LETTERS

What now, the snow police?

Posted 1/14/16

To the Editor:

The City Council passes a law to force the clearing of snow off city owned sidewalks by the owners of property behind those sidewalks. Most people work and many times the storm …

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LETTERS

What now, the snow police?

Posted

To the Editor:

The City Council passes a law to force the clearing of snow off city owned sidewalks by the owners of property behind those sidewalks. Most people work and many times the storm delivers the snow burden during sleeping, working hours. Once the snow is plowed off the street, it usually changes into a packed frozen mess, unable to be blown or shoveled by hand.

How, might I ask, are people to avoid the heavy hand of the law when you need a contractor, or a machine which many cannot afford to buy or hire, never mind meeting the time element of the law?

This law will be another boondoggle, terrorizing the weak, the old, the financially strapped. It will place a burden that did not exist before on the citizens of Warwick as usual. Who will be the snow police, who will make the determination of who and when and where the law was broken? The Warwick Police Department may need more personnel to enforce this ordinance because surely you need people to write the citations, of which there will many.

The police and government have a public relations problem now; imagine when the sidewalk citations start arriving. You have to love bureaucracy. Pass a law without any regard for the citizens and the law’s burdens. Just keep on piling on.

Walt Amoroso

Warwick

Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    Dear Walt,

    I was in the audience when the snow removal regulation was put int effect. I don't think you will receive "the heavy hand of the law". There seems to be a soft approach to this. It appeared to me that the rule was for those individuals that were openly disregarding the safety of our children and our seniors, therefore I agreed with it.

    Regardless I will make you this offer: If you are "unable" to remove the snow from your sidewalk, call me at 401-338-9900. I will shovel it personally. Now, it's the honor system but when you call me I will come to your home only if you tell me that you "can't" shovel the snow yourself. Fair enough?

    Richard Corrente

    Democrat for Mayor - 2016

    Friday, January 15, 2016 Report this

  • davebarry109

    I still await a court decision on this. Either the sidewalk is city property or private property. If city property, the city cannot force a citizen to work on city property. If private, the city cannot make a landowner shovel snow on his property. I encourage anyone cited to appeal to superior court. The court will not want to hear these cases but if for some reason they take them, we may get an answer.

    Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    agreed lol come on . see you soon

    Friday, January 29, 2016 Report this