TOWN COUNCIL: Big night for the banal

Town Council postmortem

New CPD Chief Jeffrey Allen

By Will Collette

Maybe we’re all just exhausted – or more likely sick and tired – but the September 10 Town Council meeting felt a lot like a “Going Out of Business Sale,” even though it started upbeat. 

After all, how can honoring a new Eagle Scout and swearing in a new, well-credentialed police chief not be upbeat?

But once the Council shifted to the worn-out, washed-out and frankly banal matters that populated the rest of the agenda, it was all downhill from there.

Congratulations, Chief Allen

New Charlestown Police Chief Sworn in

By Will Collette

With the Town Council chambers filled to overflowing with police officers from Charlestown and several neighboring towns, friends and family, and Charlestown citizens, former South Kingstown Police Captain Jeffrey Allen took the oath of office to become Charlestown's new Chief of Police.

Larisa stonewalls open records request for his Charlestown bills

Attorney Larisa literally covers up what he did with our tax dollars

This is what Larisa did for YOUR money
To read the rest of his invoices, click here

By Will Collette

Recently, the CCA started drumming up paranoia about their favorite hobgoblin, the Narragansett Indian tribe, playing on Charlestown’s primal fear of an Indian casino in town. True to form, they sent in the town’s paid Injun fighter, town “Special Counsel for Indian Affairs” Joe Larisa, as their front man to make the case that the Tribe just can’t be trusted.

But this time, rather than just let Larisa spew, the Tribe fired back. Two of their leaders even went so far as to call Larisa and the CCA out for racism and propaganda. To read their remarks to the Westerly Sun, click here, here and here.

I was curious about what kind of money we were paying Larisa to fight what has become a nonexistent threat and even an embarrassment. I had an earlier figure that Charlestown had paid Larisa $169,000 for a job that essentially ended when the state of Rhode Island took over the Carcieri v. Salazar US Supreme Court case in 2008. I wanted to get a more complete and recent figure.

So I did what I usually do and on August 8, I filed a request for Larisa’s bills and records of the town’s payments to Larisa from 2007 to the present under the state “Access to Public Records Act (APRA).”

Town Council Meeting - September 10 play-by-play

by Tom Ferrio

The image at the left may seem out of place for a Town Council meeting report but this is the time that the Council members running for office will be trying to do things to earn votes and, some perhaps for the first time, to demonstrate alignment with their 2010 campaign slogans.

Will has been providing preview reports on this meeting (first articles toward the bottom of the page here). This article is being done as a live blog during the meeting so if you're seeing it partially complete, refresh it to see updates.

Announcing Monday night repeat experiment

by Tom Ferrio
During the July Town Council meeting I tried an unannounced experiment of blogging the Town Council action as it happened (result here).

Though minimizing the unavoidable typos or misunderstandings adds stress it turned out to be quite a bit of fun. (As is normal with live blogging I will reserve the right to correct "oops moments" later.) I received some feedback encouraging me to do it again.

So if you're not attending the meeting in person you will be able to read reports while it is in progress. Even at the meeting you can check it out on your phone or tablet. Just tune in shortly after 7 pm tonight for the first update.

DiBello plans to raise a REALLY IMPORTANT issue

Councilor plans to challenge signage at Blue Shutters Beach

By Will Collette

Looks like Councilor Lisa DiBello plans to start up her big push for re-election at the September Town Council meeting on September 10 by raising a matter of paramount concern to Charlestown voters: the wording of the sign on the new beach pavilion at Blue Shutters Beach.

DiBello has been laying low since her June 25 personal attack against me from the Council dais. But she's willing to come out on this very, very important issue.

Apparently, according to my sources, DiBello belatedly remembered that, technically, the full title of Blue Shutters Beach is Blue Shutters – Sam Ferretti Beach, not simply Blue Shutters Beach as it says on the beach pavilion sign. 

Deputy Dan emerges from his hideout

Just when you thought he was on the lam, here he is again
By Will Collette

On Monday night, Charlestown will be treated to what looks like the last act in Charlestown’s own Deputy Dan Slattery’s final Crusade. Yep, on Monday, the Town Council will vote on a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) with Charlie Vandemoer, our federal overseer and head of the National Wildlife Refuges in southern Rhode Island.

After several months of laying low, apparently hoping that Charlestown voters would forget all the crazy stuff he has done (e.g., his unauthorized investigations, his nonexistent documents, studies and evidence, search for “phantom properties,” the “Kill Bill” Campaign, his attack on Chariho, RHOTAP and his attacks on Charlestown working families, censorship of political opponents, not to mention his flat-out lies), Slattery will have another moment this Monday to wrap up his quest for the Ninigret MOU.

The Town Council meets Monday – here is their REAL agenda

Control of Ninigret Park is back on the agenda and storm clouds over Blue Shutters Beach
By Will Collette

As part of the continuing service by Progressive Charlestown, I have taken the published Town Council agenda and re-ordered the items to reflect the ACTUAL order of business.

As most Council attendees and Clerkbase watchers know, this Council NEVER takes items in their actual order, as published, making it almost impossible to follow if you only have the “official” agenda.

CLICK HERE for a printer-friendly version of this unofficial, but accurate agenda.

Here’s how the actual order of business will go: