Setting The Record Straight
The following letter was submitted to local newspapers and is reprinted here with permission of the author John Goodman. John Goodman is a resident of Charlestown and was a founding member of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance.
As our local elections near, elected Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) members of the Town Council, Planning Commission and others in Town Government should be proud of the civil, open, and well-run local government that has been achieved amid what has become one of the most politically divisive times in our nation’s history.
The Charlestown Citizens Alliance was created over a decade ago to foster exactly this type of “good government” and civil discourse, as Charlestown voters joined together to reject the political attacks that now sadly characterize national politics. The result is that Charlestown has among the lowest taxes in the state, while providing proven leadership to protect our town against expected and sometimes unexpected threats.
In a possible effort to confuse voters, a similarly named group, “Charlestown Residents United” includes many of the same candidates who backed a partisan “hate-blog” which was a source of libelous misinformation and falsehoods and was ultimately rejected by voters. CRU campaign information promoted by political party members portraying themselves as “Independent” continues this practice of seeking to divide the town with misinformation when civil public discourse based on facts are the key to our town’s future prosperity.
Sadly, we must again speak out against defamation and falsehoods promoted by CRU candidates and set the record straight. The facts of the matter are this:
- The CCA, which was started by and continues to be led by a large group of year round residents, receives 100% of its funding from people connected to Charlestown through their love of our town. The vast majority of CCA donations – 72% – are from year round residents and 28% from seasonal residents.
- Reflecting the wishes of voters, CCA candidates and elected officials have never supported “giving away” lands but instead have sought to conserve land and natural resources through easements to protect valuable habitats from development, securing national, state, local and private funding to secure these resources to benefit future generations.
- Current and past CCA Town Council members have SUPPORTED recreational development in Ninigret Park, approving budgets spending $600,000 every year on park development & active recreation programs. And it was the elected CCA members who we have to thank for recognizing and fighting back against the Federal Railroad Administration plans to literally “railroad” town residents with a destructive new route.
- By contrast, the CRU’s campaign literature mischaracterizes many of their own positions, while falsely portraying the CCA’s track record of accomplishments. Ultimately we are all neighbors, and I hope Charlestown voters will continue to reject such false, inflammatory, uncivil discourse in government, even as the questionably named CRU engages in such divisive practices.
For those who support continued civil, honest, and open discourse in local government, I strongly urge you to support the Charlestown Citizens Alliance candidates. Their track record of accomplishments including low taxes, quality schools and services, as well as civility and openness in responsive public service speaks for itself at a time when these values are so sorely lacking at other levels of government.
John J. Goodman