Portsmouth council candidates have their say at League forum

Air views on spending, town charter, regionalization

By Jim McGaw
Posted 9/28/18

Eleven candidates for Town Council sounded off on everything from future development plans for the west side to regionalization during a League of Women Voters forum Thursday night at Town …

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Portsmouth council candidates have their say at League forum

Air views on spending, town charter, regionalization

Posted

Eleven candidates for Town Council sounded off on everything from future development plans for the west side to regionalization during a League of Women Voters forum Thursday night at Town Hall.

The get-to-know-your candidates event was moderated by Erin Bollard, who allowed each participant a brief opening statement before going around the table to ask a series of four questions. Due to the forum’s format, there was a good deal of repetition, with candidates agreeing on several key issues.

Ms. Bollard’s first question, however, prompted perhaps the most lively discussion and divergence of opinions. She asked what recommended changes they hope the town’s Charter Review Commission will bring forth when the citizens’ panel meets next year.

Daniela Abbott, a Democrat running for council for the first time, said the commission should study the feasibility of adding the position of town engineer to the budget. Without one, she said, “it leads to us having to hire consultants” to review documents and proposals on a consistent basis. 

Incumbent Republican Paul Kesson said the “charter is owned by the people,” so it should be up to residents to guide the commission on its actions. Mr. Kesson said he hopes, however, that the charter panel will address the “governance at the Planning Department.”

Another incumbent, Democrat J. Mark Ryan, noted the town has run into legal issues when reviewing proposals for solar energy projects since they’re not clearly addressed in the current zoning ordinance. “We need to figure out how to zone for it,” he said.

Dr. Ryan and several other candidates also brought up the issue of local elections and whether the town should follow the lead of other municipalities by switching to a non-partisan election process.

“I think we’re one of the few that has Democrats and Republicans running separately in the election,” said incumbent Democrat Linda Ujifusa. 

She also said the commission should review the current practice of electing all seven council members simultaneously to two-year terms, while the School Committee “has four-year terms that are staggered.”

Incumbent David Gleason, running as an independent, said the charter panel should clarify the town’s rules on dual office-holders. Mr. Gleason pointed out he holds two offices, as he’s also an elected member of the Portsmouth Water and Fire District’s administrative board.

“I think it should be a black-and-white issue — say if you can do it or not do it,” he said.

Keith Hamilton, an incumbent Republican, said he didn’t believe Town Council or School Committee members should also be allowed to serve on the water board, calling it “too much consolidation of power.”

Mr. Hamilton said the charter panel should also review the current practice preventing federal employees from running for local office. “I think we are shortchanging citizens,” he said.

Cash versus bonds

Candidates were also asked when they think it’s appropriate to borrow money for needed projects in town, rather than paying in cash.

Most candidates agreed that going to bond was appropriate for large-scale projects such as the new police station being built. Voters approved a $10 million bond issue in November 2016. 

Andrew Kelly, a member of the School Committee who’s running for council as a Democrat, said bonding is also appropriate to pay for needed repairs to town and school facilities. 

He noted the school district has a “robust, rolling five-year” capital improvement project that has replaced boilers, windows and made school buildings more energy-efficient. The school used cash from an accumulated surplus along with money bonded by the town to  pay for the improvements, he said.

Republican candidate Larry Fitzmorris said the town needs to be careful about rising debt. When the police station project was approved, “we doubled our debt from $10 million to $20 million,” he said. Portsmouth currently enjoys an excellent bond rating score, but rating agencies could penalize the town if debt and pension costs keep accumulating, he said.

“Debt is not free,” Mr. Fitzmorris said.

Democrat Leonard Katzman said one of the problems is that Portsmouth barely receives 10 percent of the school district’s funding from the state. The state promised to increase school funding, but that never happened, he said.

Regionalization/consolidation

The third question was whether the town should consider regionalizing with other municipalities — on police, fire, schools and public works — as a way of cutting costs. 

Candidates agreed across the board that while it makes sense to collaborate and share resources with other towns — such as a special fire truck or bulk purchases to save money — regionalization would not benefit Portsmouth the way it could help towns like Middletown or Tiverton. 

Some of them, like Mr. Kesson, pointed to a study by the R.I. Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) several years ago that concluded regionalization would not be a financial benefit for Portsmouth. He also stated that Bristol and Warren schools never received the state subsidies they were promised after those two districts regionalized. 

Ray Davis, running as a Democrat, said there are some advantages in consolidating services, which he’s seen as assistant director of the Newport County Prevention Coalition. The regional group includes Portsmouth, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport and Tiverton.

“But we’ve still retained the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition to maintain autonomy,” said Mr. Davis, who recently stepped down as coordinator from that group.

Peter Roberts, running as an independent, agreed. “I think we should keep Portsmouth as Portsmouth and consolidate so we keep the control,” he said.

Dr. Ryan said by regionalizing the schools, Portsmouth would “lose control over how the schools are run.”

Mr. Hamilton said while the RIPEC study showed problems for Portsmouth, the town should always look at ways of collaborating on services with the two other island towns, the Navy Base, Bristol and Tiverton. “We should continue working cooperatively,” he said.

Navy property

The final question concerned the candidates position on Stringham and Burma roads, of which the Navy wants to relinquish responsibility, and Take Farms 1 and 2.

All candidates seemed to agree the town should not take over responsibility of the property due to high costs and liability, but continue to work closely with the Navy to make sure everything is maintained and developed properly to everyone’s benefit.

Mr. Katzman said the “Navy has a long and honorable relationship with this community,” so the town needs to keep the lines of communication so federal officials listen to residents regarding their wishes for the tank farms property.

Mr. Kelly and Mr. Davis said the same needs to be done regarding Stringham and Burma roads, which they called vital to the local economy.

Mr. Kesson and Mr. Hamilton said the infrastructure under Burma Road is also critical to the area. “It’s being ignored by the Navy and the state,” said Mr. Kesson, adding he was concerned because Melville Elementary School is tied into that wastewater system.

Ms. Abbott noted that 43 acres off Burma Road recently sold at auction for just over $1 million — “dirt cheap,” as she put it. The town needs to keep a careful eye on how that property is developed, she said.

Ms. Ujifusa said said she believes the state should take over Stringham Road, while Mr. Gleason said the R.I. Department of Transportation and the Navy need to talk about the maintenance of Burma Road.

Incumbents Kevin Aguiar (D) and Elizabeth Pedro (R), along with Debra Cardoza (R) and Jeffrey Richard (R), did not attend Thursday’s forum.

Portsmouth Town Council, Election 2018

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Meet our staff
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.