Charlestown Tapas
By Will Collette
Town Council meets on Monday for lame-duck session
 |
| Count on Joe Quadrato to light the way |
The Charlestown Town Council holds its
final session before giving way to the new all-CCA Party Council members who
were elected on November 4. This will be farewell to Councilors Paula Andersen
(D), Lisa DiBello and CCA’s Dan Slattery.
The agenda for this upcoming meeting is
fairly light. One of the “highlights” will be for the Council to complete the
CCA Party take-over of the Zoning Board of Review through the expected
appointment of Joe “Bright Lights” Quadrato as a full member of the Zoning
Board of Review.
Quadrato is a member of the CCA Party
Steering Committee and one of their major money fund-raisers, according to
sources.
As part of my announced
pull-back[1]
from Charlestown politics, I plan to put less effort into covering the Town
Council. Not much point, since the Charlestown Citizens Alliance now holds
every elected position in Charlestown and all the levers of power. They can do
any damned foolish thing they want with no one in Charlestown to stop them. RI Superior Court is going to get a whole lot busier.
You can look up the agenda for yourself
on Clerkbase.
Filippi claim that his “RI Liberty Coalition” was a
fake organization is upheld
 |
| Filippi - phony or fanatic? Both? |
The RI Ethics Commission dismissed my complaint
against State Representative-elect Blake Filippi (or is that Fake Bilippi?)
that he failed to list his directorship of the extremist Tenther group, the RI
Liberty Coalition, on his ethics disclosure form.
After I filed my complaint, Filippi’s
principal defense was that the RI Liberty Coalition was not actually an
organization since it only consisted of himself. This is similar to the way
that Chariho School Committee member-elect Ron Areglado
carries a non-existent organization, the Center for
Ethical and Moral Leadership, on his resume.
It is not against the law for a
candidate to make up phony organizations and not a legal requirement to report
these fake organizations on official reports, such as the annual financial
disclosure form. Accordingly, the Ethics Commission ruled that the RI Liberty
Coalition was not a “business entity” (non-profit or otherwise) under the
meaning of the Act. Click here to read their
decision letter.
There's just so much about this guy that doesn't check out - where he really lives and why he gives so many different addresses, his radical connections, his opposition to Social Security and environmental regulation based on his Tenth Amendment beliefs (yet he pretends to care about the Copar quarry victims and about taxes on retirees), his company's labor law violations. I am wondering if it's time to start asking him to crack out his birth certificate.
There's just so much about this guy that doesn't check out - where he really lives and why he gives so many different addresses, his radical connections, his opposition to Social Security and environmental regulation based on his Tenth Amendment beliefs (yet he pretends to care about the Copar quarry victims and about taxes on retirees), his company's labor law violations. I am wondering if it's time to start asking him to crack out his birth certificate.
Quarries on the move in Westerly
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| New quarry fight in Westerly? [Google Earth screen shot] |
George Comolli, lawyer and principal in
Westerly Granite which is landlord to the infamous Copar/Armetta Quarry in
Bradford, has a new project. And it’s like déjà vu all over again. R. Champlin Crane
& Excavation wants to start gravel mining
and processing on a six-acre parcel that it claims was used for quarrying in
the past, long before Westerly had zoning rules.
This new controversial quarry is about
1.75 miles west of Copar’s Bradford site and two miles from Charlestown.
The town of Westerly issued a
cease-and-desist order but Champlin appealed, and was thus allowed to continue
operating. And of course the matter went to the Westerly Zoning Board of
Appeals, still headed by the notorious Bob Ritacco of Copar fame who did what he
did when faced with a similar responsibility on Copar – he postponed the
hearing on the appeal over the angry
protests of local residents. That allows Champlin to continue since the town’s
cease-and-desist order is suspended until the hearing is completed.
Even though there were major changes in
the Westerly Town Council, Ritacco remains in a position to protect the quarry
from town action. It will be interesting to see if the new Westerly Town
Council decides to take action to remove Ritacco for cause from his position as
head of the ZBR, or whether we will see yet another Copar-style drama play out.
Charlestown's new two red light camera arrays at the intersections of Route One and East Beach Road and West Beach Road are due to start issuing actual $85 tickets to red-light runners. The official start date was November 9 even though the promised warning signs are not in place. Click here for CPD's description.
Red Light Camera tickets start getting issued this week
Charlestown's new two red light camera arrays at the intersections of Route One and East Beach Road and West Beach Road are due to start issuing actual $85 tickets to red-light runners. The official start date was November 9 even though the promised warning signs are not in place. Click here for CPD's description.
Massachusetts Casinos will cut RI revenue
by almost 40%
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| Architect's image of proposed tribal casino in Taunton. When it opens, it will almost certainly finish off Newport Grand |
Even though state voters approved
Question One to approve casino gambling in Newport (Charlestown was one of the
rare towns to vote to reject despite our self-interest), Newport voters shot
down the expansion of the Newport Grand slot parlor into a full-service resort
casino.
But Massachusetts voters affirmed their
support for casino gaming in Massachusetts and the results could have severe
consequences for Rhode Island. The Commonwealth plans a total of three
large-scale casinos and a slots parlor. They expect that three of them will
ready for business in 2018 and the fourth facility, to be located in
southeastern MA, will open shortly afterwards.
All told, these casinos
are expected to cut revenue at Twin River and Newport Grand by 38%,
taking a huge bite out of
Rhode Island state revenue. The revenue
loss is pegged at $422 million meaning a $200 million hit
to the state budget. The state has very little time to prepare to figure out
how to ride out that crisis. Maybe they’ll cut state aid to small
municipalities. Now that Charlestown has no
representation[2]
in the General Assembly anymore, there wouldn’t be a damn thing we could do
about it.
Union setback at Westerly Hospital owner
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| Is the labor-management truce at L&M Hospital over? |
The AFT of Connecticut represents most
health care workers at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, owner of Westerly
Hospital. Last year at this time, the union was locked in a bitter dispute with
management that led to a strike and lock-out.
However, the parties came to the table,
negotiated a contract and went back to business as usual, although tensions
remained. Those tensions have been fueled by L&M’s practice of out-sourcing
work – and lots of jobs – to non-union subsidiaries. Part of the deal
they negotiated though, was to refrain from interfering with the union’s
efforts to organize workers at these out-sourced L&M businesses.
The terms of the truce may have been
broken when the AFT took a surprise loss at a 120-worker operation on Howard
Street in New London. Even though a huge majority of workers had signed union
cards, when the election was held, the union lost,
badly by a vote of 41 NO to 18 YES.
The union has filed an unfair labor
practice charge against L&M management for using coercive tactics to turn
the vote in their favor.
Jobs
Wood River Health Services in Hope
Valley has four job openings:
You can APPLY
ONLINE or contact their Human Resources
Department directly at 401-539-2461, ext. 149 or hr@wrhsri.org.
The WARM Center in Westerly wants to hire a Shelter
Assistant/Maintenance Person. For details, click here.
This comes from RI Community Jobs, a great service by the Swearer Center at
Brown University. Click here to
sign up for their daily e-mail.
Calling
would-be palookas!. This isn’t a
local job, but it might be one that local thespians might want to try. Extras
are needed for the shooting of a new bio-pic on the champion Rhode Island boxer
who used to be known as Vinny Pazienza (now just Vinny Paz). The movie will be
called “Bleed for This.”
The filmmakers will be holding several
sets of auditions starting on November 12 for extras for the movie. Click here
for more detail. Get more information at www.BleedForThisEvent.com
Early Christmas Shopping or Post-Election shopping
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| Sample packages from shitexpress.com's website |
A London company
is willing to ship their product almost anywhere in the world. Their product?
Manure. You get to choose the animal.
They operate their company the way the
Charlestown Citizens Alliance operates their political party. They value
anonymity and go to great lengths to disguise the gift-giver’s identity, even
to the point of requiring payment in Bitcoins
or other untraceable “crypto-currency.”
And, like the CCA Party, they are peddling shit.
They will not guarantee that all shipments paid for will actually get delivered since these packages could get screened out while passing through the postal systems of various countries.
I’m not making this up. The company is
called Shit Express. Click here
to see more.
Local things to do over the Thanksgiving-xmas season
From
Charlestown Parks and Recreation:
November 20th at 7:00 PM, Senior/Community Center
The instructor is Malinda Coletta - an instructor for Professor Check and award winning cook. The fee is $20 and registration is available online at www.charlestownri.org or at the Parks and Recreation Department.
Charlestown Town Hall Annual Tree Lighting
Friday, December 5th, 5:30-7:30 pm.
New York City Bus Trip
Saturday, December 6th
$38 covers coach bus transportation and gratuity for the driver. The trip leaves from Ninigret Park in Charlestown at 7am and leaves New York City at 7:30pm. Stop by the Charlestown Parks and Recreation Office during the week between 9am and 4pm. Don't miss out on this great trip at a great cost. Seats are limited. Call 364-1222 for further information.
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| Frank Glista puts together a hell of a bon fire |
Annual Bonfire
Wednesday, December 31st, Ninigret Park 4:30-7:30 pm
This free annual event is for families and friends to come together to begin their New Year's Eve festivities. It is sponsored by Dunkin Donuts and any financial donations will be collected for Colors for a Cause - Rhode Island to raise awareness of childhood cancer and help to support those families affected with this disease. Please bring your family and friends to this fiery event!
From the
Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association:
Introduction to Geocaching:
Sunday, November 16, 2014 from 1 to 3:30 pm. Repeated on Sunday, Dec 28, 2014 from 1 to 3:30 pm.
Geocaching is a modern day outdoor treasurer hunt using a GPS enabled device. Meet at the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association Campus for a brief discussion about methods, resources, and tips. Leaders Sally Hanson and Jim Cole will then take folks out to the Arcadia Management Area to look for some of the many treasures hidden there. Bring your Smart phone or GPS unit. Be sure to dress for the weather - this is an outdoor program.
The fee is $10 per person or $15 per family for WPWA members; $15 per person or $25 per family for non-members.
Walk Off the Turkey Walk: Sunday, November 30 from 10 am to 1 pm.
Go on a rugged, 5 ½ mile walk in North Stonington, CT on the Bullet and High Ledges Trail with the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association. This is an interesting, seldom hiked loop that is marked by rugged ledges and long, aerobic climbs. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and dress for the weather. Bring water and a snack. Even though there is no hunting on Sundays in CT, it is always a good idea to wear orange when in the woods. The fee is $10 for WPWA members, $15 for non-members. Meeting location will be emailed once you register on-line.
Winter Wildlife Activities: Tuesday, December 30 from 10 am to Noon.
This program will be held at the Education Center on the WPWA
Campus, 203 Arcadia Road, Hope Valley, RI. If appropriate, we'll do some
activities outside, so be sure to dress for the weather. Appropriate for kids
age 5 to 10, but all are welcome. This program is free, but pre-registration is required by
going on-line to www.wpwa.org.
FOOTNOTES
[1]
This means I will be spending a lot less time working on Charlestown politics
and a lot more time working on other priorities. It does NOT mean that I am
leaving Progressive Charlestown. I have already left the Charlestown Democratic
Town Committee. I did that last July. Despite that, and the firewall between
the CDTC and Progressive Charlestown, The CCA Party nonetheless made me and
Progressive Charlestown an issue in this last election, rather than the real
issues of taxes, land use, domination of non-residents over local politics, the
environment and affordable housing. Unless or until someone or something else
emerges to keep watch on the CCA Party, Progressive Charlestown will need to
stay on the job.
[2]
The November 4 election took out three well-respected, hard-working Democrats –
Donna Walsh, Larry Valencia and Cathie Cool Rumsey. In their place, we have
Fake Bilippi, the “independent” who is actually a registered Republican and Tea
Partier. Elaine Morgan (R), the new state Senator for the northern half of
Charlestown, is totally out of her depth. Justin Price (R), is a Ron Paul
Republican. State Senator Dennis Algiere (R), represents the southern half of
Charlestown. While he is experienced and well-respected, the Democratic General
Assembly doesn’t owe him anything.