Looking Back on 2023

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
December 29th 2023

January

Nancy Hess

The year had barely begun when the Town Council voted at the Jan. 3 meeting to not reappoint Planning Board Vice Chair, Nancy Hess.

Hess, who works in the Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning and was the town’s expert on land use, had served on the board for about 20 years and was also instrumental in drafting the comprehensive plan.

Over the objection of Planning Board Chair, Phil Damicis, three councilors, Helen Sheehan, Michael Colasante and council President Mark Trimmer,  voted against Hess’s reappointment. The reason given for the vote was Hess’s alleged belligerence with applicants. It is not clear which applicant complained, but council Vice President Richard Nassaney and councilor Samantha Wilcox were blindsided by the vote, especially Nassaney, who said he had witnessed an exchange between Hess and Trimmer that had concluded with Trimmer telling Hess that he would support her reappointment.

At the Jan. 10 Planning Board meeting, members named Hess board Chair. It was a symbolic, but significant gesture.

Damicis warned at the time that Hess’s departure at the end of January would be a significant loss to the town.

“I’m incredibly disappointed in this council for not reappointing her and I think this town is going to suffer because of that,” he said.

Jessica Purcell

January also marked the beginning of the Chariho School Committee debacle. With the resignation of school committee member, Gary Ligouri, Jessica Purcell, who had received the second-greatest number of votes in the November 2022 election, expected that she would be sworn in to replace him. Instead, there began a protracted legal battle between council members with Trimmer, Sheehan and Colasante appointing Clay Johnson to the vacant seat. The reason they citied was the Chariho Act, which, as state law, took precedence over the town’s Home Rule Charter and allowed the council to appoint a school committee member. Purcell supporters argued that the town’s Home Rule Charter stated that the seat should be filled by the next highest vote-getter.

The issue generated so much attention that the Jan. 17 council meeting was canceled because the crowd in the council chambers exceeded the legal limit.

At the rescheduled council meeting, held a couple of days later in the Chariho Middle School auditorium, Trimmer, Sheehan and Colasante ignored the angry shouts from the audience and voted to appoint Johnson. Nassaney and Wilcox voted against the Johnson appointment.

At a Chariho School Committee meeting on Jan 24, Purcell announced that she had hired an attorney and would take her case to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Attorney Joseph Larisa was hired to represent Johnson and the town.

The Billboard

The political rhetoric ramped up at the end of the month with the appearance, on Jan. 28, of a billboard on Kingstown Road featuring Colasante, Sheehan and Trimmer, calling themselves the “Gang of Three,” in response to a letter to the editor by Democrat Kristen Chambers. The sign, paid for by the three council members, was removed a week later when it was determined that the councilors had neglected to apply for town permit to display it.

February

The “Tritown Coalition”

Colasante announced that he had met with representatives from Hopkinton and Charlestown to discuss education and unfunded state mandates.

“These other towns, like us, are in the same predicament, and it’s good to work with these towns without the bureaucratic red tape because again, keeping it local, local town councils working together, is stronger than any state organization that is given to us to try and coordinate us,” he told the council. “The other towns know of this and they were very excited to hear that we were getting this started.”

Contacted after Colasante’s announcement, neither Charlestown Town Council President Deborah Carney nor a senior Hopkinton administrator had heard anything about the coalition, or the meeting.

The Chariho Budget

At the Feb 7 School Committee meeting, newly-appointed member, Clay Johnson, voted against the proposed budget, because he said the school district’s cost per pupil was too high.

Chariho’s cost per pupil is the second-lowest of Rhode Island’s four regional school districts.

Daniel Ashworth

At the Feb. 21 Town Council meeting, Daniel Ashworth, a police officer who is also a firearms instructor at The Preserve, but did not disclose that connection at the time of his appointment, was named to the Planning Board with only Wilcox opposed. (Nassaney was absent.)

Ashworth has attended only a handful of Planning Board meetings since his appointment, and has had to recuse himself from discussions pertaining to The Preserve.

Wellness Director

Also at the Feb. 21 council meeting, Colasante and Sheehan tried, and failed, to eliminate the town’s newly-created Wellness Director position.

March

The Vaillancourt Saga Begins

At the March 7 meeting, held in the Chariho Middle School auditorium to accommodate the crowd, Colasante, supported by Trimmer and Sheehan, rejected Town Planner Shaun Lacey’s recommendation to hire Michael Rosso as the town’s electrical inspector. At the next council meeting, the three councilors voted to hire Jeffrey Vaillancourt, who had run as a Republican for a council seat in 2022.

The “Tri Town Coalition” a no-go

With acrimony reaching the point where council members were reluctant to even sit near Colasante, three of the five councilors, Trimmer, Nassaney and Wilcox, voted to decline an invitation to join the “Tri Town Coalition.”

April

Beaver River Solar

The month began with a major legal defeat for the town and a victory for a solar developer, GD Beaver River I LLC and William Stamp Jr.

The decision, by Rhode Island Superior Court Justice Sarah Taft-Carter, stated that the reasons for the Zoning Board’s denial of the application were “unsupported” and ordered the board to immediately issue a special use permit for the project.

Construction is currently underway on the solar energy project, with many residents remaining opposed to the commercial facility being permitted in the Beaver River Valley, which, in 2021, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The town, and abutting property owner John Peixinho, have each petitioned the court for a “Writ of Certiorari,” which would ask the Supreme Court to review the lower court’s decision.

Supreme Court Arguments

On April 13, the Rhode Island Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Jessica Purcell, Clay Johnson School Committee case.

Chariho Budget Passes

On April 4, despite the efforts of the Chariho Forgotten Taxpayers and Clay Johnson urging voters to reject it, the $57 million Chariho schools budget passed by a wide margin.

The Roundabout

On April 28, preparation began for the construction of the roundabout at the intersection of Routes 112 and 138.

May

The Town Budget

In late May, days before the referendum on the town budget, another letter from Clay Johnson was sent to residents. This letter urged them to reject the spending plan.

Riverhead Expansion

Riverhead Building Supply announced a $20 million expansion of its facility on Kingstown Road.

June

The Town Budget Rejected

The proposed town budget was soundly defeated in a referendum on June 5. The vote was 271 in favor and 390 opposed.

The council voted, at the June 7 meeting, to approve the amendments that would make it possible for the town to continue to operate with the existing budget.

Tax Breaks for The Preserve

The council approved a request by The Preserve Sporting Club and Residences for enabling legislation that would make it possible for the developer to ask the General Assembly to consider requests for tax stabilization and partial tax exemptions on the property.

Preserve owner and developer Paul Mihailides annoyed some residents when, while addressing the council, he justified his request for tax cuts, saying the taxes on the luxury vacation homes on his property were too high for many buyers.

“It’s just too much for a third or fourth vacation home, somebody that’s here a few times a year, that is here because The Preserve offers so many intangible items,” he said.

The bill was hand delivered to the State House by a representative of The Preserve. It was pulled by State Rep. Megan Cotter, however, who said she could not answer questions from fellow lawmakers about the bill because she had not been told anything about it.

Vaillancourt - Again

The council also considered dismissing the new Electrical Inspector, Jeffrey Vaillancourt, following complaints about his behavior, but decided instead to extend his probationary period.

Lacey Resigns

Town Planner Shaun Lacey announced his resignation. His last day was July 28.

July

Purcell Wins

On July 18, the Supreme Court released its decision on the Chariho School Committee case, finding for Jessica Purcell. Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg was the lone dissenter. Clay Johnson was removed from the committee seat and Purcell took his place.

At a special meeting on July 21, Jessica Purcell was sworn in as a Richmond School Committee member.

New Planner

The council also voted at July 21 meeting, with Colasante opposed, to hire Talia Jalette as the new Town Planner.

Aquifer Protection

At a public hearing on July 18, the council, with Colasante and Sheehan opposed, approved amendments to the town’s Aquifer Protection Ordinance.

New Survey

Residents of Richmond, Hopkinton and Charlestown were asked to complete a survey on their priorities for capital improvements to the four Chariho elementary schools.

August

Colasante and taxes

Colasante continued to argue that Richmond has the second-highest tax burden in the state.

Larisa’s Legal Services Bill

The town paid the $22,240 bill, submitted by attorney Joseph Larisa, who was unsuccessful in his defense of the town and Clay Johnson in the Jessica Purcell Chariho School Committee case.

The Fair

On Aug. 19, so many people converged on the Washington County Fair that day that organizers had to stop selling tickets to allow the traffic gridlock to clear.

Vaillancourt – Again

There were more complaints about the behavior of the town’s Electrical Inspector, Jeffrey Vaillancourt, this time from representatives of the Washington County Fair. He continues to serve as the town’s Electrical Inspector.

September

New Legislation

The council began grappling with changes resulting from eight new land use bills passed by the state legislature. Cities and towns must be in compliance with the new laws by Jan. 1 2024. 

Cannabis

The Town Council approved zoning amendments to allow retail cannabis sales.

The council also voted to partner with Hopkinton on a new community center.

RCA

A new political action committee, the Richmond Community Alliance, published its first newsletter.

Motocross

The Town Council approved amendments to the zoning and comprehensive plan to allow a motocross track on a property on Buttonwoods Road owned by Jordan Carlson.

October

Scott Barber

Scott Barber, who served for more than 24 years as the Director of Public Works, announced at the Oct. 3 council meeting that he would be retiring on Feb. 1.

The Generator

During that Town Council meeting, Colasante proposed that the town, which had already gone out to bid for an emergency generator for the Town Hall and had chosen the winning company, consider a different company that had not participated in the bidding process.

Several people, including two council members, said they found Colasante’s proposal disturbing and warned that re-opening the bidding after a company had been selected might expose the town to legal action. With Colasante opposed, the council voted to award the generator contract to the winning bidder, Calson Corporation.

Colasante Goes After Wilcox

During the Oct. 17 Town Council meeting, Colasante verbally attacked councilor Samantha Wilcox. Colasante’s refusal to relinquish the floor necessitated an intervention by Police Chief Elwood Johnson.

November

Colasante contacted the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office and the ACLU regarding the role of the police in preventing him from speaking at the Oct. 17 meeting.

Richmond’s new dog park opened.

December

The EDC

At the Dec. 11 meeting of the Economic Development Commission, four of the six commission members resigned, citing frustration with, and a lack of cooperation from the Town Council.

When the meeting adjourned, Colasante launched a verbal attack on one of the two remaining members, Pete Burton. Burton later said that he did not know the motive for Colasante’s attack.

Ethics Complaints

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted to investigate three ethics complaints, two against Colasante and one against Nassaney.

Ellsworth to Depart

At the Dec. 20 council meeting, Town Solicitor Karen Ellsworth, who has provided legal services to the town since 2005, withdrew her request for reappointment. Ellsworth ran afoul of House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi for remarks she made about the state’s new land use bills. She had also lost the support of the majority of Town Council members.

A few words from the Town Council President…

BRVCA asked Mark Trimmer to comment on the past year’s council activities.

“Disappointingly divisive. That’s how I would describe it in two words,” he said. “Mike [Colasante] and a few of his followers seem to be just trying to make sure that if their kind of progress is not made, then no progress gets made at all.”

Trimmer also suggested that Colasante’s behavior had contributed to the departures of valued town employees.

“This is why we can’t have nice things,” he said. “I would say that he contributed to driving two long term integral employees in our town out of our town. … It’s really just stood in the way of doing what’s best for the town. It’s as though ‘you play the game my way, or we won’t let you play at all.’”