Open Seat On Town Council Will Be Filled By Vote Of Remaining Members

With the passing of Grace Klinger, there is now an open seat on the Charlestown Town Council. By Charter, because there is less than a year to the next election, it is up to the Town Council to decide how they want to fill the seat.

The Charter presents the Town Council with three options: leave the position vacant, hold a special election to let voters decide, or appoint someone to fill the position.

The Council has chosen to fill the position as soon as possible and decided against holding a special election. The members of the Town Council will, therefore, vote to appoint Councilor Klinger’s successor. Anyone who wants to apply may submit an application for the empty seat.  Applications are due by March 1.

There are no criteria that the Town Council needs to follow for appointment. They could opt to select the next highest vote receiver in the 2022 election. The next two highest vote tallies in 2022 were for Peter Gardner and Ann Owen, both of whom were endorsed by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA). But there is no requirement that they do so.

To be appointed, a candidate will need to win the votes of at least three of the four remaining Town Councilors.

The Town Council could choose to appoint a like-minded individual. Alternatively, the Councilors could take the opportunity to appoint an individual who represents other views. Several of the issues that have come before the Town Council in the last year and a half have generated controversy, and a balance on the Town Council would be healthy.

The 2021 Town-wide Community Survey revealed that over 90% of residents want the Town Council to prioritize protecting the environment and keeping taxes low and affordable. These priorities were followed by residents’ desires to maintain healthy septic systems, prevent drinking water contamination, maintain rural character, limit box stores, improve water quality and supply, limit national chains, improve education, support small local businesses, and regulate new residential development. Regulating new residential development was supported by three quarters of the residents. All the priorities above were supported by most residents, with support ranging between 94% and 73%.

Since being elected in 2022, some of the members of the Town Council have disclosed, through their words and actions, that their priorities are at odds with the results of the 2021 Community Survey.

• Deborah Carney: Ms. Carney opposes land preservation and favors more dense development. She blocked the acquisition of a large property that would have protected the Sawmill Pond Watershed, by refusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in state aid. She has proposed replacing “single-family” in the Zoning Ordinance with “multifamily,” a change that would allow much more dense residential development going forward.
• Susan Cooper: Ms. Cooper has demonstrated that she is in favor of protecting the natural resources of the Town. She has advocated for acquiring important open space, such as the large property that would have protected the Sawmill Pond Watershed and was instrumental in establishing the Climate Resiliency Commission. She has opposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance that would weaken groundwater protections and has sought solutions that protect our low tax rate.
• Richard Serra: Mr. Serra has consistently opposed almost all town regulations in favor of allowing developers to do whatever they want with their land. He has objected to provisions of the Groundwater Protection Ordinance and favored changes to the Zoning Ordinance that would weaken other groundwater protections. He believes the town has too much land protected from development.
• Stephen Stokes: Mr. Stokes is in favor of preserving the rural character of Charlestown; however, some of his actions will serve to fragment core forests and reduce other environmental protections. He has worked to replace lighting to protect dark skies around Ninigret Park. He did propose significant increases in the overall housing density in new subdivisions but then reversed course when there was overwhelming public opposition.

The Town Council will make the appointment at its regular meeting on March 11. If you wish to apply for the open seat, your application should be submitted by March 1 to the Town Clerk, Amy Rose Weinreich, by email at arweinreich@charlestownri.gov.