As a past member of Charlestown’s Planning Commission and Town Council, I have witnessed at close proximity the competing interests of proponents for expanded economic development and the public will for preservation and conservation of natural resources. Well guided economic growth can be used to foster preservation and conservation, and CCA is committed to that dual outcome.
What I observed was a commitment of the Planning Commission and its chairwoman, Ruth Platner, to approved policy when reviewing applications from prospective business enterprises. These regulations not only preserve the character of Charlestown, but they also protect independent operators of locally owned small businesses from being swallowed up by big-box Goliaths.
All of the candidates endorsed by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) share Bonnie Van Slyke’s passion for protecting the natural resources and beauty of Charlestown. For Bonnie, that passion is in her DNA.
With its record of solid fiscal management, one of the lowest property-tax rates in the state, and a solid financial reserve, Charlestown is well positioned to weather an unexpected storm.
Land use is constrained by ordinances and closely monitored by Charlestown’s CCA-dominated Planning Commission. Their work contributes to the sustainable rural culture that CCA has sought to cultivate and advance since its inception.
The budget surplus reflects superior fiscal management in Town Hall, and a declining enrollment in the regional school system. Charlestown has the fourth lowest tax rate of all 39 municipalities in Rhode Island. It is a mystery to me why anyone would want to mess with current policy, other than to fuel political wrangling.
Walking the trails of our forested landscape, we see the skeletal remains of a once robust tree canopy, with dead and decaying remnants carpeting the forest floor. We are witnessing the extensive damage to our forest by successive invasions of gypsy moths in the summers of 2017 and 2018.
George Tremblay: “Communications towers are not admired as works of art, but they are a necessity in protecting the public welfare. Several already exist in the area, and it has not been made evident why new hardware attached to one of the existing towers could not satisfy the need for public safety. Erection of new towers calls for the utmost discretion if we are to preserve the beauty of our landscape.”
Sad to report, Robert’s public voice has been silenced by a series of medical crises precipitated by an illness that had him hospitalized.
In his letter of 2 Dec, Frank Glista explains the broad base of public support for CCA candidates for public office. He sees evidence of the independent nature of those who run for office under the CCA banner. Concern that undue pressure forces the council to promote the leadership’s political agenda is dispelled by Glista’s observation that members of the town council vote their conscience, not the leadership agenda. It is the vote of conscience that inspires the electorate to return these folks to office.
The charge that the Town Council appointed party loyalists does not bear up to close scrutiny. Only one has a history of ties to the Charlestown Citizens Alliance that endorsed all current members of Town Council. No evidence of a political litmus test for appointment to the commission has been offered, and I don’t think such evidence exists.
The FRA plans to bisect our town with a new high-speed track that runs from its western edge through homes in the bucolic Burdickville village, across a four-generation farm-to-table operation on top of Schumankanuc Hill, over Native-American tribal land through the center of the 1,100-acre Carter Preserve (owned by The Nature Conservancy), and splitting the Revolutionary-era Amos Green Farm, adjacent properties protected by conservation easements, and federally funded Historic Columbia Heights housing, to reconnect with the existing railroad near the eastern edge of town.
This abbreviated record of achievements illustrates the work and dedication toward fiscal responsibility, civic pride, and environmental consciousness you can expect from CCA candidates for Town Council. Incumbent CCA candidates Virginia Lee, Denise Rhodes, and Bonnie Van Slyke, were instrumental in creating this record, and are seeking re-election. New candidates Julie Carroccia and Steve Williams attended most of the meetings of the current town council, and are well versed in its proceedings and obligations. As an outgoing town councilor, I thank you for the privilege of serving, and urge you to vote for my dedicated CCA colleagues.
Mr. Malin repeatedly claims Charlestown to have banned wind power, and he campaigns to lift the ban. I write to refute his claim, and set the record straight. It was a very public process, and the moratorium was lifted when the ordinance was adopted five years ago on Nov 14, 2011.
Single-use plastic bags, the bags we are given to carry our purchases from a store, are a major source of plastic pollution, a health hazard to aquatic animals and an eyesore as litter along our roadways. Last May, the Charlestown Town Council approved up to $10,000 to underwrite costs for distributing reusable tote bags in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste.
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council. On […]
The following letter appeared in the Westerly Sun on July 3rd and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is Vice President of the […]
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is Vice President of the Charlestown Town Council. Environmental […]
The following letter is shared with us by the author George Tremblay. This was written in response to a letter that appeared in the Westerly Sun that falsely asserted that construction of senior housing was a misuse of disaster relief funding, that senior citizen housing does not belong in a village district, and that the town should have spent the housing money on the Breachway. As the letter below explains, the disaster relief funding exists only because of the housing. One might ask why the Westerly Sun prints such nonsense, but George set the record straight.
I was dumbstruck by the arrogant disregard for reality in the letter from Brandon Cleary on the use of Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Funds (Westerly Sun, July 15).
The following letter appeared in the Westerly Sun and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council. […]
The following letter appeared in the Westerly Sun and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council. […]
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and […]
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and […]
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and […]
The following letter appeared in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and […]
South County towns may receive over $14 million in federal disaster funding to compensate for Superstorm Sandy. Projects in area towns are competing for those funds. A large portion of […]
The following post was submitted by George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of the Charlestown Town Council and Town Council Liaison to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission […]
The following letter appeared in the Westerly Sun and the Chariho Times, and is reprinted here with permission of the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is a member of […]
The following letter was published in the Providence Journal (Dec 5) by George Tremblay in response to their news article on affordable housing (Dec 1) ————————————– “Your otherwise informative article […]
