Earlier this month, RI Governor McKee submitted his draft budget to the General Assembly, which includes the 2027 Green Bond. The Green Bond contains NO FUNDING for conservation or farmlands and only a small amount for Outdoor Recreation Grants – It isn’t green at all!
At the meeting on November 10, 2025, Councilors Deb Carney, Craig Marr, and Peter Slom voted to borrow up to $1.05 million; Councilor Stokes voted no. They voted to issue a bond not to preserve open space, but to finance unspecified future projects.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road in Charlestown
When: Weekly on Wednesdays from 10am to 11am
Who: These programs are designed for toddlers
Every Friday night that the weather permits, the astronomers at Frosty Drew open their Observatory, Science Center, Sky Theatre, and telescopes to the sky and offer stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in observing with them. Tickets are not required for visitors to attend these winter Friday night events. Though a suggested donation of $5 per person, at the event, is very much appreciated.
When: Monday, January 12 at 7 pm
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Just before the Town Council meeting starts, Bonnie will take the oath of office and will officially join the Town Council
Property at 565 Alton Carolina Road (Rt. 91) in Charlestown is the site of a sand and gravel quarry. The property contains three lots which abut the National Wild and Scenic Pawcatuck River, the Nature Conservancy’s 1,100-acre Francis Carter Preserve, the Town of Charlestown’s Tucker Woods Preserve, and private residences.
When: Wednesday, December 31st at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
On New Years Eve, the Town of Charlestown will host the annual bonfire in the park.
When: Thursday, January 1st
11:30 am arrival and registration, then plunge at 12:00 Noon sharp!
Where: Charlestown Town Beach
Registration form in post
Make a New Year’s resolution to be more engaged, attend or watch town meetings, speak up when things violate your values, and join a community of residents who feel it is worthwhile protecting what we have and working to build a future we will be happy with and which we can feel we helped shape.
We live in a beautiful community, rich in natural resources. Giving your friends and family gift memberships in local environmental organizations, or making year-end gifts directly to these organizations, can help to preserve and protect our local environment. In the post are ideas for holiday gifts that can make a positive difference in our local environment.
Education is central to a strong community. We offer these gift giving ideas to build and broaden educational opportunities in Charlestown.
The holidays are rich in good food and drink. We shouldn’t forget to thank the farmers who make it all possible nor forget those who sadly experience hunger this time of year.
Where: https://www.32auctions.com/CLT2025HolidayBazaar?r=1&t=all
When: Friday, December 5, 1 a.m. to Monday, December 8, 9 p.m.
Ring in the season of giving with the Charlestown Land Trust’s fifth annual online holiday auction. The proceeds directly support the protection and stewardship of the open spaces in the Land Trust’s care as well as their outreach efforts and programming.
Thank you to each of the 1,465 voters who took the time to vote in this special election, congratulations to Bonnie Van Slyke for winning the election, and congratulations to all three candidates for putting their names forward as candidates! Vote totals in post.
After 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, December 2, the RI Board of elections will begin to report election results for Charlestown. You can get to the Charlestown results by clicking on the link in this post.
There’s one candidate who stands out above the rest and deserves our vote, Bonnie Van Slyke. In her own right, Bonnie‘s experience and past service on the Charlestown town council (2014-2022) place her as the best choice.
I write to ask Charlestown’s registered voters to support Bonnie Van Slyke’s bid for the vacant seat on our Town Council. Please vote (now, or on election day), and when you vote – go deep!
The only “special interest” that Bonnie has is to protect Charlestown’s spectacular natural resources and low tax rate, to promote honest and transparent government, to prevent unregulated development and loss of local control, to promote positive educational leadership, and to protect all these assets for future generations.
Virginia Lee: “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. She is 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.”
When: Friday, December 5 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm
When: Saturday, December 6 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Where: Cross’ Mills, Charlestown Beach Business Areas, and beyond (see map in post)
When: Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm
Where: The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, 4820 Old Post Road
When: Saturday, December 6 from 12 p.m to 4 p.m.
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road Charlestown
The Tomaquag Museum Team invites you to join them in celebrating Nikommo, a beloved Narragansett tradition that’s all about giving back. It’s a fantastic chance to dive into Native arts and enjoy some amazing storytelling.
When: Saturday, December 6, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Mini Super, 4071 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Why: Indie Cycle is offering this great opportunity to dispose of your unwanted electronics that can be either recycled, reused or refurbished.
You can return your ballot by mail, but make sure there is time for it to be received by December 2. If you are in Charlestown, you can place your mail ballot in the special ballot box outside Town Hall anytime between now and December 2, 2025.
In the last year, a few developers have proposed packing into their developments many more houses per acre than are allowed under zoning. For instance, on an environmentally sensitive parcel zoned for about 20 houses, over 400 dwelling units were proposed. Recent changes to Rhode Island law make over-development in vulnerable areas in Charlestown almost inevitable.
Keeping the water that flows beneath the ground (groundwater) clean is one of the most important issues facing Charlestown—not only because it is the source of our drinking water, but also because its deterioration will affect the health of our saltwater ponds and inland lakes.
It happens every campaign, and it has happened again. Campaign signs mysteriously walk away, never to be seen again. Campaign signs create visual clutter and contribute to plastic pollution. They are also expensive and require monitoring to check if they are still in place. Perhaps in future elections, local candidates could all agree on one thing, and that would be to skip the campaign signs.
When: Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown
Holiday Baskets of Greens, Crafts, Baked Goods, Jewelry, Books, Quilts, Santa’s Workshop, Soft Goods, Nearly New Items, Coffee, donuts, and more
When: Saturday, November 22, 8:00 a.m. to Noon
Where: St James Parish Center, 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free parking and admission
This Holiday Sale features beautiful and well priced holiday decorations for your house, dining table, mantle and outdoor displays, hand made by Garden Club members to raise funds for their scholarship program.
Wednesday, November 12 is the first day of Early Voting at Town Hall. Voting will take place between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, from Wednesday, November 12 to Wednesday, November 26. An additional early in person voting day will take place at Charlestown Town Hall between 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Monday, December 1.
Our town deserves a government that will safeguard our excellent quality of life, our low tax rate, and our beautiful environment, priorities supported overwhelmingly by our taxpayers in the 2021 Town-wide Survey. To accomplish this, I offer the commitments listed in this post if elected to the Town Council: