Westerly Town Manager
calls out Charlestown Clown Council for passing the buck
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| Is Boss Gentz leading us into a war with Westerly? |
By Will Collette
At next Monday’s Town Council meeting, September 9, Town
Council Boss Tom Gentz (CCA Party) plans
to paper over his own failures (see page 2 at the link) to keep his promises to the neighbors of the
infamous Copar Quarry in Bradford by attacking the Town of Westerly for failing
to keep their promises.
If this is Gentz’s audition for his political magician’s sleight of hand act, he just might want to confine himself to his corny jokes.
If this is Gentz’s audition for his political magician’s sleight of hand act, he just might want to confine himself to his corny jokes.
The Town of Westerly dispatched a letter to the Charlestown
Town Council on August 28 that denounces Gentz’s plans in strong language. Click
here to read the letter.
Interim Town Manager Michelle Buck tells the Charlestown
Council that Westerly “is dismayed and
disappointed” by Gentz’s resolution.
She adds, “We find such statements [as contained in Gentz’s resolution] outrageous and reckless. Your deflection
of responsibility to your constituents, whom have been foremost in our minds as
we endeavor to protect our own residents, is an obvious attempt to pass the buck.”
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| Harsh words from the Westerly Town Manager to the Charlestown Town Council. Click here to read the whole letter |
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| Town Administrator Stankiewicz told Copar neighbor that Charlestown doesn't plan to take any action to protect its citizens from Copar. Click here. |
However, Westerly has been a model of action compared to
Charlestown, where “action,” such as it is, has been limited to pompous words
and empty promises by Council Boss Gentz.
When residents actually call on the town for help, they are treated with rudeness and condescension by the Town Administrator.
When residents actually call on the town for help, they are treated with rudeness and condescension by the Town Administrator.
Charlestown has failed to carry out promises made by Gentz
and his CCA colleagues to the Copar neighbors and also allowed
Copar to acquire a second quarry, this time right in Charlestown.
Copar’s neighbors tried to tell the Charlestown Town Council
at its August 13 meeting that they wanted more than just a resolution
condemning Westerly, but wanted Charlestown to actually use
the means at its disposal to meet its end of the fight.
These
residents were not allowed to speak by Gentz, who cited a whining letter from
Copar complaining Copar had not been given enough advance notice of the discussion of
his resolution.
Even though Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero said there was no obligation to give Copar notice, Gentz and his brave band of allies decided to postpone discussion for a month. Gentz gaveled down angry residents who said the Council was allowing itself to be bullied by Copar. Click here for the ClerkBase video.
Even though Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero said there was no obligation to give Copar notice, Gentz and his brave band of allies decided to postpone discussion for a month. Gentz gaveled down angry residents who said the Council was allowing itself to be bullied by Copar. Click here for the ClerkBase video.
At the August 22 Whalerock hearing, one of the leaders of Concerned Citizens of Bradford-Charlestown,
the leading group fighting Copar, testified that Copar residents want at least
some of the lavish support the Town gave to the Whalerock opponents. Others
called for fair
and equal treatment for the Copar opposition on par with what the town
supplied to the Whalerock opposition.
I wrote a six-part
series providing an in-depth analysis of Copar and how Copar has wormed itself into our community. Copar has made the town governments of both Westerly and Charlestown look inept and amateurish.
Copar's top players are skilled at playing the game of doing whatever they want to extract their profits. When they are caught breaking the law, they deny, appeal, delay, distract, bluster, fire back, drag out the proceedings, as well as anything else they can get away with.
It will take a coordinated, strong and organized effort by the communities of Westerly and Charlestown to dislodge them.
Copar's top players are skilled at playing the game of doing whatever they want to extract their profits. When they are caught breaking the law, they deny, appeal, delay, distract, bluster, fire back, drag out the proceedings, as well as anything else they can get away with.
It will take a coordinated, strong and organized effort by the communities of Westerly and Charlestown to dislodge them.
Citizens of the two communities have to do their bit through
effective organizing to draw more widespread public attention to the threat
Copar represents and to pressure federal, state and local regulators to make
Copar obey the law.
The town governments of both Charlestown and Westerly need
to use their local police powers over land use and public safety to protect
their citizens instead of pointing fingers at each other.
Westerly’s interim Town Manager Buck had a similar message
when she urged the Charlestown Town Council to “adopt a resolution that authorizes you to assist us in our efforts,
and allows our Towns to work together in a collaborative manner, combining our
resources, in order to protect the public and the quality of life of the
residents of our Town and of yours.”
We'll find out next Monday what Town Council Boss Tom Gentz's next move is going to be.