Susan Cooper

Ruth Platner

Talk to Ruth just once about Charlestown, and she will tell you how important conserving our remaining farms and natural places is. How Charlestown develops, including changes in the ratio of seasonal to year-round residents, has a direct impact on our financial stability and our tax rate. Of course, land owners have a right to develop their land, and those rights are defined in state law and the town’s subdivision and zoning regulations. However, our land use regulations are under constant pressure from lobbyists at the state legislature who seek laws that would overturn these regulations. Although most developers follow Charlestown’s regulations, a handful of applicants push plans that far exceed what is prudent. With the increased density proposed in these plans, and the associated expensive infrastructure that would be required as a result, we could see much higher tax rates. We benefit from Ruth’s experience on the Planning Commission to continue to protect our environment and our low tax rate, which is 3rd lowest in the state, as they clearly are closely related.

Ruth L. Platner – Town Council

Ruth grew up in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah and studied in Switzerland and New York, but from the first day she saw Charlestown in 1977, she knew she was home. The beauty of Charlestown’s historic villages, farms, forests, and ocean beaches have kept her here for nearly 50 years. Ruth has worked hard over those years to protect this beautiful place. Her work in land conservation has led to the preservation of many of our parks and open space properties. She has extensive experience as a microbiologist in environmental research related to water pollution. She was a lead member of Solarize Charlestown, a program to make roof-top solar more affordable for Charlestown homeowners. She was an invaluable leader in the  multi-community effort to stop the Federal Railroad Administration’s plan to bisect northern Charlestown with new rail lines. Her leadership was critical in the successful effort to stop Invenergy from withdrawing water from Charlestown and trucking it to northern Rhode Island. Ruth has always reminded us of the connection between natural resource protection and our relatively low tax rate. Ruth will use her time on the Town Council to “continue to serve the people and environment of Charlestown, by protecting our natural resources and subjecting changes in town regulations and policies to long-term financial analysis.”

Talk to Ruth just once about Charlestown, and she will tell you how important conserving our remaining farms and natural places is. How Charlestown develops, including changes in the ratio of seasonal to year-round residents, has a direct impact on our financial stability and our tax rate. Of course, land owners have a right to develop their land, and those rights are defined in state law and the town’s subdivision and zoning regulations. However, our land use regulations are under constant pressure from lobbyists at the state legislature who seek laws that would overturn these regulations. Although most developers follow Charlestown’s regulations, a handful of applicants push plans that far exceed what is prudent. With the increased density proposed in these plans, and the associated expensive infrastructure that would be required as a result, we could see much higher tax rates. We benefit from Ruth’s experience on the Planning Commission to continue to protect our environment and our low tax rate, which is 3rd lowest in the state, as they clearly are closely related.

Education

  • Workshops and training sessions for municipal leaders conducted by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Statewide Planning, RI Department of Health, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, Coastal Resources Management Council, Natural Resource Conservation Service, URI Environmental Data Center, Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Grow Smart Rhode Island, Save The Bay, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, RI Association of Conservation Commissions, Southern New England Forest Consortium, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Washington County Regional Planning Council, and others (1990 to the present)
  • Post-graduate studies in Computer Science and Statistics – University of Rhode Island
  • BS in Biology/Microbiology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
  • Graduate of Collège du Léman, International School, Geneva Switzerland

Professional Experience

  • Lead Programmer Analyst (Web Developer), University of Rhode Island (retired)
  • Senior Programmer Analyst (Scientific Programmer), Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
  • Research Associate in Microbiology, University of Rhode Island
  • Microbiologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Laboratory, Rhode Island
  • Microbiologist, Syracuse University, Syracuse New York

Public Service

  • Charlestown Rhode Island Planning Commission – 1997 to present
  • Web design and technical support, Charlestown Citizens Alliance
  • Founding member, Board of Directors, Charlestown Land Trust (1995 to 1998)
  • Citizen volunteer, Charlestown 1991 Comprehensive Plan
  • Legacy Member, The Nature Conservancy
  • Member, Northeast Organic Farming Association

Personal

  • With her husband, Cliff Vanover, she co-owns and operates Great Swamp Farm, an organic subsistence farm that has produced honey, eggs, bramble fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowering perennials and which produces most of the family’s food. She also helped Cliff with his publishing business which created authoritative maps and guides for hiking and biking in recreational areas in and near Rhode Island plus maps and guides of historic and architectural interest. Ruth and her husband built their passive solar home themselves in 1983. Their home uses very little energy, and they went over 40 years without a heating bill.

On November 5, please vote for Ruth L. Platner for Charlestown Town Council

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