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Here's an exchange I just had with the town planner, Caroline Wells:

My email:

When I asked at the town meeting whether your position was really needed, I wasn't suggesting at that point that the position be eliminated. Rather, I was asking the town councillors to give their opinions as to the importance of your position so that the voters could assess the value of it. I was the one who cautioned the audience that if they cut your position to part-time, you might leave.

Warren isn't "one sad little town", as you said to the reporter. It just has a lot of poor people who can't afford a high tax rate, which is what we have compared to other towns in the state.

Her response:

Warren is a sad little town, for so many reasons. The high tax rate has nothing to do with my position. No other office in Town Hall provides more money and assistance to the "poor people" in town than mine. Through grants that I write, we get about $200,000 a year for homeless assistance, rental assistance, elderly and child assistance, home repairs, storefront repairs, etc.

Since I began working in Warren in 2008, I have brought in about $1.6 million in grants to the Town, or about $320,000 per year. These include the public services above as well as improvements to your roads, sidewalks, parks, paths--all of the things that bring up property values (which lowers your taxes) and are free for enjoyment.

Finally, the plans that my office writes--like the Hazard Mitigation Plan--enable residents to tap FEMA programs in times of disaster and reduce their flood insurance rates.

All of these activities will be cut or severely reduced after July 1st--and that is sad too.

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I'm not going to make a judgement about whether we should have cut her position in half, but I wish she would stop disparaging the town. You can't blame her for being bitter, though.

From: In Warren, a financial blood letting

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.