George Tremblay gets spanked

Richmond Town Solicitor calls Charlestown affordable housing report “awful”

By Will Collette

When then-Planning Commissioner George Tremblay unveiled his “data-driven” analysis of the affordable housing needs and programs in Charlestown, Richmond, Hopkinton and Exeter, I lambasted the report for its dishonest use of data. Even worse were the conclusions Tremblay drew from his own flawed “research,” such as his belief in an imaginary legion of elderly millionaires who planned to swoop in and buy up affordable housing units as investments.

Tremblay was just elected to the Charlestown Town Council on the CCA ticket, and with his colleagues Tom Gentz and Dan Slattery in support, Charlestown has sent Tremblay’s embarrassing report to every RI city and town, state legislator and who knows how many other people. The report supports Charlestown’s quest for new legislation that would declare a moratorium on comprehensive permits until the year 2016.

Well, the first municipal review of Tremblay’s report has come in from the town of Richmond, one of the very towns whose data Tremblay included in the report. In a nutshell, they didn’t think too much of Tremblay’s scholarship.

Richmond Town Council Vice-President Henry Oppenheimer lambasted the report and made the motion to reject Charlestown’s resolution seeking the moratorium. That motion passed the Richmond Town Council unanimously.

Oppenheimer holds a Ph. D  in Economics. He was quoted in both the Westerly Sun and the Chariho Times (no link) as calling much of Tremblay’s data “just plain wrong. … Drawing the conclusion that there are no people in these four [towns] who need affordable housing is inappropriate.”

Town Solicitor Karen Ellsworth was even more scathing in her criticism of Tremblay’s work. “They [Charlestown] don’t know what they’re talking about. That’s the problem. I think if you’re going to do a study like this, you should at least be familiar with the law you’re studying, and it’s clear that this individual [Tremblay] is not.”

CCA leader and Town Council boss Tom Gentz responded to Richmond’s rebuff by saying “to me the data is the key here and I have a strong need to get data out … so the conversation can continue at the state level.” Unless, of course, the gist of that “conversation" is how the rest of state thinks Charlestown is filled with spoiled brats whose "data" is total crap.

Unfortunately for Gentz, not only did Richmond think the data was crap, but so does Charlestown Affordable House Commission Chair Evelyn Smith, who told the Richmond Town Council that “Some of the information is just erroneous.”

Richmond did go along with Charlestown’s interest in reviving the state legislative commission on affordable housing. As Richmond Councilor Oppenheimer said, getting more information on what is working and not working in the state program would be a good thing.

Gentz, Tremblay and the CCA seem to think this is what rural
affordable housing looks like

Not that Charlestown Council Boss Gentz needs new information. Gentz told the Westerly Sun “most rural communities in Rhode Island are having trouble meeting the 10 percent [goal]” set in the state’s affordable housing law. That may be true, ironically, for Richmond, which lags behind even Charlestown with only 1.89% of its housing stock as affordable, but Gentz’s generalization is just plain wrong. Again.

Once again, Gentz either ignores or misrepresents the facts. Responding to a question from Gentz himself, Charlestown Planner Ashley Hahn-Morris presented data on affordable housing compliance in rural towns around Rhode Island at the August 20 Town Council meeting.

Of the twelve towns Ashley listed, only three had a lower percentage of compliance than Charlestown, while eight were doing much better, including New Shoreham (Block Island), which has already surpassed its 10% mandate. 

Even at that August 20^th meeting, Gentz seemed unable to grasp the meaning of the numbers, claiming at that meeting that Charlestown was doing great, when the numbers he had asked Ashley to provide showed otherwise.

George Tremblay wrote a letter to the editor of the Sun to defend his phony research and argue that it's all just politics. On the point that it's all just politics, I actually agree with him. But it's all "just politics" for the CCA. 

Using Tremblay's twisted report, the CCA thinks they now have the "scientific" basis for their assaults on state law. Tremblay writes in his Sun letter "Do my detractors find fault with the veracity of the data?  Do they see more plausible alternative interpretations?  Do they have more reliable sources of information?" 

Yes, George, yes and yes. Once again Tremblay, who is fast becoming the CCA's master of deception, ignores the detailed critique by Affordable Housing Commission chair Evelyn Smith that took his report apart. He also ignores detailed critiques of his report in Progressive Charlestown which you can read by clicking here, here, here and here. 

As for more reliable information, how about the specialists on the subject - RI Housing and Housing Works RI who have been publishing solid, town-by-town affordable housing data for years. Why did George Tremblay, who has no background in the affordable housing law and questionable research skills miss their work?

In the same way that Tremblay conducted his "research," he ignores anything that doesn't fit his preconceived conclusions. The data from Housing Works RI weren't cooked to his recipe.

So far, the only other Rhode Island town that seems to share Charlestown’s elitist thinking about affordable housing is – and doesn’t this just figure? – Barrington. They want to lead a revolt against the state law and (snicker) they hope to enlist Bristol and Warren in their crusade. Lotsa luck there, Barrington.

So once again, Charlestown and its erstwhile CCA leaders led by the fact-challenged Boss Gentz and crackpot researcher George Tremblay will sally forth as champions of privilege – and ignorance – embarrassing the town around the state. Much more of this and it will be time for Charlestown voters to bone up on this (click here).

If they hook up with Barrington and charge into the State House demanding special treatment, I’m sure they’ll do just dandy. I hope they let us know when because I’d sure like to watch.