Bonnie Van Slyke’s Comments On Leaving The Town Council

The following comments were read by Bonnie Van Slyke at her last Town Council meeting on November 14, 2022. Bonnie Van Slyke has been a member of the Charlestown Town Council for 8 years.

---

I am humbled to have served the Town of Charlestown for eight years and I thank the citizens of the town for the opportunity.

When I was first elected in 2014, it was, in retrospect, a somewhat simpler time. Shortly thereafter came a series of threats from outside our town. Finally came the global pandemic.

The Federal Railroad Administration proposed new rail through northern Charlestown (called the Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass); Invenergy proposed trucking large amounts of water from our watershed to cool a power plant in northern Rhode Island; a proposal was made to re-open a large campground on the northern shore of Watchaug Pond; a cell tower was proposed in Cross Mills; etc. The town stood up to these threats. The FRA removed the Bypass from its Tier I decision (but it is likely under consideration in Tier II), Invenergy’s plan is dead, the campground is not planned to open, and the cell tower is at the Charlestown Police Station. The over-two-years response to the pandemic in Charlestown was managed expertly by our Town Administrator, Mark Stankiewicz. Our Town Hall remained open, additional services were provided, and our budget was adopted on time.

Throughout the town has moved forward, and government has been open and transparent. Adherence to the Open Meetings Act was affirmed in a 17-page opinion from the Attorney General.

Over the last eight years, we have adopted a Hazard Mitigation Plan (currently being updated), a Harbor Management Plan, and the 2021 Comprehensive Plan—the town’s guide plan for the next 20 years. That the town is on the right path was validated by the 2021 Town-wide Citizen Survey. We know where we are going and the road to take to get there. Not only will the Comprehensive plan be the guide, enabling the town to make good decisions going forward, it will also provide a shield against outside threats.

Improvements have been made to Ninigret Park and work with the Army Corps of Engineers on the Remedial Action Plan for Ninigret Park and Pawcatuck River Storm Risk Management Project is ongoing. Street lights have been replaced with energy-efficient LEDs (not just in Charlestown but throughout the state because of the efforts of a previous Town Councilor), greatly reducing emissions and saving money; cancer-causing silica dust from quarries is required to be contained onsite; low- and moderate-income housing for ages 55 and up was built at ChurchWoods and workforce housing was built at Shannock Village Cottages; important land was preserved using the Open Space Bond funds, leveraged with grants from the state and with the participation of other entities; employee agreements were negotiated; our excellent professional staff was joined by new employees, turnover was managed seamlessly, and employee morale is exceptionally high; great science is being conducted in wastewater management and in GIS, with support from voters and grants from the EPA and other agencies; our police department was certified (and recertified) for RIPAC accreditation, the Charlestown Ambulance Rescue Service is on track financially and under excellent management; we enjoy a Class 6 rating, and our residents are eligible for a 20% discount on flood insurance; our school system is excellent; all town roads have been brought up to town standards; essential services are being provided and our tax rate has been reduced every year since 2016; our employee pension system is fully funded, and we have made significant payments toward our obligations to the state police pension system; our savings for emergencies and other uses (called our Fund Balance) has been managed well, and we have a healthy reserve for emergencies (in fact, we are one of the first , perhaps the first, city or town in the state to adopt a written Fund Balance Policy).

Policies adopted by the Town Council have had the benefit of outside, independent studies and analyses. The IT Department was established on the basis of one such study. The Fund Balance Policy was as well. There is currently an ongoing operational and organizational assessment of the town’s financial process and internal controls, and a report with recommendations that will enhance operations for the current and future needs of the town will be available at the beginning of the year. An Environmental Resiliency Commission has been established to consider the effects of climate change on the town.

I could go on, but, in short, the town is in excellent shape. Much of the credit for this goes to our town administrator, Mark Stankiewicz. He was selected by a committee of Town residents and hired in February of 2013. He has guided the town commendably well, under the direction of the Town Council, for approximately nine years (the longest serving town administrator in Charlestown’s history, I believe). Without his excellent leadership, our town would not be where it is today.

Again, I thank citizens for their confidence in electing me in four elections and for the privilege of serving, and I thank our exceptional town department heads and town staff for making the job easy.

 

 

 

You can learn more about Bonnie at her profile page.