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Friday, June 29, 2012

Charlestown’s rating drops

Affordability is the key factor
By Will Collette

Maybe this is actually good news for the Charlestown Citizens Alliance candidates running in 2012, but Charlestown’s ranking among Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns fell by five positions this year to #19.  Last year, Charlestown was ranked #14

The main reason for the decline is a sharp decline in affordability. According to GoLocalProv’s yearly comparison, Charlestown’s median housing prices spiked by 20% (though Zillow.com would disagree) while median household incomes dropped.

That combination of factors caused Charlestown’s ranking for affordability to drop by 14 places to 32nd place among 39.



What kept Charlestown from dropping even further was an increase in the ranking of the Chariho School System – Chariho went up by three place to come in #3 statewide. 

Well, if Town Council Boss Tom Gentz and Deputy Dan Slattery get re-elected, they'll surely do their best to reverse that trend. Both Gentz and Slattery spent much of the past year attacking Chariho and trying to slash its already to-the-bone budget. 

And Planning Commissar Ruth Platner stepped up her attack on family-friendly housing in Charlestown on the premise that families = children = Chariho school kids.

Charlestown also got very high marks for the economic condition of the town, 5th best statewide.

We lost a lot of ground by coming in near the bottom for “Arts and Culture” (#29) and “Restaurants and Bars” (#28). What we have in those categories – the Charlestown Historical Society, fine art spots like the Charlestown Gallery or the Purple Shell, and our favorite restaurants (e.g. the Cove, Hungry Haven, Gentleman Farmer, Breachway Grill) – are fine, but we just don’t have enough. Even having the Hitching Post, purveyors of  Rhode Island's finest clam cakes in my opinion, didn't change our numbers. Maybe it's because they call them "fritters."

The Town Council majority strictly rations business licenses and has been pretty anti-business in this last term, making it hard for new eating, drinking or cultural establishments to get going. Combined with the anti-business attitudes of the CCA-controlled Planning Commission, existing businesses have to fight to stay open.

But GoLocalProv does give Charlestown high praise for its open space, and when you come down to it, that’s really all the CCA really cares about. That, and keeping people out. Especially children. And small business owners.

So I suppose there is some celebration on this new rating in the secret CCA clubhouse. Due to their efforts, they’ve made Charlestown less livable for people. But there’s always open space.