Tiverton Citizens for Change

We at TCC encourage all of Tiverton’s Citizens to come out to Evelyn’s and Coastal Roasters September 10-12 to feed hungry.

We find it deeply disturbing that , with no discussion, and minutes after Monday night’s meeting began, Donald Bollin, Louise Durfee, and Joanne Arruda would vote against Sing out for Hunger’s request to reconsider its July 12 decision. We also find it troubling that Councilman Hannibal Costa suddenly decided not to attend, after indicating that he would vote for furthering discussion about Singing Out Against Hunger

Come Elections in November please remember who is responsible for this awful decision

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NEWS RELEASE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
 ACLU DEFENDS TIVERTON RESIDENT AGAINST POLITICAL SLAPP SUIT
 
 Citing the important free speech issues involved in the case, the ACLU of Rhode Island today announced it has agreed to represent Tiverton resident David Nelson, the president of a local tax reform group, who has been sued for defamation by two [...]

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PRESS RELEASE
Monday August 2, 2010
A principle of democracy is public participation in local government. The right of such participation is found in the First Amendment, which includes the right of free speech. These fundamental rights are at the core of our political system and permeate our society. It seems that not everyone likes this-please [...]

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In the expected narrative of town politics, one would think it would be the selfish anti-tax Tiverton Citizens for Change–type newcomers to town who would squash an annual charity event that allows amplified music well into the hours of prime time television. Of course, that popular narrative has always been incorrect.
The [...]

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Louise Durfee Lawsuit 07122010+
 
 

This is a lawsuit which Louise Durfee filed against me and TCC on June 29.
I believe the comments l made are accurate and this frivolous lawsuit is an attempt to intimidate me from speaking out on important political issues. l have a constitutional right to express my disagreement with elected officials.
This is [...]

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Friday’s Newport Daily News article on possible changes to the financial town meeting (FTM) system in Tiverton contained these worrying paragraphs:
But the council and the School Committee, it was noted, are prohibited from using public funds to influence a vote, per a charter amendment that was crafted by Caron and approved several years ago. How [...]

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A recent story in the Providence Journal noted that the city’s property values plummeted with the latest revaluation, which raises this interesting question:
What the revaluation means for city finances, the tax rate and residential tax bills remains unclear. A potential 30-percent drop in the city’s $21.7 billion in total assessed property value (as of 2008) [...]

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The Sakonnet Times seems to have adjusted its strategy vis-à-vis publishing letters in the paper rather than online, so you’ll have to buy or borrow a copy of this week’s edition to read John Minior’s plea for a business-friendly Tiverton:
The trees on Souza Road do provide oxygen, but the site provides very few tax dollars [...]

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The Newport Daily News reports:
Not wanting to go through another financial town meeting this year — two in May was plenty — the Town Council will not change the way it plans to levy taxes in fiscal 2011 to compensate for a change in the motor vehicle excise tax exemption.
Property tax bills are expected to [...]

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I read, the other day, of a Washington, D.C., cliche called the “Washington Monument Syndrome.” The phrase comes from the U.S. Dept. of Interior’s practice of threatening to close the tourist attraction when its budget request is rebuffed. In general, it denotes the tendency of government bureaucracies to place their most popular and/or [...]

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I’ll tell you truly: I’m still largely a believer in the financial town meeting. It forces interested residents into a place where they at least have a chance to hear competing arguments. Whether or not they change their votes, they certainly cannot claim not to have heard warnings and considered alternatives. [...]

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Two points jump out from a recent Sakonnet Times article on an economic development presentation in Tiverton (no longer online). First:
[Rhode Island Economic Development Commission Executive Director Keith] Stokes said Tiverton land values, cost structures, and businesses needed to be consistent and competitive with the adjoining states of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The unstated connection — [...]

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Those who’ve been following statewide news will know that the General Assembly has permitted cities and towns to increase their revenue from motor vehicle taxes by exempting only the first $500 of value. (Previously, the first $6,000 was exempt.) In Tiverton, that means another $105 per car valued over $6,000. Those who’ve [...]

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Well, today’s breaking news is that Town Administrator Jim Goncalo has received word that the state Division of Municipal Finance has approved Tiverton’s waiver of the tax cap, which should have held our tax increase at 4.5%.
I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised, though. Rhode Island is a state in which the governor and [...]

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In a comment to a post of mine on Anchor Rising, Tiverton Tax Assessor David Robert suggested that the town may not take advantage of the power that the Rhode Island General Assembly has just given it to raise taxes on automobiles, and that if it does, the result would be property tax relief:
As far [...]

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