When: Monday, May 1st at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
Why: Public Hearing on the Tentative 2023-2024 Municipal Budget of $15,825,425.00
The municipal budget represents an increase in spending of $764,492.00, which is a 5% increase over the previous year.
Celebrate Trails Day is a nation-wide annual spring celebration held on the fourth Saturday of April since 2013. The celebration encourages people to get outside and enjoy our nation’s exceptional trails and trail systems. In Charlestown, getting outside and connecting with nature is easy with over twenty public open spaces located throughout our town.
When: April 15 to April 22, 2023
Where: The sky above Charlestown, Rhode Island
Why: Charlestown’s dark sky protects the health of both people and wildlife, gives us a fabulous view of the universe, and so much more. Charlestown is an important location for the study and viewing of the cosmos because we have the darkest skies along the coast between New York and Boston. Read more to learn how you can celebrate International Dark Sky Week.
The proposed changes overrule local regulations and effectively eliminate single family zoning in Charlestown. This increase in overall housing density is being proposed for Charlestown without any assessment of the cumulative potential impacts of the increased septage on groundwater, drinking water, and the coastal ponds and other water bodies. Putting no limit on the number of bedrooms and allowing any lot to create a new additional dwelling unit that can be used as a summer rental will impact coastal areas especially.
Developers, land use attorneys who represent developers, a gravel bank owner, and other business owners were among those appointed by the Town Council on March 13 to committees to review and rewrite all of the town’s ordinances, propose revisions to the Town Charter, and recommend a new Town Administrator.
On January 31, the Charlestown Town Council held an executive session meeting with Joseph Larisa, Charlestown’s Indian Affairs attorney, to discuss the BIA’s proposed change in the rule used to determine whether a tribe was “under federal jurisdiction” in 1934. The proposed rule change is an administrative action and its adoption would effectively overturn the Carcieri v. Salazar U.S. Supreme Court decision. The Council returned to open session after the executive session to announce that they had taken a vote to authorize Attorney Larisa to craft an official response from the town on the rule change and submit the response before the March 1 deadline. The rule change and its importance is explained in the post.
Mark has served the town masterfully for ten years and has no desire to leave. He is being forced out to avoid being fired because of ongoing difficulties with the Council President unrelated to his outstanding performance as Town Administrator. In every performance review during Mark’s ten years, the Town Council has judged his performance as being superior in all areas of responsibility. Given his great service to the town, it is clearly in the town’s best interest to have Mark continue in his role as Town Administrator.
N.O. Bar, LLC, that manages the Clam Shack located in the Shelter Cove Marina on Charlestown Beach Road, has been before the Charlestown Town Council for a liquor license renewal and is currently before the Charlestown Zoning Board for a Special Use Permit for the construction of an outdoor bar.
The increase in overall housing density is being proposed for Charlestown without any assessment of the cumulative potential impacts of the increased septage on groundwater, drinking water, and the coastal ponds and other water bodies. Putting no limits on the number of bedrooms and allowing any lot to create an additional new short-term rental will impact coastal areas especially.
In late 2022, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published a new proposed rule on the federal-lands-into-trust process for Native American tribes. The lands-into-trust process is a set of procedures that the BIA uses to acquire title to land and hold it for the use of tribes. This process was established by the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and was later interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Carcieri v. Salazar in 2009. The proposed rules appear to be an administrative action to overturn the Supreme Court decision.
We’ve made a list of some of the recent things we are thankful for in Charlestown. There’s so much more. Let us know what you are thankful for in Charlestown.
On October 31, I received a letter from Clay Johnson, and rarely have I seen a letter with so much misinformation and derogatory innuendos. Mr. Johnson, you mention, “stop the madness.” The madness that must be stopped is the wanton publication of unsubstantiated stories designed to inflame people who do not take the time to uncover the facts.
When you fill in your mail ballot or enter the voting booth on November 7 or 8, please vote for the Independent candidates in this post. From the shore of the Block Island Sound to the villages along the Pawcatuck River they will protect our quality of life, our low tax rate, and our beautiful environment. Image in post to download to your phone or printer to bring with you to the polls.
Every two years we get the opportunity to exercise the right and privilege to vote. We all work to protect the right to vote, but some do not take advantage of it each election cycle, and we should. A clear majority of you said you approve of the direction Charlestown is taking in the town-wide community survey, so vote for these candidates to continue that direction and record of achievement and to implement your wishes. Voting continues through November 8th. Get out and vote now.
CHANGE OF VENUE
When: Thursday, October 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: Saint James Chapel Community Room, 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown
Join us to meet the candidates CCA has endorsed for Charlestown Town Council, Planning Commission, and Chariho School Committee. This was originally scheduled at the Police Station, but the meeting room at the station is needed for storage related to the election. We are grateful to St. James Chapel for allowing us use of the community room on such short notice.
Representatives who have values similar to ours would be expected to represent our views and to vote the way we would vote most, but not all, of the time. There are times when there are legitimate differences between people of similar values, and that is to be expected.
Jim Mageau is back this election on the Town Council ballot, again promising to fire staff. This time his target is Charlestown’s excellent Town Planner. Other candidates are also talking about firing Town staff and forcing out our highly-regarded Town Administrator. Before marking your ballot this election, please watch this video to see what happens when residents vote for someone they believe will “shake things up”.
It’s not a surprise that an opposition candidate would look to the Charlestown Citizens Alliance for campaign ideas and website content. What is a surprise is the willingness of Deb Carney’s group to shamelessly steal entire content, word for word, from the CCA website. Plagiarism is just the newest tool in their bag of campaign dirty tricks. Having the same content and branding leaves voters with the impression that there is very little difference between the two groups, when in fact there is a world of difference.
When: Saturday, October 15
Who: You and your family and friends
Where: Pick any road you like in Charlestown to pick up roadside litter
What: The town is providing the bags and the transfer station and fire stations will accept them without charge on October 15 from 8 AM to 4 PM
Join us at a ZOOM meeting to meet all the CCA candidates for Charlestown local offices.
When: Thursday, October 6 at 7 p.m.
Where: From the comfort of your home via ZOOM
Why: These candidates will protect our quality of life, our low tax rate, our beautiful environment, and our future.
Details on joining the ZOOM meeting in this post.
We have images for signs, posters, handouts, emails, Facebook posts, Facebook banners or anything your creativity inspires that we are happy to share with you to promote these candidates who will protect Charlestown’s environment, tax rate, and future.
Our candidates are independent citizens willing to invest their diverse backgrounds, talents and time to work hard to protect and improve our community. We expect to be the beneficiaries of their investment through continued low taxes, protected natural resources, and all the other benefits of living in this beautiful community, but they need your support.
If you too want to keep our environment protected, our drinking water clean, our tax rate low, and our town working well, vote to elect the Independent candidates endorsed by CCA. As Independents they have the interests of the town foremost, not the interests of a political party or personal agenda and will act in the best interests of all the citizens of the town.
These candidates will bring education, experience, science, and a commitment to conservation to the elected Planning Commission. The top vote getter will serve as a full voting member. The next two vote getters will be elected as alternates. Alternates participate fully in all Planning Commission discussions and vote in the absence of a full voting member.
Three Ways To Vote (choose one of these)
• Vote by mail
• Vote early until September 12
• Vote on Tuesday, September 13
There is only one local contest on the Primary ballot, and that is the local Democratic Party primary contest for Senate District 38, (formerly Dennis Algiere’s seat). That senate district includes Charlestown districts 503 and 504.
Links to Senate District 38 candidates’ websites in this post.
The enactment of the new Residential Conservation Development Ordinance by the majority of the Town Council provides environmental and tax benefits for all Charlestown residents; weakening it would have served a very small class of corporate developers. These updates are meant to increase environmental protection, reduce long-term negative impacts to taxpayers, and at the same time provide ways for developers to reduce their own costs when they protect more open space.
Join us at a ZOOM meeting to meet the candidates to represent Charlestown on the Chariho School Committee.
When: Thursday, September 8 at 7 p.m.
Where: From the comfort of your home via ZOOM
Why: Those whom we elect to School Committee affect the future of Charlestown’s children and the Chariho school budget. Chariho has become one of the highest ranking school systems in our state.
If physical distancing had encouraged you to set out alone with your camera, you may have captured some stunning photographs of our beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Here are four ongoing photo contests where you can win either prizes or recognition for your beautiful photographs.
Charlestown and most of Washington County are experiencing extreme drought conditions. July 2022 in Rhode Island is the second driest July on record, over the past 128 years of record keeping. No matter what your normal water levels are, your well is probably drawn down more than normal.
If you think your efforts at avoiding COVID-19, an out of town trip, or any other reason may stop you from voting in the September 13th, Rhode Island Primary, consider ordering a mail ballot for that primary election. Plus, information on the RI Senate District 38 Democratic Primary in Charlestown.
