Candidates for seven seats on the non-partisan Tiverton Town Council race answered a host of questions about rentals, the economy, seniors, the environment and other issues of concern to Tiverton voters, when the Rhode Island  League of Women Voters hosted a candidates’ forum last Tuesday at the library. The candidates on stage included six current council members, one former council member, and one candidate who has never run before.

The League’s Newport County president, Christine Stenning moderated the forum.

Attending the forum were incumbents Deborah G. Janick,, Denise deMedeiros, David Paull, John G. Edwards V and Michael Burk, as well as hopefuls Craig Committo and David Perry. Not attending the forum were hopefuls Blake Hayden, John Chelo and Joseph A. Perry.

Town meeting

Candidates began by giving an opening statement before going into their first topic of conversation, the financial town meeting, which was discontinued the previous year. Craig Committo, a former firefighter running for the first time, said that he thought the meeting should come back, saying that the town council does a lot of work on the budget, but he does not think that all the people's voices are heard.

“I personally thought the financial town meeting was very important to the people. I would like to see that forum come back,” he said.

Others disagreed, including incumbent candidate Deborah Janick, who does not believe the forum should return. She cited a lack of participation during the first budget preparation stage, saying that only a select view got to have their voices heard as a result.

“I don’t think it represented the whole of the town and I think sometimes it was difficult to get an accurate or adequate number of people,” she said.

Incumbent David Paull agreed, saying that the current process is not perfect, but acknowledged that they currently have budget hearings, which he said were sparsely attended. He asked if there was a way to help advertise these hearings.

Short term rentals

Also discussed was the controversial short term rental ordinance in the town, which is currently being written after three or more years of study into how the town should best regulate the practice, which has been done for years but is technically illegal in Tiverton.

John Edwards described it as a complex issue but that what is being done now is not right.

“I don’t think we’ve come to the right solution yet, but it's clear talking to my constituents that something does need to be done.”

He said he believes businesses and large corporations should not be operating in residential zones but also acknowledged that short-term rentals are a different situation. David Perry, who served on the town council six years ago, said Tiverton should be looking at other towns as examples of how to handle the rental issue.

“What we have to do is go out there. I know the state is working on it also, so look at what the best practices are in all these other towns, and bring that back to Tiverton.”

The landfill

Candidates also answered questions about the old landfill and a new recycling center. Initially, there were reports that Tiverton had enough money saved to close down the old landfill and replace it with a new recycling center, however, the conversation regarding the center has stopped. Paull gave some detail into the current plans, saying “we are currently working with a potential

buyer and hopefully that comes through and we do end up with a, once and for all, recycling center.”

Environmental issues

On the environmental front, candidates touched upon questions about coastal resiliency, and what Tiverton should be considering when it comes to coastal resiliency projects.

Incumbent Denise deMedeiros said that at this point they are not talking specifically about coastal resiliency projects, but they have been talking about the area and preserving it.

“We are talking about the waterfront, we are talking about ways to make it better and preserve that waterfront.”

She mentioned that multiple committees are working on environmental regulations. Burk said that there is work happening through the Harbor Commission, and with an updated harbor management plan coming out soon, that will help officials determine their next steps.

Senior housing

In addition, housing for the elderly was also discussed. According to the AARP, Rhode Island is currently last when it comes to affordable housing for senior citizens. Candidates discussed possible ways to address this issue in Tiverton.

Perry suggested a tax break for senior citizens, pointing out that Tiverton makes a lot of money through the casino and that some of it could be used for incentives for the elderly.

deMedeiros said she has heard that idea, but said casino money is being used toward important infrastructure at the moment. However, she would consider adding a fourth category to the areas where the casino money is spent, she said.

Town salaries

Another talking point was the loss of workers, including police and fire fighters, who leave for often higher wages in other towns.

Michael Burk said that the town can’t do much more in terms of incentives, but acknowledged that officials met with the labor unions to help find fair wages for all employees, including police and fire fighters. Some, including Committo and Perry, expressed displeasure with the whole process, with Perry saying that it took far too long for the firefighters to gain the wage increases they sought.

Business friendly?

Candidates also discussed the idea that Tiverton is not business-friendly. They mostly agreed with this assessment, but acknowledged that they are making strides to improve. Some argued that the opposition to businesses such as the crematorium and the Seasons gas station may have led to this reputation, although all agreed that the crematorium was a bad idea. One thing that multiple candidates discussed was getting a full time town planner. There have been openings for the position that have been left unfilled and candidates agreed that it would be useful to have someone that can navigate these projects.