Chariho, Canvasing Authority on Council Agenda
By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
February 5th 2024
RICHMOND – At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, members will discuss a proposal by council President Mark Trimmer to draft a resolution opposing the Chariho Regional School District’s new schools initiative.
Councilors will also be asked to reconsider the appointment of Raymond Pouliot to the Richmond Canvassing Authority.
The Chariho Resolution
Mark Trimmer will introduce a resolution opposing the proposal to go out to bond for up to $150 million to build three new elementary schools. The state would reimburse the district a base rate of 61%, which, with the addition of several “bonuses,” would increase to reimburse up to 81% of the cost. The second option, which would entail renovations to existing schools, would receive the base reimbursement of 61%. If the bond fails, the final option is to do emergency repairs only, which, for elementary schools, which were built more than 75 years ago, are expected to be increasingly costly.
Reached Monday, Trimmer said he could not support the new schools construction bond.
“Do we need new schools? That’s debatable,” he said. “Do we need $150 million worth of new debt that will paralyze the town and stop us from doing anything else? I’m not sure we do need that, and so, that’s why I feel it should be put on the agenda for discussion and the town should have its say as to whether or not this is a good idea.”
School Committee member Jessica Purcell, who also serves as the Vice Chair of the Richmond Democratic Town Committee, pointed out that the decision on the bond would be made by the School Committee, not the Town Council. In an email Monday, Purcell also expressed her disappointment with Trimmer’s opposition to the proposal.
“I am disappointed that Mr. Trimmer is taking an oppositional stance on these complex but necessary plans,” she wrote. “Learning is a process that requires patience. Voters in our three towns will make the ultimate decision on May 7th about how we move forward to address the challenge of maintaining aging school buildings, including Richmond Elementary as it approaches its 90th year.”
The Richmond Community Alliance political action committee posted an open letter by RCA President Mark Reynolds in its Feb. 4 newsletter, asking Trimmer to thoroughly research the issue before asking the council to consider a resolution opposing the plan.
“There is plenty of time between now and May to gather information and arrive at a solution that will best support students from Richmond in a way that is fiscally responsible,” the letter reads. “The Town Council should be spending its time providing information to residents, rather than telling them how to vote. Remember that you represent the town as a whole, and your personal opinion and self-interest does not outweigh the residents you serve.”
Reached Monday, Reynolds repeated a statement that he made at the Jan. 16 council meeting.
“These buildings are going to need to be replaced at some point,” he said. “You’re just kicking the can down the road, and say you get five to ten more years out of them before they really are in bad shape, it’s going to cost you more.”
The Canvassing Authority
The Richmond Democratic Town Committee has asked the council to reconsider the appointment, at the Jan. 16 council meeting, of Raymond Pouliot to the Canvassing Authority. The motion to appoint Pouliot was made by councilor Michael Colasante and approved by four council members with Samantha Wilcox casting the only opposing vote.
Committee Chair Chris Kona said Monday that he was encouraged that the council was willing to reconsider the appointment.
Kona explained that state law requires that the council President nominate members to the three-member Canvassing Authority.
“The President is supposed to nominate someone from the [voters] list and so, the fact that Councilor Colasante was the one who made the motion means that according to the law, it’s coming from the wrong direction and it reads as a way for Councilor Colasante to try to bully the council into picking a particular person,” he said.
The Committee is also asking why the council did not interview both candidates. The council briefly interviewed Pouliot, but Pamela Rohland, a Democrat, was not acknowledged.
“When other boards try to appoint someone, they interview all of the different candidates and in this case, we didn’t see all of the candidates interviewed,” Kona said. “Pamela Rohland was another candidate who was eligible for the position, but the council never considered her. They certainly had the opportunity to ask her to come and make a statement, as well as Mr. Pouliot, but they did not.”
Kona also challenged the assumption that the person filling a vacancy, in this case created by the resignation of Republican Tim Michaud, must be of the same political affiliation.
“There’s this myth that the person who fills that position needs to be of the same party as the one who was in it before, and, as long as the Canvassing Board has at least one Democrat, one Republican, then the third one can belong to either party,” he said. “In the case that we’re in, there is already one Democrat on the Canvassing Authority, there’s one Republican on the canvassing authority, so this position could be either one. … The council could have picked either candidate.”
Other Agenda Items
In other business, Town Administrator Karen Pinch will ask the council to approve the hiring of Gary Robar as the new Director of the Department of Public Works. If approved, Robar will replace Scott Barber, who has retired.
Pinch will also ask the council to approve Michael Rosso as the town’s new Electrical Inspector, replacing Jeffrey Vaillancourt, who was dismissed at a special Town Council meeting on Jan. 30.