In a pair of press releases issued Friday, the Tiverton Taxpayers Association (TTA) and its Political Action Committee (PAC) released statements and endorsements regarding the July 18 election for Charter Review Commission.

The TTT PAC, of which Justin Katz is director, endorsed nine candidates for the commission. They are (in order of ballot appearance): Justin W La Croix, Nancy L Driggs, Jeffrey E Caron, Richard A Rom, Robert D Coulter, Raymond D Fougere, Stephen T Clarke, William F Lopes, and Donna J Cook.


In addition, the PAC “announced the following platform, supported by all endorsed candidates.

Endorsed candidates pledge to:


1. “Protect Your FTR (Financial Town Referendum): The FTR is working to balance the needs of the town with the taxpayers voice and should remain substantially unchanged.”


2. “Protect the casino revenue: Taxpayers' ability to control their taxes must include the casino revenue in the FTR/Budgeting process.”


3. “Update and improve the Charter: The role of the Charter Review Commission is to review and consider past experience and public input to recommend improvements to the Charter. “


Questions for the candidates

The Tiverton Taxpayer Association announced that it published candidate answers to questions for the July 18 Charter Review Commission election . On June 13, 2017, the Tiverton Taxpayers Association sent the following questions to all 24 candidates:

1. What entity should have the annual budget and taxing authority?

2.  Should the FTR be eliminated?

3. Fifty signatures are required to accompany an Elector Petition. How many signatures should be required and in what time frame?

4. There is no limitation to change the line item dollar amount on an FTR Elector Petition. Should there be a limitation and what would you propose?

5. Should Charter Section 301(b)1.) Budget Proposals be altered? If so, please provide details. 


6. Should Charter Section 301(f)6.) Budget Proposals be altered? If so, please provide details.

7. Should the Budget Committee remain as the recommending body for the school and municipal budgets?

8. Should casino gaming revenue be allocated outside of the FTR budgetary process?

The TTA received answers to the questions from 12 of the 24 Charter Review Commission candidates and has published the answers on TivertonTaxpayersAssociation.org/

In addition, the reply deadline was extended to June 30.

Asked why the Taxpayers Association and its PAC submitted separate press releases, Mr. Katz replied that it was done in part to abide by campaign finance laws.  “For the time being, Tiverton Taxpayers Association is conducting activities designed to inform the public broadly while TTA PAC takes a side, so to speak.  So, for example, Tiverton Taxpayers Association hosted a candidate forum open to all candidates, which should run in full on public access television, and sent out a questionnaire to all candidates, while TTA PAC will post each candidate's speech and questionnaire answers.”