Council Approves Food Truck Deal

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

March 19th 2025

RICHMOND – The food trucks will be coming to Richmond, but there were times when it looked like the popular event might not happen.

At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, with PVD Food Truck Events founder Eric Weiner exhibiting increasing frustration, members continued to discuss the agreement that will make it possible for the food trucks to use town property.

Town Solicitor Christopher Zangari, at the request of the council at the March 4 meeting, had prepared a contract stipulating the terms of the events, which are scheduled

 to take place on May 8, June 12, July 10 and August 7.

Councilor Dan Madnick said he still had questions about the contract and proposed several changes which he had added to the document.

“I also submitted to you guys some changes as well,” he said.

Council President Samantha Wilcox responded that the council should go over the proposed changes at the meeting so the public would hear them.

“Since it’s not visible to the public today, we should go over all of them out loud, and this will be part of the record,” she said.

Council Vice President Mark Reynolds suggested that the council should first listen to Weiner’s concerns.

“Obviously, talking about the nitty gritty details of a contract doesn’t make any sense if you don’t have an agreement on the terms of the contract,” he said.

Reynolds urged the council to focus on, and resolve the key terms of the agreement, such as whether to charge a fee for the use of town property and if so, how much it would be, and the extent of work performed by the town staff, such as police officers and employees of the Department of Public Works.

After considerable discussion, Wilcox said she supported the food truck event and wanted it to happen this summer.

Weiner, however, said he was unaware of the newest proposed changes to the contract.

“We were asked to come back to the town to resume something that we had started, and now, we seem to be moving backward,” he said. “I have never dealt with another community where contract terms are handled in public. … The idea that there are still conversations about a contract that are now being adjudicated in public, is something that we have never experienced.”

The council eventually agreed to an agreement that Wilcox outlined when contacted Wednesday. The variable, she explained, is the number of police details that will be necessary to ensure public safety during the events, now that there is a roundabout nearby.

“We’re unsure how many details are going to be needed,” she said. “So, if we need more details, he’s still going to reimburse us for all the police used, but we’re not going to charge him a rental fee -the $250. We’re trying to help him with his costs, because it is a cost to have an extra police officer, but we want to make sure that it’s safe.”

Council members agreed that there is a need for a new policy for the use of town property, but that it could not be addressed that evening.

Finance Board Member’s Behavior Questioned

During the public forum, Finance Board Secretary Laura Reiger recounted the behavior of newly - appointed member Thomas Marron towards town staff.

Participating remotely, Reiger said,

“As a member of Finance Board, I would like to express my outrage at the comments and treatment by Tom Marron at the Finance Board,” she said.

Reiger said Marron appeared not to have read any of the budget documents that had been provided by Pinch and Finance Director Danielle Andrews.

“He repeatedly requested information that was contained in those very reports,” she said.  “… Of all the interruptions and demands, the most outrageous was when he called Danielle’s  [Andrews] work ‘creative accounting.’ That was comparable to accusing her of fraudulent bookkeeping. … Free speech or not, there’s a limit to what town employees or other board members should have to endure, and last night’s behavior went far over the line.”

Wilcox said Wednesday that after asking Planning Board Chair Philip Damicis to apologize for remarks he had made to motocross track owner Justin Carlson, she felt it was appropriate to request an apology from Marron.

“I was in attendance at the meeting Ms. Reiger spoke about and agree Mr. Marron was acting inappropriately by badgering the finance director and administrator,” she said. “We expect all appointed officials to respect town staff and each other, even when there is a difference of opinion. I hope he apologizes to Ms. Andrews and Ms. Pinch and his fellow board members and next year, he treats our staff and his peers respectfully.”

Marron has resigned from another body to which he was only recently appointed, the Economic Development Commission. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council accepted, without the customary mention of “with regret,” his letter of resignation.

The council then appointed Gary Parker to the board.

Other Business

Pavilion Plan

The council approved the concept plan for the new pavilion on Richmond Townhouse Road. The approval of the preliminary concept is necessary for the project design to proceed.

Grant Applications

Karen Pinch received council approval for the submissions of applications for two grants from Sen. Jack Reed’s office. The first, for $300,000 is for new surveillance cameras at several locations throughout the town.

“We would also like to interconnect them so they are all visible from the Dispatch Center,” she said.

“The second, and we already talked about this, would be the funding for expansion of the pavilion,” she said. “I believe that’s for $300,000 also.”

Councilor Jeffrey Dinsmore asked whether the grants might end up as casualties of the current federal political climate.

Pinch said she understood that the applications would move forward.

Police

Chief of Police Elwood Johnson said the department was fortunate to have recruited Derek Adams, a former all state wrestler and Chariho graduate who is currently in training at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy.

Johnson said he attended the academy’s dreaded “use of force” test, and recounted Adams’s outstanding performance.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “His ability to control. He was like a spider that they just could not get off. He maintained a dominant body position on every single person.”

Johnson also warned residents to watch for and report current scams and talked about his participation in the Rhode Island Special Olympics Super Plunge at Salty Brine Beach on March 22.