Some tips for last-minute undecided voters

Your vote counts. Be wise how you use it

By Will Collette

If you’re the kind of person who does their Xmas shopping on Xmas Eve, or mails in their tax return on the evening of April 14, this article is for you.

As of Monday after early voting ended, 2323 of Charlestown’s 6805 active registered voters cast their ballots either by mail or through in-person early voting. On its own, that’s a big turn-out for a non-Presidential election. Tomorrow, it’s up to the remaining 4,482 to decide whether to go to the polls and, if so, to decide how they will cast their ballots.

To find out WHERE you need to go to vote, CLICK HERE.

From a Progressive Charlestown standpoint, many of those decisions are clear and at the federal and state level, we should follow Donald Trump’s call for us to vote like he’s on the ballot…and vote for Democrats, especially US Rep. Seth Magaziner, and Helena Foulkes for Governor.

At the town level, the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee supports three outstanding Democrats for Town Council:

Left to right: Town Council President Deb Carney, Cynthia Drummond and Jill Fonnemann. Endorsed Democrats.

Charlestown Residents United (CRU) is a bi-partisan PAC that has held the Council majority for the past four years. They defeated the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) and it’s corrupt and inept leadership in 2022 and have since delivered competent, fiscally responsible, no-drama government. Their Council slate:

Charlestown Residents United's endorsed slate for Town Council

In my opinion, the CRU incumbents – Deb Carney, Craig Marr and Steve Stokes – have earned re-election. Jill Fonnemann is also one of my favorites – I supported her first election effort in December’s special election to fill the Council term of the late Rippy Serra. I don’t know much about Republican Matt Westover, other than he gave negative answers to the Womenx Project’s survey on women’s rights issues.

Democrat Cynthia Drummond (D) is on the town Democrat’s list but not on CRU’s list. She IS featured on the CCA’s endorsement list as if she was the top of the ticket.

Because this seemed contrary to Cynthia’s interview remarks to Alex Nunes that she wanted to steer clear of the CRU-CCA rivalry and only seek the town Democratic endorsement, I asked her this:

COLLETTE’S QUESTION:

[F]rom the CCA campaign material, it looks like the CCA is touting you as the top of their ticket. Did you give the CCA your consent for them to market you so prominently? 

Second, the CCA is notorious for demanding loyalty from all their endorsed candidates not just to their platform but also to every directive from the leadership. They purged their very first Council [in 2010] when the CCA decided to make a 180-degree switch of position on wind energy going from positive support to total opposition. Were you asked to pledge your loyalty to their platform? To their leadership? 

CYNTHIA’S RESPONSE:

When I decided to run, I stated that I would not be accepting endorsements from either the CCA or CRU. I did not want to become embroiled in the rivalry between the two PACs, which I often find distracting and unnecessary. The CCA accepted that I had declined their endorsement, but asked if they could still support me, which I agreed to. Then I learned that for CRU, CCA support amounted to what they considered to be an endorsement, and that CRU would, therefore, not support me. 

For the record, I have known Deb Carney for more than a decade and I did reach out to her before announcing my candidacy. We have always gotten along well, and I believe she has done an excellent job as council President. 

The CCA has never demanded loyalty or anything else from me and I have declined to take part in their campaign activities such as canvassing or envelope stuffing. Consistent with that effort, I went door to door last Sunday with my neighbor who is a Republican and not affiliated with either PAC. The CCA has put me at the top of their ticket, which I am fine with.

I take Cynthia at her word that she is not committed to the CCA. Throughout her years as a journalist covering Charlestown politics, I felt she has been honest and forthright.

Cynthia isn’t the only candidate the CCA has given an unsolicited endorsement. Council member Steve Stokes (CRU-R) received the CCA’s “conditional” endorsement, a dubious honor he never sought. The Democratic candidates for Chariho School Committee also did not seek the CCA’s endorsement. 

Indeed, Democrat Holly Eaves rejected the CCA's unsolicited endorsement and asked the CCA to remove her from their website, which they have done.

I urge voters to reject the CCA's Ruth Platner
for Planning and her crony Bonnie Van Slyke
for Council.

For the Planning Commission, I recommend you vote AGAINST the CCA slate, especially CCA founder and Planning Commissar-for-life Ruth Platner. She’s the architect of the CCA’s sleezy land deals, cover-ups, financial screw-ups, and persistent use of phony issues to scare voters. Bring the CCA's mailer with you to the polls and don't vote for their Planning Commission slate

Among the Charlestown Town Questions, I urge you to support Question 6 to approve funding for construction of a new unified Chariho District elementary school on the site of the existing Charlestown Elementary. It’s needed badly. Since Hopkinton and Richmond often vote against investment in Chariho, Charlestown voters need to get this referendum passed.

I also urge you to vote YES on Question 7. This question is bitterly opposed by the CCA because it would cut the current six-year staggered terms for Planning Commission members to a staggered 4-year term. The CCA says the 6-year terms are necessary so commission members for continuity on major projects. I say “WTF?”

This is the CCA saying the quiet part out loud – that they use the Planning Commission to talk projects to death and run out the clock on the funding developers hope to use. Six years for Planning to complete its work on projects is four years too long. The CCA knows that projects with government funding face deadlines and that investors in private projects will not wait 6 years for a final decision.

Charlestown is the ONLY Rhode Island municipality that still elects its Planning Commission. All other towns appoint their planning boards. The state enacted legislation in 1972 in an effort to de-politicize planning decisions. In Charlestown, the CCA has ensured that planning decisions are hyper-politicized, if not outright corrupt. While holding on to an elected board is the real problem with Charlestown’s planning, voting YES on Question 7 is a step in the right direction.

Re-elect incumbent state legislators EXCEPT ONE

Senator Victoria Gu, Reps. Megan Cotter, Carol McEntee and Kathy Fogarty have done a terrific job and will hopefully win re-election in landslides.

One incumbent deserves defeat: state Senator Elaine Morgan who represents the northern half of Charlestown. She has embarrassed her district and the state of Rhode Island with her MAGA-inspired antics.

Instead, I strongly recommend her opponent, Democrat Samantha “Sam” Wilcox, the effective Richmond Town Council president. Unlike Morgan, she has the skills and intelligence to actually help her district that spans northern Charlestown through Exeter.

Finally, I recommend you vote to approve four of the five state bond proposals. They meet important infrastructure needs and will create jobs.

I am skeptical about Question 3 and voted against it. This bond measure will put millions more into infrastructure at Quonset Point. While I’m sure this measure will create jobs, especially in construction, the Quonset Point Development Corporation has made a lot of dubious choices, such as support for asphalt and hazardous waste disposal. The QPDC, a quasi-governmental agency, has also stonewalled local officials seeking more information on the now-stalled sludge incinerator project.

The businesses at Quonset are pretty profitable, especially Electric Boat. Isn’t it time that they, not the taxpayers, finance the continuing build-out at Quonset? If taxpayers are going to continue pouring in millions, we need an expanded role for the community in decision-making and a lot more transparency. Send the right message: Vote NO on state Question 3.