To the Editor,

This year, I campaigned on the need for the City of Warwick to have better long-term planning and City Charter reform for more checks and balances between the City Council and mayor.

I was reelected with about 64% of the vote, the largest margin of any of the six contested City Council races, while critiquing Mayor Picozzi’s administration on prioritizing short-term over long-term planning for Warwick’s finances and infrastructure. Mayor Picozzi was reelected by about 73% of the vote citywide with about 71% in Ward 2. Meanwhile, Democrats won all nine City Council races. This shows me that Warwick voters want Mayor Picozzi and they also want the City Council to serve as a check and balance.

Mayor Picozzi didn’t seem happy with me that I:

(1) called out his administration for burying the 482-page Beta Group Report on the city’s roads (that the city paid nearly $100,000 for!) instead of presenting it to the council and using it to create a long-term plan,

(2) called out his administration for poor long-term financial planning such as abandoning the “40 Year Plan” to fund the Police/Fire I Pension and relied on one-time ARPA funds for operating expenses while negotiating contractual pay increases that well outpace tax increases, and,

(3) endorsed his Democratic opponent.

Still, I was surprised to see a statement from Mayor Picozzi in the Warwick Beacon on Thursday 11/21/2024 that I had not provided a list of Ward 2 ARPA projects totaling $200,000 and implying that I had provided a list totaling only about $100,000. That is not true.

In July 2024, I emailed a list of 8 different projects totaling $200,000+, and, I repeatedly and promptly followed up and suggested alternatives whenever the administration informed me of any issues. This included in-person discussions with the administration and many emails.

The Warwick Beacon also reported in that same article that Mayor Picozzi stated that the balance of Ward 2 ARPA funds would be allocated by the administration wherever it sees fit. It appears that the administration is not just ignoring my requests about how to spend the balance, but also reversing its own previous statements that any ward-specific ARPA funds left over would be spent on paving in that ward.

This is also why,in October 2024, I specifically requested as an alternative that any unspent Ward 2 ARPA funds be spent on stormwater drainage improvements at specific locations in Ward 2. It is relatively easy for the city to commit ARPA funds to stormwater drainage improvements: No new bidding necessary and the needs are well-documented.

On Thursday 11/21/2024, I texted and emailed Mayor Picozzi about those statements and asked him for clarification before I submitted a letter to the editor. I have not heard back from him as of Tuesday 11/26/2024.

I am more than willing to work with Mayor Picozzi on anything to help Warwick. But members of the City Council are not just here to be a rubber stamp. We are elected to advocate for our constituents and serve as a check and balance.

The Warwick Beacon also needs to do a better job with its fact-checking. I was disappointed that the Beacon did not contact me for comment before printing the mayor’s comments concerning Ward 2 ARPA Funds on 11/21/2024.

Jeremy Rix

Warwick City Councilman for Ward 2