NOTE: The August Town Council meeting day has been changed from its usual Monday to this Wednesday. Monday is VJ-Day, “Victory over Japan ” Day, and Rhode Island
In my opinion, the biggest item on the agenda is the radical, proposed ordinance sent to the Council by the Planning Commission which imposes a total ban on the use of any device that converts wind into electricity. I reported on the details of this radical proposal a few days ago.
One item not on the agenda – and one that provided lots of fireworks at the June meeting – is the point/counterpoint between Council member Lisa DiBello and Parks and Recreation Director Jay Primiano over Ms. DiBello’s activities at our town beaches. It got pretty nasty. DiBello didn’t come to last month’s meeting (making it a remarkably pleasant meeting). She asked the Council to defer action on Primiano’s complaint until a time when she could be present. Does the absence of this issue on the agenda mean that DiBello plans to sit out another Council meeting? Or did the complaint somehow go away?
Other agenda items:
In Executive Session (not open to the public): the Council plans to discuss the lawsuit former Town Council President Jim Mageau announced (through his lawyer) that he was bringing suit against the town to collect for the cost of his criminal legal defense.
The proposal from Larry LeBlanc to discuss his proposal that the town buy his controversial 81-acre site – where he proposed to build the Whalerock wind turbines – is on the agenda. LeBlanc informed the Council before last month’s meeting that he would like to discuss this proposal in a public forum, like a Council meeting. There are no new documents included with this agenda item. Unknown: will this be the actual public discussion, or more Council discussion about having the discussion?
Next on the agenda is a sad item – the decision by the Wastewater Management Commission to give up on their long and difficult effort to come up with a new town ordinance. The Commission tried to find alternatives for residents to comply with the laws protecting our salt ponds and waterways without having to install a $30,000-plus denitrification system. Their proposals were apparently unable to win over enough “stakeholders” (mainly the developers). More discussion here.
Consultants from Johnson Controls are on the agenda again, scheduled to present their findings on ways the town can save energy. Presuming they show up, I hope the first thing they do is explain why they failed to show up for the Council last month. I read their energy audit and it offers lots of ideas for energy efficiency upgrades at town facilities.. But I always take it as a bad sign when a prospective contractor doesn’t show up at a scheduled appointment.
The question of whether the town should pay for private lawyers to represent several of the persons named in the legal action brought against the town by Council member Lisa DiBello makes yet another appearance on the agenda. As reported last month (and the month before), DiBello’s unprecedented legal action puts the Town Council into gridlock on this matter. Normally, government officials are routinely “indemnified” for such costs because they are a normal part of government. But because Councilor DiBello is naming two other sitting Council members, they cannot vote on whether to indemnify themselves. This is one reason why we have called on Councilor DiBello to decide whether she wants to SERVE the town or SUE the town. I predict nothing is likely to happen on this issue this month.
After a long absence, affordable housing is back on the agenda, not just for a Council meeting, but for the town. With last month’s appointment of Suzanne Ferrio (disclosure: spouse of Progressive Charlestown editor Tom Ferrio), the Commission can now hold meetings and actually do the work they signed on to do. They have two proposed affordable housing projects to bring before the Council. Also, the Commission is sending Evelyn Smith’s name to the Council for approval as Commission chair. There may be some fireworks on these agenda items since the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) hates affordable housing and many of the CCA leaders have been long-time foes of Evelyn Smith . Watch to see if the CCA tries to torpedo the two projects or Evelyn’s appointment.
Author: Will Collette