Richmond Town Council Meeting Update for Tuesday, December 6th, 2022

by Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

RICHMOND – The celebratory ritual of swearing in new Town Council members was marred Tuesday evening when defeated council members, their allies and Republican Town Committee officials launched attacks on the highest vote-getter and another newly-elected councilor.

There were two meetings. The first was largely devoted to allowing members of the 2020-2022 council to make closing remarks.

But the jostling for the positions of President and Vice President on the new council began even before departing members had said their good-byes.

During the Public Forum, former Richmond Republican Town Committee Chair Louise Dinsmore read a statement which was signed by herself, outgoing council President, Nell Carpenter, who is unaffiliated and outgoing councilor Lauren Cacciola, a Democrat.

The statement urged councilors to support for Republican Michael Colasante for council President.

“When we examine the past records of the veteran members of the incoming Town Council, that of councilman [Richard] Nassaney and Mr. [Mark] Trimmer, we feel that neither councilman Nassaney nor Mr. Trimer possess the leadership skills or foresight to assume the position of Richmond Town council President or Town Council Vice President, for that matter,” Dinsmore said. “Their actions, and more importantly, inactions, while on the council, have resulted in the status quo, and quite frankly, their records fall short of any major accomplishments for the taxpayers and residents of this town.”

It should be noted that Nassaney, a Republican, received the greatest number of votes in the recent election. Trimmer, also a Republican, did not serve on the last council but has served on past councils.

It should also be noted that Nassaney ran afoul of the Republican Town Committee in the recent campaign and saw his name wiped from the slate and erased from campaign signs and literature.

Patricia Pouliot, who has replaced Dinsmore as Chair of the Republican Town Committee, also urged council members to choose Colasante for President.

“The council has a choice – continue down the path of financial irresponsibility or choose a direction of financial responsibility,” she said. “They can choose Mr. Nassaney or Mr. Trimmer with their record of increasing our taxes every year they served on the council, or choose a candidate that has a record of lowering taxes when he served on the council.”

Former Town Clerk Tracy Nelson also attacked Nassaney, pointing out his recent ethics violation.

“You have been recently found guilty and penalized by the Ethics Commission for violating the Code of Ethics,” she said. “In my opinion, when coupled with your conduct, you are the least worthy of the five candidates to guard Richmond’s future.”

Reached Wednesday, Nassaney said he had paid a $300 fine on Nov. 15, for a single ethics violation. The complaint against him was filed by former councilor and Chair of the Democratic Town Committee, Joseph Reddish.

Eight additional ethics complaints were filed by Carpenter. All of those, Nassaney said, were dismissed.

The creator and owner of “Rich’s Sweet Heat” sauce, Nassaney was cited by the commission for not recusing himself from a vote on a victualling license for the sales of prepared meals at Richmond Market.

“Their view of a relationship, or a partnership was, honestly, different from how I looked at it,” Nassaney said. “How I looked at it, I wasn’t a business owner of their property, but a victualling license has to do with grab and go products – sandwiches, stuff like that. My stuff is a sauce, so I didn’t think that my sauce had anything to do with a victualling license. Well, they perceived it in a different light. We came to an agreement and an understanding. I recuse from everything that has to do with Richmond Market.”

President and Vice President 

At the second meeting, which followed almost immediately, the five council members voted for council President and Vice President. Colasante and fellow Republican Helen Sheehan voted for each other for both positions, but lost on both counts.

With Democrat and council newcomer, Samantha Wilcox, casting the deciding vote, Trimmer was elected President and Nassaney, Vice President.

Asked Wednesday about her vote, Wilcox said,

“I do take everyone’s opinion seriously, and last night, a lot of people did speak up against Rich, but also, people do reach out to me via email and people do text me and they say nice things, so there’s both happening, from my perspective.”

Trimmer said both he and Nassaney had been expecting attacks at the meeting.

Referring to Dinsmore, Trimmer said,

“I think the most unprecedented thing would be for the three times-resigned Republican Town Committee Chair, Louise, to craft a letter, with two Democrats that are no longer on the  council as of today, against a Republican that she allegedly supported.”

Trimmer said that going forward, he hoped to serve as a uniting force on the new council.

“I may not be their favorite, but I’m on nobody’s poop list – at least nobody on the council’s poop list,” he said. “I can work with Mike, I can work with Rich, I can work with Sam, I can work with Helen, and that’s what I want to do.”

Finally, on to business

As they had promised during the campaign, the newly-elected and reelected council members voted to move up the public forum segment of council meetings so residents would have an opportunity to ask questions about and comment on agenda items before the council voted on them.

The proposal to amend the rules and procedures for the public forum, made by Colasante, met with no opposition.

“…I don’t think any one of us has a right to tell another person, ‘you have to wait. We’ve already decided everything that’s concerning you before you have the opportunity to voice your opinion,’” he said. “So, I would like to see that the public forum be moved up on the agenda, after the consent agenda is listed on the agenda.”

There was also a discussion of allowing residents to comment on agenda items outside of the public forum. Town Solicitor Karen Ellsworth warned that allowing that change could lead to violations of the Open Meetings Act and Wilcox agreed.

However, the other council members favored allowing a short public comment period on certain items before each vote.

Ellsworth said she would draft a public forum amendment for councilors to consider at their next meeting.

Another item that generated a lengthy discussion was a request from Town Administrator Karen Pinch for $300,000 of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds for a chlorination system that will reduce coliform bacteria in the town’s water supply. The improvement is part of an agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Colasante, who has promised to lower taxes, said he did not feel comfortable approving a $300,000 payment from the town for a system that serves only 300 customers, arguing that ARPA funds should be used to benefit all residents, not just a small group. He proposed using some of the ARPA money and going out to bond for the rest.

“You’re coming to us for $300,000, right? I don’t want to leave nothing on the table, because something definitely has to be done, and I think putting $150,000 of the ARPA money instead of $300,000 will at least give us a start, and then the other money’s going to come from bonds.”

Sheehan said she was uncomfortable using ARPA money for the water system improvements.

“I’m a little conflicted about giving the ARPA money, which is supposed to be linked to the town, but I understand your desire to not want to make the users pay,” she said. “On the other hand, the majority of us, we have wells. When we have water problems, it’s going to cost us $20,000, $30,000.”