix in town. I recommend
that everybody look to the comprehensive plan and our affordable housing plan.
Deborah Carney: What everyone said is correct. This
is a multi-pronged approach, and we have to look at it inclusively. We need to
look at properties the town already owns that we could partner with Habitat for
Humanity or other organizations to build housing on. We also need to consider
inclusionary zoning, where we require developers building in the town to
include affordable units. But the state also needs to look at the definition of
affordable housing because the way it’s mandated is that it has to stay
affordable for so many years, which, for somebody moving into one of these
units, means they know that they can’t sell it for much of a profit down the
road. It creates a problem that the state needs to resolve through its
definition.
What is your position on the need for a new, unified
Chariho Elementary School?
Jill Fonneman: There is no easy answer. Will it save
us tax money? Yes, it will. Will it burden our roads or Wicklund Field?
Possibly. We have to consider every variable that could become an issue before
anyone decides. We have to stay updated and vigilant to protect our town,
because despite the benefits to the tri-town, we are residents of Charlestown.
That’s what we are representing.
Sasha Puchalski: The townspeople have a vote coming
up on this issue. They’ll decide on that. After that decision, whatever it is,
we will need to hear from all affected parties, including the abutters. If the
plan does go through, concerns will come up years down the road about the
quality of education versus renovating the building. We obviously need to see
how the traffic patterns, if it does go through, will affect the town. Once we
decide, we will need to do everything we can to satisfy all parties. I
understand not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to renovate a building
that’s sorely needed. I personally don’t have kids, so I’m not as directly
involved. That being said, the quality of the children’s education is
paramount.
Craig Marr: We need to do it. I don’t think we have
much choice. Every other option has been voted down. The school in Charlestown
is probably in the best shape, and it’s not in good shape. It may not be the
perfect solution, but right now, it’s the only solution in front of us. If we
vote for this, we have a considerable offset of money coming from the state-
60% to 65%- and it’s desperately needed. I don’t know what options are left if
we don’t go down this path and improve the schools. There are very few options
left.
Cynthia Drummond: I agree with Craig. There are no
other options at this point. The school buildings themselves are so old, some
of them about 100 years old, that pouring money into them is not a wise
investment for our communities. The Chariho School Committee and the communities
have been agonizing over this for years. This is the solution that they’ve come
up with, for better or worse. I believe, like Craig and others here, that we
just have to deal with it now, unfortunately. But it will be for the better.
Bonnita Van Slyke: I agree that we’re somewhat
between a rock and a hard place, since prior votes have eliminated the option
of building new schools in each community. Rehabbed buildings in each community
will be very expensive and will be forced on us by the Department of Education
because they are not suitable for education going forward. There are some
advantages to having a unified school with two buildings. We can bring the
fifth grade back into the elementary school. Some issues will need to be
addressed going forward, but this is the solution.
Deborah Carney: I support the unified building
proposal. I supported the last proposal for three new elementary schools, one
in each town, which was a great missed opportunity because we could have
received up to 85% in reimbursement from the state. Every time a building plan
fails, the school committee has to go back to the drawing board, and it costs
about another million dollars of taxpayers’ money to go through the process all
over again. So is this the best plan? No, no plan is absolutely perfect, but
this is a good plan. It will benefit the students. It takes care of the pre-K
through one in one facility and then two through five in the other. Bringing
the fifth grade back into the elementary school is something that parents have
asked for for a while. We will receive a minimum of 61% state aid
reimbursement, and up to 65%. So it’s a good plan. The longer we wait, the more
it costs. We all know that building costs keep going up, so I support it.
Steven Stokes: I support the unified school system.
We’ve had Chariho for a very long time, and that’s been a unified school
system. There’s no reason to think that bringing the elementary schools under
that umbrella as one school would change that dynamic. My concern is more about
our construction and location. Things have come up with the property in
Charlestown as this process has moved along. My foremost concern is protecting
Charlestown’s interests, because Chariho is a three-town school system, and
there are interests. This includes wage tax restructuring, how much we pay, and
how budgets are done. From my perspective, one of our first responsibilities as
the council is to protect the town of Charlestown and ensure our dynamics and
interests are first and foremost. Then we can talk about the rest of the
system. But as far as the unified part of the school, absolutely.
If the school bond fails, what ideas do you have to
maintain the 72-year-old school?
Sasha Puchalski: If the school bond fails, the town
should explore other funding opportunities to renovate the school as soon as
possible. I also assume that if the school bond fails, the tri-town committee
will propose another solution if funding is available elsewhere. We will have
to respond along with Richmond and Hopkinton, and we will have to look for
further opportunities to renovate the school.
Craig Marr: Ultimately, we don’t have too many other
options. The option of renovating these schools is actually more costly than
demolishing the existing school and building two new ones - significantly so.
The only other option would be to start all over again and perhaps find a
better, more suitable property. I understand that’s a possibility. Perhaps some
properties have come up since this all took place, but I’m not sure that’s an
option right now. Short of that, it’s back to the drawing board, and it’s just
going to cost more money. I don’t think renovating the schools is an option.
It’s not fiscally feasible.
Cynthia Drummond: I don’t think renovating an aging
building that doesn’t meet Rhode Island Department of Education standards is an
option. We would have to step back and look at alternatives, like building
somewhere else, but it’ll be a bitter pill to swallow because it’ll definitely
cost a lot more, and taxpayers will not be happy about it. The school district
and the towns have a tough balance to maintain in this very expensive regional
school system. We’ve kicked the can down the road long enough on the school
buildings, and we have to decide one way or the other.
Bonnita Van Slyke: As I said, we’re between a rock
and a hard place: if the school bond fails, and I hope it does not, all options
are off the table. The state funding will go away. We will have to rehab the
building that we have. It doesn’t meet state standards. The classrooms are too
small. There’s all kinds of things wrong with it. So we’ll have to pay to fix
it.
Deborah Carney: We’re limited in what we can do.
Charlestown is part of the Chariho School District. The Chariho Act limits what
we can and can’t do. We get the 61% state aid reimbursement because we are part
of a regional school district. If we tried to do something on our own, we would
not get that reimbursement from the state. Unfortunately, it would be back to
the drawing board. Chariho would have to go back to square one and reevaluate
once again what building proposal they would put forward. I don’t think they have
any idea what it would be at this point because, as I stated earlier, the
proposal to build the three brand-new schools failed. They’re working on this
unified proposal. I don’t know what’s next. I agree with what Councilmember
Marr said earlier: We can’t rehab those buildings. They’re in bad shape. The
school district toured the different buildings and showed all the problems. So
renovating isn’t feasible.
Steven Stokes: Deborah beat me to it. It’s important
to understand how Chariho works, because it doesn’t function the way it does in
many places in the state where the town council has the authority to make
modifications. We could discuss ideas up here until we’re blue in the face, but
that’s all they are: ideas. The Chariho School Committee is independently
elected. The state of Rhode Island also empowers that body as a taxing entity.
At the end of the day, they hand us a bill, and they say, “This is how much you
owe,” and that becomes part of our budget. As you’ve seen with this council,
we’ve tried to work with Chariho on the land purchase and agreement to do these
things, and that’s the only way we’re going to move forward. It’s going to be
cost-prohibitive regardless of what we do. That’s the situation we’re in. The
past is the past, but unfortunately, going forward, anyone telling you it won’t
be expensive is frankly wrong. It is going to be expensive.
Jill Fonneman: We need the bond to go through. The
school our community’s children attend is beyond disrepair. We need to protect
our children. You wouldn’t put a new roof on a barn that was falling down.
About two years ago, a pipe burst, and thankfully none of the kids were in the
school, but hot sludge sprayed everywhere. What if one of our children got
burned? It’s a no-brainer. We all want to protect our children. We all want to
try to protect our town’s school. We don’t want to put our kids in harm’s way.
We can all agree on that.
How can environmental protection be balanced with
economic development in this time?
Craig Marr: That’s one of Charlestown’s biggest
challenges. We live in a beautiful, pristine rural area. We have the oceans. We
have the ponds. We rely on groundwater for our water. We don’t have town water
or a town sewer, so development has to be very careful and well thought out.
But at the same time, as I’ve said before, we have to have some development
because if we don’t replenish our town, or bring in new blood and businesses,
at some point we don’t have a town. We’ll have a gated community that withers
on the vine. We have to figure this out. We just have to do the balance. It’s
absolutely necessary, but so is planned and careful development.
Cynthia Drummond: We all enjoy one of the lowest tax
rates in the state, and that’s because of our environment. I’ve got one for
those big, expensive houses that none of us can afford to live in by the ocean,
or many of us, most of us, can’t afford. If it were not for the development on
the coast, we’d all be paying the same taxes as the folks in Richmond and
Hopkinton. It’s important to find that balance and not assume economic
development will necessarily benefit us in the long term. It has to be
carefully considered.
Bonnita Van Slyke: Our environment is the basis of
our economy. We have a tourist economy. People come here to hike in the woods
or go to the beach. Without our environment, we wouldn’t have the healthy
economy we have. So I don’t believe we need to trade one off against the other.
We can have both. Environmental preservation is important.
Deborah Carney: The question was: How do we balance
it? We balance it through our laws, ordinances, and regulations. As we all
know, in Charleston, we don’t have public water. We don’t have a public sewer.
We rely on wells and septics. We rely on the specialists we have here in town
for guidance. We have a great wastewater department. We have very knowledgeable
people. Plus, we also work with the state. The state has regulations people
must follow before installing a septic system. We have to rely on the laws,
follow the regulations, and enact local ordinances that let us keep protecting
the environment while allowing businesses to proceed.
Steven Stokes: I would echo that sentiment. The
balance is a mix of our regulatory system and the future technologies out
there. That is both a blessing and a curse. We have gotten better wastewater
technology, but it’s also allowed development in areas that never could have
been developed before. We have to remember that Charlestown’s economic driver
is our coastline. We’ve heard that. We can mostly agree on that. We have some
small businesses, but the coastline mainly drives it; it’s not going anywhere.
Meaning, as it is today, as it was 20 years ago, people have come in, and we
have this tourist community. Those homes in that community are only getting
more expensive and aren’t going anywhere. At this point, we need to shift our
focus more toward environmental concerns to ensure the resources we all share
are properly protected. Then, with support from our local businesses, we have
to determine what businesses we’re looking for.
Jill Fonneman: We need to balance economic
development with environmental protection. I’m an environmentalist. We need to
keep Charlestown a destination for people to safely navigate our waterways and
protect our estuaries. We need to stay unified and informed, because once we do
something that affects the environment, we can’t take that back. We live in a
very unique, special place. This matters for our businesses because we rely on
tourism, and visitors need to navigate our waterways safely. My point is: we
need to avoid any quick, hasty decision-making that would harm our ecosystem.
Sasha Puchalski: I’d like to echo what Bonnie said:
our economic driver is the environment, and as much as that attracts tourists to
our area, we need to recognize that, with the people in the town and the people
who come to visit, there are limits to what the town can be. We need to
understand the limited carrying capacity of different areas of town, the
different vulnerabilities, and get familiar with that so we can move forward
with responsible economic development. I also want to loop this into a question
of recreation and enjoyment of the beautiful spaces in town, and that promoting
facilities, programming, and education can bring into focus the beautiful
environment that we live in and all the different features of it, whether
that’s the ponds, coastal lands, or the forests and the refuge. Bringing
facilities and educational components to these features of our town will help
build community, which will also promote development.
Jill Fonneman: We already have so many regulations
and codes to meet, and it’s not just up to the town council. Environmental
management and other departments will be involved - it’s not just us. A lot of
people stand behind us for the same reason: to protect our environment while
increasing our revenue.
What specific policies or ordinances do you think
Charlestown needs to adopt to address the long-term protection of our coastal
infrastructure?
Cynthia Drummond: Good question. As a journalist, I
intimately covered Charlestown and all the South County towns for a living:
their budgets, stresses, and pressures. Charlestown is in a very fortunate
place. It’s a well-run community. It’s relatively peaceful, and a place where
people want to come for recreation, but also to live. The biggest challenge is
finding a way to welcome everybody to Charlestown with housing people can
afford without compromising the area’s overall quality.
Bonnita Van Slyke: We need to enforce our strong
water controls. We need to use some of the ordinances we already have, like
conservation design, to protect our groundwater, because if our groundwater
isn’t healthy, our ponds will suffer, and we will not be the tourist attraction
that we want to be.
Deborah Carney: What policies or ordinances should we
adopt to protect our coast? Right now, the town has multiple ordinances in
place. Another thing we have, and we’re very lucky, is a good coastal geologist
[Steve McCandless] on our staff. We recently had to deal with the degradation
of the western wall of the Charlestown Breachway, which was jeopardizing the
pond’s health and, in turn, would affect property values and everything else.
The staff member already had a plan. He saw it coming down the road years
before it happened. We had a plan in place. We then worked cooperatively with
the state and our local senators and representatives to secure the funding to
prepare for the problem. The speed at which that project was completed speaks
volumes about how prepared Charlestown was to deal with this. A lot of it has
to do with the ordinances we already have in place and the people that we have
in the key positions within the town government,
Steven Stokes: The ordinances would be the ones
allowed by the state, which brings me back to my original point: As the state
takes more and more control away from us, we are less likely to use more
cost-effective, faster approaches. To Councilor Carney’s point: When we did the
Breachway wall, the state allowed us to do that work. We did that work in
record time because the state helped fund it but let us take the lead. If the
state removes those controls, especially when it comes to our development
processes, how we’re building things, and how we’re doing it, we can’t
necessarily utilize some of those creative solutions that can make our South
County, and the entire shoreline, secure, as well as the rest of our
environment and groundwork. I pitch it back to you: we need more flexibility
from the state for our unique area. That’s the most important part of this.
Jill Fonneman: Many people in our town government are
banding together to avoid loss or detriment. So many regulations involve
improving, maintaining, and protecting our town of Charlestown. I would like to
hear from everybody at some point to weigh in on this because it’s not just my
decision. I support protecting our environment, keeping strict ordinances, and
making sure we don’t slip into practices that harm it.
Sasha Puchalski: I’m going to pass on this question.
Craig Marr: I don’t think we need more ordinances. We
have the ordinances that we need in place. Councilor Spokes has pointed to
ensuring we maintain town control over important things. We’re very fortunate
that the town is run well. And I can take Councilor Carney’s closing statement
away from her: It’s her job, and she did it expertly, to secure state resources
to get that wall fixed. Talk about economic impact to the town: if those ponds
die, our town dies. 40% of the state’s oysters come out of Ninigret Pond. The marinas
and bait-and-tackle companies rely on this. Councilor Carney deserves a lot of
credit for getting that job done in record time. So kudos to her.
Deborah Carney: That was a collaboration between the
town staff, our senators, representatives, and town administrator. So I
appreciate that, Councilor Marr, but I don’t want to take all the credit
because it truly was a team effort. That’s one of the things this council has
shown: that we work cooperatively with others to get things done.
The town council and community members have spent a lot
of time talking about how to use Ninigret Park. What is your vision for the
park?
Bonnita Van Slyke: We did a survey. Most residents
who responded want to leave the park essentially as it is, with small, modest,
non-commercial improvements. That’s a view that we should honor. I wonder about
the master plan that has been passed calling for a large events area and
infrastructure improvements; those would be very expensive. If we entertain
those sorts of things, we need a five-year capital plan that evaluates those
things against other needs. Improvements in Ninigret Park and elsewhere need to
demonstrate benefits to taxpayers and be environmentally sustainable.
Deborah Carney: I love this question. If you go back
to the survey, people wanted recreation in the park. Recreation means something
different to everybody. What we learned through the Master Plan rewrite was
that there is no differentiation between active recreation and passive
recreation. That came directly from the National Park Service, the Master Plan,
and the new 10-year utilization plan. It’s a blueprint; it’s not a construction
plan. This was a big bone of contention two years ago. It’s just a blueprint.
You can pick and choose what you want to do when you want to do it. The reality
is nothing will ever get done until the taxpayers vote to fund it. If you drive
through the park now, you will see great improvements. We have art, trolls, and
daffodil trails. We’re going to add a new entrance to the park, and we have new
wayfinding signs. These changes greatly enhance people’s experience in the park
without creating any trauma.
Steven Stokes: If you’ve lived in Charlestown for any
length of time, you’ll understand that Ninigret Park is akin to civil rights
movements and gun control on a national level. That’s how much of a debated
issue this has become. You need to see it for yourself. The recreation
component is very important. And, as you’ve seen, even over the last decade,
the improvements we’ve made are the kind we can all get behind. You’re about to
see another improvement: when the town partners with South County Tourism to
have this entrance redone, it will beautify the trees and plants. You have the
Trolls, dog park facilities, and the observatory. We hope they bolster the park
because people love going there at night. We’re constantly putting more
maintenance into the park.
The idea here is that we always go back to the debate of
doing nothing or building giant football stadiums. The reality is we live in a
world of budgets, constraints, and debate. What ends up happening is exactly
what you’ve seen over the last 15-20 years: incrementally small improvements
that make big impacts. If we keep doing that, you’ll end up with the beautiful
park you already have, made even more beautiful, that people enjoy. More and
more people are enjoying it every day. We see it with the Trolls. We see it in
the improvements we’ve made. That park has never been busier.
Jill Fonneman: I’ve served on the Charlestown Parks
and Recreation Commission for the past four years. I’m also on the Ninigret
Park Subcommittee. I love our unique park. And the Troll, the first in Rhode
Island, brings so many visitors to our town. I’ve worked in one of the small
businesses in town for the past 13 years, and that Troll brings people in. I’ve
talked to other business owners. That Troll brings people in. Nobody wants huge
festivals or these structures; we want to protect our wildlife refuge, which is
right next door. Ninigret Park is starting. South County Tourism has generously
donated so many artistic stone structures, and there’s more to come. It
benefits everybody, and it’s a gorgeous, fun place for all ages.
Sasha Puchalski: I’ve been going to Ninigret Park my
entire life. I use it for passive recreation: I run, play tennis, go on walks,
and go to the observatory. I believe there is a distinction between passive and
active recreation, and one way we can tell is by how townspeople use the park
versus how visitors from outside areas use it. Instead of focusing on master
plans and spending tens of thousands of dollars on these things, we need to go
back to the townspeople and get a very technical, ongoing survey and census of what
the people of the town want to see in the park, how they use the park, how they
love the park, what they want to see. There are so many opportunities. Other
towns have daycares, adult daycares, gym facilities, indoor facilities, and
transportation to the park so elderly people can get exercise. Look at how the
townspeople, the year-roundresidents, want to use it; I’m not going to make
claims about who wants what, but we need to go back to the people of the town
and get a sense of what we need to protect in that space, and there’s a lot to
protect.
Craig Marr: The town has passed the master plan for
the park, and that’s it. It’s a blueprint. It’s what could feasibly be done and
what makes sense. Not what’s going to be done; as Ms. Carney stated, nothing is
to be done without the voters voting on it. No money has been spent without the
voters. Yes, the plan included a place for large festivals. It was just a
question: what’s the best place in the park for the festivals that already
exist? That’s all. It wasn’t about building anything new. It was asking, what location
is the best? It’s a beautiful park, but it’s embarrassing that we don’t have a
baseball field for the youth to play. It’s a dilapidated former softball field.
It is not usable right now. We need to spend a little more money from Parks and
Rec to beef it up for the youth in our town.
Cynthia Drummond: I’m concerned about the unfortunate
environmental legacy of Ninigret Park, and I don’t have a handle on where we
are collectively in the park’s cleanup. For instance, Little Nini Pond: you
hear rumors that the sediment is contaminated and you shouldn’t let your
children swim there, but lots of kids swim there. People bring their dogs to
swim there. I’d like to know a little more about how contaminated that park is
and when we can expect the remediation to be completed.
Deborah Carney: The Army Corps of Engineers is
currently remediating Ninigret Park. They also have an advisory board that’s
helping educate the public on what’s going on down there. But one of the big
arguments with Ninigret Park over the years has been this passive versus active
recreation. It was a =bone of contention when we were doing the utilization
plan rewrite. As part of the process, the town had to send the plan to the
National Park Service for review and sign-off, and one of the things they noted
in there was that they do not differentiate between passive and active.
Sasha Puchalski: Administrations and opinions within
federal organizations change. I want to emphasize that we can see distinctions
between passive and active. If you were to get a sense of what the townspeople
think about the differentiation, I’m sure there would be a lot to hear. That’s
a better approach than going to a monolith like a federal service. You don’t
know whether you’re getting one perspective, the perspective of an organized
body, or something else. Let’s go back to the townspeople and see what the
people want in the park.
What specific steps would you take to improve
cooperation, public engagement, and trust in town government?
Deborah Carney: We’ve already done that. One of the
things that the majority of this council did is improve open and transparent
government. A lot of our committee meetings are now recorded. They’re available
on the town’s website. They can be viewed anytime. We now provide detailed
meeting minutes, so if someone wants to know what we did in a meeting, they
don’t have to watch the entire meeting, as was the practice in the past when
the minutes included only bare, minimal information. We have very thorough
minutes. As I said, we record many of our committee meetings. They are
available on the town’s website. The majority of this council is extremely
responsive. When our constituents contact us, we respond promptly. We let
people speak at council meetings. I know other towns limit that. We always give
people ample opportunity to speak. Our council rules allow anyone to get on the
agenda for 15 minutes uninterrupted and talk about any item they want. So we’ve
already done that.
Steven Stokes: I would echo that sentiment. We all
know people in the community who have had to interact with the current town
government. Get their opinion, because we don’t need to sell it to you; they’ll
do that for us. They’ll say we’re responsive. Even when we don’t agree on
issues, we allow for ample open debate. That’s one of the most important
differences you’ll see between Charlestown and a lot of other towns. As people
in Charlestown know, our political parties cross lines. We work together on
different issues because we’re trying to better our town, and the debate is how
we approach that. That’s important because we reach better conclusions. We come
out with better answers and solutions because the more we talk about it, the
better the ideas. Not all ideas come from the front. They come from everyone in
the town, and it’s our job to make sure the best ones come forward and get
implemented.
Jill Fonneman: I’ve been in the hospitality industry
for 28 odd years, so I excel at community engagement and bringing people
together - it doesn’t matter where you’re aligned on anything; we can and
should stop actively listening, and that doesn’t mean waiting for somebody to
stop talking and formulating your answer beforehand so that you can talk.
Nobody’s listening with that, and we’re not going to get anything done. We need
to all put our heads together. It’s not about what I think; it’s about the
other 70-100-odd residents. It’s about community. Community doesn’t mean
someone doesn’t like someone else for any reason. Put it aside. Let’s talk.
Let’s figure it out and come to an educated solution that we can all agree on.
Sasha Puchalski: Promoting engagement and access to
information is often the first step. Censuses or surveys sent out to the public
on a variety of different issues, although they may cost some money, are a
great way to get a sense of where people are at. People face many limitations
in coming to town council meetings. Yes, they can watch, but participation is
limited. Promoting dialogue amongst the town people - if there’s any steps that
the town council and town government can take to promote that kind of level of
engagement, even just conversations amongst neighbors - it goes a long way and
will trickle back into more diverse and more nuanced discussions on a regular
basis in the council meetings and on the advisory boards and committees.
Craig Marr: We’ve done a heck of a good job on
transparency. Our meetings are very transparent. We have great debate amongst
the council members. Other councilors have changed my mind. We also have a
great relationship with our town staff. Our town administrator and staff do a
fantastic job. We have a good working relationship with them. But part of that
openness and involvement comes from the volunteers we’re lacking. One of the
longest items on our agenda each time is when the president reads off the
openings in our different commissions. We need help. People have got to get
involved. We can’t do it all ourselves. So if people think there’s a need for
more interaction, join the commission, volunteer, and get involved, because we
can use the help.
Cynthia Drummond: So I agree that the current
administration, council, and staff are extremely responsive. It is truly a very
transparent administration, and I applaud that. I think, though, that the big
missing piece of this puzzle, as Craig just alluded to, is engagement. We have
to find a way to get people to volunteer their time to participate in their
town. One mechanism for that could be a community advisory commission where
ordinary folks who aren’t involved in town government can share ideas and
express how they feel about what’s going on in town.
Bonnita Van Slyke: I agree that the town council has
been very open and transparent for quite some time, and has done a good job. It
all comes down to civil discourse and respect. We could use fewer special
meetings. It’s hard for community members to keep track of what is being
presented. Some meetings present important information, and no one is there. We
need to manage the town’s business more efficiently.
Sasha Puchalski: It occurred to me that this isn’t
something I see the town having, and it happens in other places: a community
town hall event where people can gather semi-frequently to discuss their
issues, independent of town council oversight. That could be something that the
council could try to facilitate. Because engagement is a major issue,
facilitating conversation and spaces for that is a possibility and would be
good.
Steven Stokes: I’d just like to bring up one point
that we missed: we do have community engagement twice a month at council
meetings. That’s very important to understand. The other piece is that, as much
as I would love to see this community forum, we try to reach out digitally. We
try to get the website updated. We have Facebook. The town is reaching out. A
lot of the time, when we run into major problems, it’s because the town
council, like any municipal government, has to follow the Open Meetings Act. We
can’t just have beautiful forums like this. The town can’t necessarily call
specific things. Outside of the town council, they can do forums like this; the
council is a little more limited because of state law.
Jill Fonneman: Can we start with the Charlestown
Wire. I’m sure most of the people are on the Charlestown Wire, and
things are getting wild. It’s full of people jeering and bullying, and nobody’s
coming to a productive solution because you can’t read through all that
blather. Maybe we can all learn how to talk to each other, even a little bit,
because everyone’s shouting over each other and nobody’s listening. We need to
get back to actively listening, coming together, and growing up. We all need to
grow up. We all want to be the best versions of ourselves.
Yes, No, or Pass querstions [Note: Candidates objected to
the constraints of this question in many case.]
Do you support installing lights in Nineveh Park for
playing fields?
- Deborah
Carney: Not permanent ones
- Steven
Stokes: Not permanent ones
- Jill
Fonnemann: Not permanent ones
- Sasha
Puchalski: No
- Craig
Marr: Not permanent ones
- Cynthia
Drummond: No
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: No
Do you support Charlestown allocating municipal resources
to secure and mark public lateral shoreline access even when adjacent property
owners object?
- Deborah
Carney: Yes
- Steven
Stokes: Yes
- Jill
Fonnemann: Yes
- Sasha
Puchalski: Yes
- Craig
Marr: Yes
- Cynthia
Drummond: No
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: No
Will you work to increase local shuttle bus options and
expand regional bus activity for residents?
- All
Candidate: Yes
Do you support Charlestown working with Amtrak to develop
a plan to improve rail service without disadvantaging the town?
- Deborah
Carney: Pass
- Steven
Stokes: No
- Jill
Fonnemann: Yes
- Sasha
Puchalski: No
- Craig
Marr: Yes
- Cynthia
Drummond: Pass
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: Yes
Do you support stricter zoning and environmental
protections to preserve resources in Charlestown, even if it limits commercial
and residential growth?
- Deborah
Carney: Pass
- Steven
Stokes: No
- Jill
Fonnemann: Yes
- Sasha
Puchalski: Pass
- Craig
Marr: Pass
- Cynthia
Drummond: Yes
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: Pass
Do you support Charlestown evaluating other emergency
medical services options?
- Deborah
Carney: No
- Steven
Stokes: No
- Jill
Fonnemann: No
- Sasha
Puchalski: Pass
- Craig
Marr: No
- Cynthia
Drummond: No
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: No
Would you support building a closer relationship with
non-profits like Habitat to increase affordable housing in Charlestown?
- All
Candidates: Yes
Do you support term limits for town councilors and school
committee members?
- Deborah
Carney: No
- Steven
Stokes: No
- Jill
Fonnemann: Pass
- Sasha
Puchalski: No
- Craig
Marr: No
- Cynthia
Drummond: Pass
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: No
Do you support four-year terms for town council members?
- Deborah
Carney: Yes
- Steven
Stokes: Yes
- Jill
Fonnemann: Yes
- Sasha
Puchalski: Yes
- Craig
Marr: Yes
- Cynthia
Drummond: Yes
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: No
Do you believe Charlestown should take legal action to
challenge housing mandates required by the state?
- Deborah
Carney: Pass
- Steven
Stokes: Yes
- Jill
Fonnemann: Yes
- Sasha
Puchalski: Yes
- Craig
Marr: Yes
- Cynthia
Drummond: Yes
- Bonnita
Van Slyke: Yes
Closing statements
Bonnita Van Slyke: I’m running for town council
because I want to make Charlestown a place where people can afford to live,
town government works for everyone, and our rural character endures. I will
bring a lot of experience to the council. My family has been part of the community
for years. I was elected to the town council in 2014 and served until 2022. I
was reelected again in December. On joining the council in December, I urged
our council to challenge the mandates that are coming from the state that cause
a lot of market-rate housing, not affordable housing, and threaten our water.
Cynthia Drummond: I’ve never run for town council or
any other public office, but I’ve been a reporter since 1976, and I have seen a
lot of governments at work. Since I moved to Rhode Island in 1998, I have
reported for the Westerly Sun and then later for the Beaver River Valley
Community Association (BRVCA) on town governance. I have spent endless hours
watching town councils and administrators prepare their budgets, deal with
emergencies, and try to balance the environment and economic development. I’ve
seen it all, and if I’m going to run for council, I want it to be here because
Charlestown is the best place to live in this state. I wouldn’t want to be
anywhere else. The town is run very well, so I’d like to be a part of that.
Craig Marr: I’m running for re-election. I voted yes
on the four-year term because after two years, I’m just starting to learn the
role and get comfortable in it. We have a great council. We work well together.
As I said earlier, we work well with the town government. As a small business
owner in town, I’ve seen the challenges businesses face. I’ve listened to what
citizens have to say. With my business background and my experience in
volunteerism and on the town council, I bring a sensible, common-sense approach
that is often needed. I ask for your support and your vote.
Sasha Puchalski: I am running for town council as
someone who grew up here and has returned as an adult. Although I don’t have
experience serving in public office, I agree with Cynthia: this is an amazing
place to live, raise children, and call home. I want to help protect
Charlestown. I want to help preserve the resources here and be able to live
here, but I also want to promote outreach to the townspeople. How can we figure
out who wants to live here? We don’t want to bring in more and more people
through town development without recognizing who actually wants to be here, can
appreciate this place, and wants to make it their home for generations to come.
We have a lot of work to do to educate the public, and educate ourselves about
what the town needs to preserve these resources. That’s what I want to do as
someone who’s young and coming into this: promote outreach to the people.
Jill Fonneman: I’m the new kid on the block. I wasn’t
raised in a political setting or family, but I love helping people and bringing
people together. The special election last December showed that people believe
in me. People know that I’m for the people. It’s not what I want: it’s what
everybody else wants. I’ve hosted multiple fundraisers locally, whether it be
in my own time or through my work. My job role is essentially budgeting,
pivoting, strategizing, and solving problems in real time. If I’m elected, I
look forward to building on the momentum we’ve seen with our town council and
departments over the past four-odd years. I hope you will consider voting for
me. I’m a fresh gaze. I’m a strong voice. I don’t stand down. I stick up for
what’s right.
Steven Stokes: I’ve lived in this town for the last
40 years, and I’ve seen this community grow. I’ve seen this community change.
If you entrust your vote to anyone on this stage, I truly believe you’ll get
candidates who care about this community and want to see it succeed. How does
that distinguish me from others? I would say this: I’ve served on the council
for the last two terms. Some of my fellow councilors are up here with me. All
you have to do is ask yourself one question: If you truly enjoy living in
Charlestown, feel that you have a good government, and that the town is truly
working- not everything is perfect, but we are truly working in your best
interest - then I would ask that you reelect us. If you don’t feel that and
your grievances are so strong that you’re unable to come to the town council,
then I would say try your choice another day. But I truly believe that if you
vote for anyone up here today, you’ll elect people who care about their
community and will give you a good effort for your vote.
Deborah Carney: I’m running for reelection because I
truly love this town. The town is on a good path, and I’m asking for everyone’s
vote so we can keep it going. I was first elected to the town council in 2002,
so I’ve been around for quite a while, but time has come and gone as life
changes. I’ve served 12 years on the council, 10 as council president, and two
as vice president. I also served four years on the school committee as a
write-in candidate with 13 votes, because nobody ran that year. But I learned a
lot about how the school district works. I bring a lot of experience. I know
the ordinances, laws, and regulations. I know how to work cooperatively with
people. I’m a Democrat who runs with Republicans, so that tells you right there
that we’ve got to work together to get things done for the betterment of the
town. Most of the council has done that successfully, at least for the past
four years or so, and I ask for your votes to continue representing the people
of Charlestown.
