One thing you don’t see very often is a heated debate and
sharply split vote over whether to accept the minutes of a previous meeting.
But in Charlestown
these days, the bizarre has become commonplace.
You could have seen this coming when Town Council Boss Tom Gentz pulled an odd maneuver at the first half
of the Town Council’s bifurcated April meeting on April 9. At the end of that
meeting, as the Council was about to approve all of the noncontroversial
“consent agenda” items, Gentz asked that instead of routinely approving the March 12 Town Council minutes, they be set aside “for further research.”
Near the end of the Town Council’s April 23rd
meeting, after the CCA-controlled Town Council majority – and particularly
Council Vice President Deputy Dan Slattery – took a beating from citizens for their
ill-conceived attack on the town’s stewardship of Ninigret Park, Boss Gentz
asked that the minutes of the March 12 Council meeting be changed.
What did he have in mind, asked his Council colleagues?
Ron Areglado (East Greenwich Patch) |
Turns out that Boss Gentz wanted a verbatim transcript of
comments made by Ill Winder Ron Areglado inserted into the record. Areglado
made his remarks during a portion of the meeting in which citizen comments are
generally ruled out of order – in the “Council Comments” section.
Areglado’s comments followed remarks by Councilors Deputy
Dan Slattery and Boss Tom Gentz about
items that appeared later in the agenda, namely their contention that Town Administrator
Bill DiLibero had somehow hoodwinked the Council and the whole town over both
wind turbines and sports lighting proposed at Ninigret Park.
These comments were also out of order, as Council member Gregg Avedisian pointed out, as this section of the
meeting is for items not otherwise addressed in the agenda.
But Deputy Dan, excited at the prospect of launching the
“Kill Bill” character assassination campaign that led to Administrator
DiLibero’s resignation last week, couldn’t wait to get started with his twisted
portrayal of the events.
Areglado rose and went to the podium to express his shock
and outrage at what he had just heard Deputy Dan relate. Of course, all
Areglado – or anyone else in attendance – heard was Deputy Dan’s distorted version
of events, a version that has since been thoroughly discredited, although it
still cost DiLibero his job. You can listen to Areglado’s comments here.
Boss Gentz wanted Areglado’s out-of-order comments included verbatim
in the official minutes, because, he said, he didn’t think the brief summary
did justice to what Areglado said.
On cue, Deputy Dan made the motion to include the Areglado
transcript in the minutes. Since no other Councilor would second the motion,
Boss Gentz seconded it and the debate commenced.
Councilors Marge Frank
and Gregg Avedisian noted that the
inclusion of a verbatim transcript of off-the-cuff remarks in Council minutes
is not done, and asked why these remarks and not the many, many others made by
citizens that night and others should get special treatment. Marge Frank noted that if anyone wanted Areglado's exact words, they can see and hear his presentation on Clerkbase.
CouncilorLisa DiBello confessed that she had not read the
minutes, so she recused herself because she really didn’t know what was going
on.
Councilor
In the end, Deputy Dan’s motion failed. Only he and Boss
Gentz voted yes to include Areglado’s full remarks. Councilor DiBello abstained
because she had not read the minutes. Marge Frank
also abstained. And Gregg Avedisian
voted No. It takes three votes to approve any Council action, so Boss Gentz's motion failed on a
2 yes, 1 no, 2 absentions.
You can hear this bizarre interaction for yourself by
clicking here.
But let’s be frank about what this was really all about:
Gentz and Slattery have set off a powder keg with their attacks on DiLibero and
the current stewardship of Ninigret
Park .
They have put out distorted and incorrect information –
intentionally or inadvertently, you be the judge. They have sent our
long-suffering Town Administrator packing. They have displayed craven cruelty
toward him, a complete disregard for the truth, and have blatantly pandered to
special interests aligned with the Charlestown Citizens Alliance.
Add that to the god-awful Y-Gate Scandal – the $475,000
ripoff of town funds to buy an easement on a busted-out campground – and you
have a couple of Council members who have stepped up to their chins in
political doo-doo.
Trying to get Ron Areglado’s remarks – remarks that were a
reaction to Slattery’s twisted recounting of events – into the record is a
really pathetic attempt by Boss Gentz to create a record that rationalizes
their string of mistakes.
It’s weak, even a little sad, to see Boss Gentz try to play
games with Council minutes in an attempt to score a political point or two.