Letters

One candidate called back

Posted 9/6/16

To the Editor: With the primary next week, I am curious as to if and when the residents of Ward 7 will ever have representation and a voice that realizes the problems that Warwick is facing. For the last 16 years the residents of Ward 7 have had, in my

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Letters

One candidate called back

Posted

To the Editor:

With the primary next week, I am curious as to if and when the residents of Ward 7 will ever have representation and a voice that realizes the problems that Warwick is facing. For the last 16 years the residents of Ward 7 have had, in my opinion, zero representation. In the 14 years that CJ Donovan was the councilperson, he authored zero legislation on behalf of his constituents. In fact, the only piece of legislation that he did write pertaining to the construction of a shellfish dock off of Edgewater Road he removed as soon as the first critic made comment.  

During his 14-year tenure, property taxes were raised 14 times, the Warwick Fire Department blew through their budget 14 times, and Mr. Donovan never once asked one question at the budget hearings. No arguments made on behalf of the constituents, only silence. Now Mr. Donovan is on the ballot again, interestingly enough, endorsed by the ward committee comprised of one of Mr. Donovan’s family members. No conflict there, right?

For the last two years Donovan was replaced by Kathleen Usler. After Donovan’s arrest for DUI and possession of an unregistered handgun, it seemed that his demise and replacement was inevitable. Unfortunately, the position of councilperson turned out to be too demanding for the mom of four young children. Not unexpected. Kathleen had her heart in the right place, but with no prior exposure to city politics, no previous presence at council meetings, and having never made a public argument on any issue, it was a foregone conclusion that she would not have a second term.

Unfortunately, we are now faced with a four-way primary in Ward 7. A primary with four candidates who have never made a public argument on any issue on behalf of the residents in Ward 7.  Recently, these candidates began showing up at council meetings. However, much like in the past, not one of them posed a question during budget hearings. In fact, only Candidate McAllister attended the budget hearings, appearing to pay close attention to the topics and arguments made by both sides.

In performing my due diligence prior to this primary, I made several attempts to contact all of the candidates to meet with them to feel them out as to what their knowledge level was, relative to the issues of the city. Only Steve McAllister was courteous enough to return my call and take the time to meet with me to discuss issues. I understand that he is currently proceeding through the learning curve and may not be fluent with the issues at hand. However, he returned phone calls, which is much more than any of the other candidates have done, including the formerly elected. 

Although Jack Kirby has “run” in the past as a mayoral candidate, as of this date he has not uttered one word at the podium. His silence indicates only two possibilities. Either he has no knowledge of any subject matter or the issues in this city simply are not important enough for him to make an argument and take a position on a topic. Even during his past challenges for the mayoral spot, was he really serious? I saw nothing but silence, no debate against his opponent, no public advocacy on any issue, no clear and concise stand on any issue. Nice enough man, digs a great trench, but where does he stand on issues such as pension debt, unfunded liabilities, taxes, etc? The world may never know.  

The same holds true with Candidate Germani. We know of his service and dedication to the 143rd Air Lift Division, but having never spoken a word in public, having never made an argument on a city issue, having never been in attendance at a budget hearing, what knowledge does he hold that will benefit the residents of Ward 7? I just don’t know.

I do, however, know one thing. If you are a candidate for office and you do not return phone calls or requests to meet with voters, what can we expect if you are elected? Probably more of the same that we saw for 14 years from a previous candidate. Now, this letter is not intended as an endorsement of Mr. McAllister, nor is it intended to bash any candidate, but in the case of Mr. McAllister, at least he returns phone calls. That, my friends, is more than what we have seen in Ward 7 for a very long time. 

Rob Cote

Warwick

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  • Scott58

    Rob, I was unaware that I had to register my firearms. Please post any corroborating sources you have on this. Thanks.

    Friday, September 16, 2016 Report this