LETTERS

What is scary

Posted 4/4/17

To the Editor: It seems you misquoted me in Tuesday’s article, “Outrage flares over failed school alarms, septic backup”. You wrote that I stated that I was scared, when in fact …

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LETTERS

What is scary

Posted

To the Editor:
It seems you misquoted me in Tuesday’s article, “Outrage flares over failed school alarms, septic backup”. You wrote that I stated that I was scared, when in fact I’d said I was furious. These are very different words: not even synonyms.
That being said, let me tell you what does scare me: indifference towards the importance of safety in our schools. Our School committee Vice Chair Eugene Nadeau was quoted in a rival publication as saying he is “unconcerned” about the officials who knew had good reason to keep it to themselves. Most certainly the Vice Chair has never been charged with ensuring the safe exit of up to 28 children during the evacuation of an entire building. It is a huge responsibility that every teacher and staff member takes very seriously.
Let me be clear, for Gene Nadeau’s sake as well as any other skeptic who attempts to minimize this circumstance: the situation at Norwood School is not a simple case of replacing batteries in a smoke detector. It is the complete failure of the fire alarm system. Any safety mechanism that feeds a signal through the system (smoke and heat detectors, fire doors, sprinkler systems, etc ) is now rendered useless. If anyone were to pull the red fire alarm, nothing would happen. The fire department would NOT be notified.
This situation has been known by the school department for at least a month. At least a month passed when every person in that building could have been in a state of increased vigilance and a school wide plan, such as the one we have now, could have been implemented. How wonderful that Mr. Nadeau has complete confidence in the “officials who knew”, but in actuality, he and those officials have hit a new low. I certainly do not share the depth of his trust.

Mary Mason
Norwood School teacher

Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    Dear Mary Mason,

    You couldn't be more right. This situation is criminal, and Vice Chair Gene Nadeau is at the center of it. Chairperson Bethany Furtado is too. These two can't say we "We didn't know!" They knew and they kept that critical information from the public just like they did with the Ragosta Report.

    In the COMMITTEE OPERATIONAL GOALS section of their charter, (File:BA), it says that "the Committee commits itself to ensure that day-to-day operations of the school system are performed in accordance with Committee policy." Nowhere in that policy does it say "but when we have no working fire alarms, don't tell the parents!"

    We have a School Committee that parents do not trust. We must protect our children. Furtado and Nadeau have to go.

    I don't see any other solution. Do you?

    Happy Easter everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Wednesday, April 5, 2017 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Corrente is NO ONES mayor. he twists reality and is so misinformed that he would do well in the kremlins fake news operation. maybe then he could earn some money to catch up on his own tax bills etc if needed.

    Wednesday, April 5, 2017 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear WwkVoter,

    I call myself The Taxpayers Mayor because of my commitment to the taxpayers. You can call me anything you want, but I don't understand how you can say I'm uninformed when I am quoting the written policy of the School Committee. Doesn't that make me "informed"? As far as my taxes, you were right. I owed a penny on my car taxes. That's not a misprint. I owed a penny. I apologized to the tax collector and paid it on March 24th. I have the paid receipt if you would like to see it.

    WwkVoter,

    You say I "twist reality" while hiding behind a fake name and trying to connect me with the Kremlin. Don't you think you're the one twisting reality...a lot?

    I do.

    Happy Easter WwkVoter, to you and your family.

    Rick

    Thursday, April 6, 2017 Report this

  • davebarry109

    Hey Mary, does anyone at your school have a cellphone? Maybe you don't need an old fashioned fire alarm. Much ado about nothing.

    Friday, April 7, 2017 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Rick ,

    You are a habitual liar. You owed $176.87 and you paid it on march 24th. There is also the small issue where your car came off the Warwick tax rolls for 2 years when you paid no taxes to Warwick even though you were living here. All you do is lie.

    Friday, April 7, 2017 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Not withstanding the fact that you're so misinformed that you dont even realize the information is all on line.

    Friday, April 7, 2017 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    For the record, and if there is anyone other than Rob Cote that cares, I paid my entire current tax bill for my car taxes on March 24th 2017. The fourth quarter ends 4-15-17. There was an interest charge of $14.60. I guess you could call that a late fee. The City of Warwick received a little more money than they would have otherwise. The City is welcome. Consider it my donation to the cause. As far as my "delinquent taxes", the clerk said I owed ONE PENNY. That is not a misprint! ONE PENNY. I am truly sorry that Cote caused so much commotion over ONE PENNY, but rather than leave it up to the interpretation of Rob Cote I thought I would come clean. He also "states" that my car came off the tax rolls. They knew nothing about that and neither do I. All I know is the car taxes in Warwick are three times what they are in East Greenwich. That's why I have been so persistent about lowering them. Cote, on the other hand said he was "moving out of Warwick". That was 2012. Was that the truth?

    From now on, I will choose to just ignore the comments of this caustic person. I recommend everyone else do the same. He never has one good thing to say about anything or anyone. Ever. He never has a "better idea", just a vicious bashing of the current one. He is the first person to "judge" and the last person to suggest a better plan. He is a "destructive critic". I once said "If God came down from heaven and gave Rob Cote a million dollars, Cote would complain why God didn't arrive yesterday." If he makes a comment and you want any clarification, please feel free to call me at 401-338-9900. Otherwise just read the comments of readers who have " a better idea". Those are the "constructive critics" and for the common good of the City of Warwick, I hope their numbers grow.

    Happy Easter everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Monday, April 10, 2017 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    Except, Rob Cote is always factually correct. Corrente is a fiction writer at best.

    Tuesday, April 11, 2017 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear WwkVoter,

    I am quoting policy word-for-word from the School Committee charter and rules and regulations, and I am doing it in my own name.

    You, on the other hand, are using a fake name, stating that my word-for-word quote from the SC charter makes me somehow "misinformed", and are claiming that I have a connection to the Kremlin with absolutely nothing to base it on.

    Which one of us is writing fiction?

    Happy Easter WwkVoter

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Tuesday, April 11, 2017 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Davebarry109, Aren't you Dave Testa, the newest member of the School Committee,

    Are you out of your mind??!!??

    You say that we don't need fire alarms because of CELL PHONES??!!

    And you sit on the School Committee?????

    Much ado about nothing???

    Are you insane??

    Rick Corrente

    Friday, April 14, 2017 Report this