Independent Candidate Bonnie Van Slyke Will Deliver Proven, Effective Leadership

Independent Charlestown Town Council candidate Bonnie Van Slyke’s previous service on the Town Council proves she has the experience and integrity to represent you well.

Bonnie is:

• Dedicated to well-managed and open town government. She is not affiliated with any special interests. She will represent the interests of all the residents of Charlestown.
• Committed to keeping your property taxes among the lowest of any town in the state. Her track record shows that she will work to provide town services that keep you safe, to support Chariho schools, and to assure our town’s finances are in good order.
• An effective activist for local control of our future. She helped rally town residents in the fight to stop the Federal Railroad Administration’s plan to bisect Charlestown with two new rail lines and blocked Invenergy from taking away our drinking water.
• Vigilant in protecting our irreplaceable environment. She will work to safeguard our drinking water. She is tireless in her efforts to sustain wildlife, provide some of the best recreational opportunities on the East Coast, and make our town such a unique and treasured place to live.
• Careful about the development of our community. She helped write the Harbor Management Plan and the long-range Comprehensive Plan that guide sustainable development of our salt ponds, open spaces, and our village centers. She recognizes that Charlestown’s economy depends on the quality of our natural and scenic resources.

Vote for Bonnie Van Slyke—a proven candidate for Charlestown Town Council. She will listen to your concerns and is willing to do the hard work to protect our environment, our economy, and our low tax rate.

Virginia Lee, the author of this post, was President of the Charlestown Town Council (2018 to 2020) and she served on the Council (2014 to 2020). She was the Town Council liaison to the Agricultural Commission, the Waste Water Management Commission, Coastal Pond Management Commission, Zoning Board of Review, Charlestown Potable Water Working Group, the Historical Society and the committee updating the Harbor Management Plan. She is a former member of South Kingstown’s Town Council, Zoning Board, and Conservation Commission. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the South Kingstown Land Trust and a former member of the Board of Directors of Save the Bay. She retired from the URI Coastal Resources Center in 2012.