Town Council preview – not every agenda item is terrible

UPDATED: In addition to some truly awful stuff on the upcoming Town Council agenda, there are some other items of interest

UPDATE: the goose-oiling training that Council Prez
Gentz would like volunteers to attend (read here) has 
actually happened already (in February). Will Gentz
conduct the training himself?

By Will Collette

Before I get my blood pressure too jacked up, there are several items I found interesting in the agenda for the Monday, March 12 Town Council meeting – which will be held in Charlestown Elementary NOT Town Hall.

Also, this meeting WILL NOT be live on Clerkbase, meaning you can't watch it at home in your jammies while downing shots of tequila.

Yes, there will be the sad and divisive fight over the dark sky ordinance and, OH MY GOD, there are Deputy Dan Slattery’s resolutions aimed at ending many uses and plans for Ninigret Park. These two issues alone ensure this upcoming Council meeting will be one for the Charlestown history books.

But there will be some lighter items too.

Rep. Donna Walsh presents Legislative Grant check to
RI-CAN Director Deborah Negrilli

• RI-CAN Hometown Hero. One of Councilor Lisa DiBello’s rare recent positive contributions to town is this new award. The first Hometown Hero Award was given to Arrowhead Dental. The second goes to Charlestown’s major food pantry and social service center, RI-CAN, which is a most fitting recipient. As I wrote recently, they have been swamped with requests for help from people that Deputy Dan Slattery refuses to recognize, families in need. 

• Smoking ban at town beaches. Smokers are going to hate this. Mostly everyone else will love it. It will be interesting to see if or how this will be enforced. Deputy Dan Slattery questioned whether the ban can be enforced, unless of course, he is authorized to shoot the offending smoking material out of the offenders’ hands. 

• Oiling Canada Geese eggs. Town Council President Tom Gentz hates Canada Geese. Other than declaring war on Canada, oiling their eggs apparently is a way to get rid of them. Gentz claims this method is humane, though I doubt if he “had the conversation” with the geese. I am hoping Gentz will do a live demonstration. Then I’d sure like to see a mother goose oil up Gentz’s huevos. 

• Approval of nice Ninigret events, maybe for the last time – A whole series of nice, family-oriented events are on the docket for the “Consent agenda” (basically, automatic approval). These events will probably be permitted in Ninigret Park for the last time, if Deputy Dan gets his way. 

I hope Tom Gentz won't be oiling these eggs

• Police calls dropped. I reported last week on a big spike in police calls in January. The new numbers for February show a drop from 1143 in January to 1003 in February. That number is still high for winter time when our population is at its lowest point. Arrests were down by 25% in February. Traffic stops were down by 24%. Tickets were down by 44%. 

• Population Decline. Town Clerk Amy Weinreich’s report will please Ruth Platner and the other anti-family CCA leaders. So far in 2012, there have been NO births, and TWO deaths, so we’re on track to have another year of population decline. Also, there were two home foreclosures in February, but according to Deputy Dan Slattery, they probably deserved it. 

Please keep checking in with Progressive Charlestown as we provide you with more information to prepare you for Monday’s Town Council meeting, and then review what happened at the meeting.