Can’t tell the
players without a scorecard
By
Will Collette
Charlestown
is the only town among the 39 cities and towns of Rhode Island that still
elects its Planning Commission. State law requires planning boards to be
appointed, to take the politics out of the process, but Charlestown insists it
has the “grandfathered” right[1]
to keep electing its Planning Commissioners.
While
you can never reasonably expect to take the politics out of Planning,
Charlestown is the only town that actively and deliberately makes its Planning
Commission a totally political animal. And we have paid the price. But since
this is the system we have, expect a lively contest for election to the
Commission with the candidates arranged on the ballot in the following order:
- Jan V Knost (CCA-endorsed)
- Melina Lodge (Democratic-endorsed)
- Constance “Connie Baker” Vadnais-Baker (CCA-endorsed)
- Peter D Herstein (CCA-endorsed)
- Frank Glista (Democratic-endorsed)
- Joseph S Dolock (independent)
- Gordon L Foer (CCA incumbent)
- Ruth L Platner (CCA incumbent)
- Mike Breton (Democratic-endorsed)
- Brandon Cleary (Democratic-endorsed)
 |
| Frank Glista - endorsed Dem |
There
are five open seats this election cycle due to the mid-term resignation of KateWaterman (CCA), whose position was filled by alternate Jim Abbott (CCA). Abbott
would have had to run for the full term in his own right, but he has chosen not to seek reelection.
Waterman
moved out of Charlestown because she needed an assisted living arrangement but
Charlestown doesn’t have any. Indeed, Charlestown has very few options for
senior citizens and handicapped residents who wish to downsize or need special
living arrangements, largely due to the CCA-controlled Planning Commission’s
distaste for affordable housing for seniors or anyone else. Talk about getting
bit in the ass by your own policies.
 |
| Melina Lodge - endorsed Dem and target of George Tremblay blacklist |
Jim
Abbott’s alternate seat was filled by the appointment of shingles expert (the construction kind, not the disease) Joann Stolle (CCA aligned), but Stolle
chose not to seek election on her own.
Incumbent
CCA Planning alternate Gordon Foer is running for reelection. While full
members of the Planning Commission run for six-year terms, alternates only get
two-year terms, so he must once again win voter approval.
One
of Planning Commissar Ruth Platner’s top lieutenants, Linda Fabre, is another
apparent casualty of the CCA’s anti-affordable housing policies. Her term is up
this year, but Fabre moved out of Charlestown. She is
not running for reelection.
 |
| Mike Breton - endorsed Dem |
Planning
Commissar Ruth Platner is also up for reelection. She has been on the Planning
Commission for 16 years and is going for 22.
Under
her leadership, the CCA’s radical policies[2]
have become law through the meek acceptance by the CCA-controlled Town Council
of the series of ordinances crafted by Platner and her plucky planners, which
we’ll be going into in great detail between now and November 6.
Offering
a sensible alternative to the radical, anti-family, anti-small business
policies of the CCA and Ruth Platner are the Democratic-endorsed team of Melina
Lodge, Frank Glista, Michael Breton and Brandon Cleary.
 |
| Brandon Cleary - endorsed Dem |
Following
Planning Commission politics is largely an insider’s game, so the batting order
will probably play a major role in determining the final outcome. That’s good
news for those of us who think it’s time that Ruth went back to making her farm
a going concern.
We’ll
do our best to remind you of the differences between the Democrats’ vision for
Charlestown versus the terrible policies the CCA, and particularly Ruth
Platner, have imposed on town property owners.
More
to come so stay tuned.
[1]
Charlestown’s Home Rule Charter with the provision for an elected Planning
Commission was approved by the General Assembly BEFORE the state enacted the
law requiring planning boards to be appointed. The legitimacy of Charlestown
being the last holdout for an elected planning board was part of the Whalerock
litigation, but Judge Judith Savage refused to rule on that issue, saying that
it was being raised prematurely in the Whalerock case, but leaving the door
open for future legal challenges.
[2]
Policies aimed at blocking families with children from settling in Charlestown,
treating children as if they are parasites rather than our future, blocking
senior citizen housing, refusing to obey and even attacking state affordable
housing law, imposing harsh and expensive unfunded mandates on small businesses,
delaying the construction of the Cross Mills Fire District firehouse because it
was made of brick, delaying construction of the town beach sanitary facilities,
interjecting intrusive and unnecessary regulations on town homeowners and
businesses