The EGRTC Blog

Mark Your Calendars & Vote on the School Construction Bond

(September 23, 2023) Did you know that special elections typically have low voter turnout? East Greenwich residents, please make your voice heard by voting on our town’s most consequential municipal spending of a generation. Here is some important information regarding the upcoming $150M East Greenwich School Bond Referendum.


What: The 27-year $150M bond is slated to cover the costs of a new build of Frenchtown Elementary, a new build or renovations to Hanaford Elementary, and targeted renovations to the High School.

Of the $150M, the state is projected to cover $82.5M, or 55%, of the total costs. This includes expected temporary bonus incentives of 20%, totaling $30M, the application for which expires next February and which are described here: https://ride.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur806/files/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Funding-and-Finance-Wise-Investments/SchoolBuildingAuthority/SchoolBondPresentation.pdf. The usual state reimbursement rate for school construction and renovation, also known as “Housing Aid,” is 35%, and this does not expire.


In August, Town Manager Andy Nota shared the projected tax impacts with the public. These values include all operating costs for the town as well as current debt and the school bond. Your yearly tax increases would be based on your home’s assessed value. Please note that the town will be reassessing house values over the next couple of years. https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2100996/_150_mil._Tax_Levy_Impact_24Auth_Unissued_Bonds_ALL_07_07_2023.pdf


When/Where:  Early voting will be happening at Town Hall from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and Election Day voting will occur only at Swift Community Center from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. More details about registering and voting can be found at https://elections.ecms.ri.gov/voter-registration.

The EGRTC will continue to keep you informed about this topic in the coming weeks.

Let's Talk About the Upcoming School Construction Bond

(August 21, 2023) At our next monthly meeting on Monday, September 18, we’ll be seeking your feedback about the upcoming School Construction Bond, which East Greenwich residents will vote on this November in a special election. Last week, the Town Council voted to put a $150M bond on the ballot. This could pay for one or two new elementary schools and some renovations to the high school. A summary of this meeting can be found here: https://eastgreenwichnews.com/town-council-votes-3-2-on-150-million-bond-for-school-construction/


According to the town’s finance manager, the impacts on every taxpayer will be spread out over 27 years with the biggest increase happening in 2027. Please note that the town will be reassessing home values over the next couple of years. https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2100996/_150_mil._Tax_Levy_Impact_24Auth_Unissued_Bonds_ALL_07_07_2023.pdf


These values include all operating costs for the town as well as current debt and the proposed school bond. We hope you will join us on September 18th to ask questions and provide feedback about this bond. Of course, you can always email us to let us know your thoughts at info@egrtc.org.


We will also be hearing from our guest speaker William Jacobson, Cornell Law Professor and Founder of Legal Insurrection. His talk “Recent Supreme Court Decisions Explained” will help us understand how the Court’s rulings affect us here in Rhode Island. Join us at Safehouse Restaurant on Old Forge Road. Doors open at 6:30, and meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Dinner and bar service will be available.

East Greenwich Needs Heroes

(August 24, 2023) In 1981, President Reagan inspired us with this reminder about what makes our nation unique- “We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around, and this makes us special among all the nations of the earth. Our government has no power except that which is granted it by the people.” We sometimes hear from Democrats that constituents must live with the egregious policies that have been enacted because the voters have spoken. However, voters who sent Democrats to elected office did so because they believed their dishonest promises. As we have described in previous posts, your elected officials have failed to uphold their promises and advocate for your best interests.

What makes this all the more galling is that they don’t respect their constituents enough to publicly address this topic. Instead, they are unresponsive or divert attention away from voters' valid concerns: https://eastgreenwichnews.com/general-assembly-roundup-abortion-coverage-school-bond-polystyrene-ban/

President Reagan continued with words that may as well have been written today- “It is time to reverse and check the growth of the government which has shown signs of growing beyond the consent of the governed. It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion into our lives that result from the excessive growth of government.” Anyone concerned about state overreach and its profound impact into your life, your children’s education, your ability to prosper, and your town’s rightful autonomy should know that this is the result of a government that has grown beyond the consent of the governed.


So, what can we do? Reagan posed a solution and a warning. He stated- “We are not, as some have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look. Well, I believe that we, the Americans of today, are ready to be worthy of ourselves, ready to do what is needed to be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children,  and our children’s children.”


Every two years, East Greenwich has an opportunity to be worthy of ourselves and put forth qualified candidates for elected office who will honestly and fairly represent our interests, not those of out-of-town special interest groups. We must look right here in East Greenwich for the heroes we sorely need. If you have never considered running for public office, think about it now. We can assure you, you won’t be alone. In fact, our chances of winning increase with every candidate we run to unseat the incumbents who habitually fail in their duty to represent you. Reach out to our Vice Chair of Candidate Development, Peter Carney, to discuss how at pcarney1433@gmail.com.

East Greenwich Sent the State a Message

(August 5, 2023) After months of hearings, the East Greenwich Planning Board voted this week not to approve Ned Capozzi’s Division Road development. They were persuaded by the compelling testimony of a host of residents who described the likely negative impacts on the health, safety, and environment of the community, as well as the fact that the project would be in contradiction to our Comprehensive Plan that sets aside the western part of town as rural. Most interestingly, the Board found that the evidence provided by the traffic expert hired by the residents about the impacts to the surrounding roads and neighborhoods was more convincing than that of the town’s own traffic expert.

While the developer will almost assuredly appeal the decision, and the state has the power to override our local boards, it is encouraging that so many East Greenwich residents came together to push back against state overreach. What is unfortunate is that our own elected officials have long been silent on this topic, albeit a few Town Councilors have spoken out in their personal capacities. We have already demonstrated that, during campaign season, our state reps misrepresented their intentions to uphold local control at the statehouse. However, please remember that our Town Council didn’t make any empty promises regarding pushing back against developer abuse of our affordable housing laws. In fact, they signaled that they would simply allow it to happen. It was Republican Town Council candidates who sounded the alarm about this development and the need for better advocacy on your behalf: https://mailchi.mp/e223152fdc54/read-our-town-council-candidates-lte-on-affordable-housing?e=[UNIQID]


Ultimately, East Greenwich has sent a message to the statehouse that we prefer local control, that we trust our neighbors to make responsible decisions to grow our community in a way that helps people who need housing while minimizing the negative consequences to our schools, safety, and environment. While this is an important message, we must take the next steps to regain our autonomy in 2024. What can you do next?


Please reach out to us to discuss how you can get involved and make a difference in your community- info@egrtc.org.

Progressive Control or Local Control?

(July 24, 2023) Progressives who criticize concerned residents for their supposed NIMBY attitudes about the Division Road project ignore the fact that it is not the affordable nature of the development that concerns them. It is the high-density quality of the project and the inevitable change in the rural, western side of town that is supposed to be set aside as such in our town’s Comprehensive Plan. Overdevelopment of rural areas in East Greenwich, combined with the deforestation of nearby West Greenwich to create solar farms, is an ecological nightmare. 

 

Progressives are experiencing cognitive dissonance as their concerns for the environment are clashing with their out-of-control push for overdevelopment. They should know that overdevelopment, especially of a high-density nature, causes excessive storm water runoff, polluting nearby bodies of water. As it stands, the Carrs Pond and Greenwich Cove areas are compromised, and this development and others that will follow, will only exacerbate the problem. Please see the DEM's 2022 Impaired Waters Report (https://dem.ri.gov/.../xkgbur861/files/2022-08/iwr22.pdf).

 

According to the Conservation Law Foundation, "New England’s coastal watersheds are the second most developed in the country, with 17 percent of the land area developed – a number that could rise to 30 percent if current rates of development continue." THE CLF predicts that New England is projected to lose hundreds of thousands more acres of forest and farmland to development by 2050. (https://www.clf.org/.../CLF_WhitePaper...) "From boil water orders, to fish advisories, to beach closures, the effects of stormwater pollution, particularly after a heavy rain, have health and economic implications for everyone from the source to the sea." 

 

It appears that the EG Planning Board is not inclined to approve the project with at least one member expressing the fact that the developer has not offered any concessions to the residents who have spoken out about how it will affect their families. However, developer Nick Capozzi knows that if our Planning Board refuses to approve, he can bypass local planning by appealing to the State Housing Appeals Board which will almost certainly allow the development to be built.

 

East Greenwich News is today reporting what you heard here first (https://mailchi.mp/b7dfcdea1247/the-neighbors-dont-get-to-decide?e=[UNIQID]) about Senate Bill 1037, which State Senator Bridget Valverde voted to approve and which further erodes our local control. “One factor that has not been discussed is new state laws easing housing regulations that go into effect Jan. 1, 2024. One law is particularly relevant since it will make it easier for developers to maximize density by providing more affordable units. Developers would get 5 units per acre with 25 percent affordable (like the Division Road project), 9 units per acre with 50 percent affordable and 12 units per acre for 100 percent affordable projects. In other words, if Capozzi were to sell his property to another developer or withdrew his current application and resubmitted it after Jan. 1 as a 50 percent affordable project, he could build 720 units. An all-affordable project could come in at 960 units.“ (https://eastgreenwichnews.com/planning-board-skeptical-about-division-road-development/)

 

The EGRTC believes that it is still important that residents speak out about their concerns in every forum possible and send a message to our state lawmakers that they are not satisfied with their broken promises about returning local control to our town. And it is imperative that we replace our state legislators and town councilors by electing common sense candidates who will advocate for East Greenwich. Can't run for office but still want to help? Donate to our Summer Fundraising Campaign, $24 for 2024.

A Message From our Vice Chair of Candidate Development

(July 9, 2023) Hello, East Greenwich! My name is Peter Carney, and I recently accepted the role of Vice Chair of Candidate Development for the East Greenwich Republican Town Committee. The time is NOW to start planning for our town’s 2024 election cycle. With three School Committee seats open, all five Town Council seats, one State Rep. seat, and two State Senate seats, 2024 presents a great opportunity to address the total lack of balance representing East Greenwich. 


For the first time since 2018, the EGRTC fielded several competitive candidates in 2022. Though all came up short of claiming victory (some by only a few hundred votes), organizational roots were laid for a much more successful 2024, and the data showed solid support among both Unaffiliated voters and Democrats for more balance on East Greenwich’s governing bodies. For some Republican candidates, Unaffiliated voters and Democrats combined to bring more votes than the total registered Republican voter turnout. With more Get Out the Vote efforts, more donations, and running a full slate of qualified candidates, I am confident the results will be different in 2024. 


There is also a groundswell of concern in our community about the broken promises by our elected officials regarding state overreach and the resulting loss of local control over our planning and zoning authority. Voters from all political parties want state leaders who will fight for them, rather than aligning with out-of-town special interest groups and PACs. And at the town level, residents want leaders who will ask tough questions about academic performance, school construction spending, and our town's position on developer abuse of our affordable housing laws. Simply put, they want to know that there is someone who is advocating for them.


Are you one of those great potential candidates seeking better, and more balanced, representation here in East Greenwich? An important first step, with no obligation at all, is to attend an upcoming candidate training on July 22 at the RIGOP Headquarters at 1800 Post Road, in Warwick. No experience is necessary to run for office, and training and support are provided throughout the process. Please contact me for further details, or to discuss YOUR potential candidacy in 2024. Registration for this training is preferred at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA9eC-GSLjyEq96uik8TgprXK4SIzq30kqBwT42JQz7H2O7A/viewform. If you cannot make this training session, but may still wish to run, please reach out. 

And if you cannot run for office, please consider supporting those who will by donating to our Summer Fundraiser– a big success so far – by giving just $24 to help implement our plans.


Regards,

Peter Carney

Vice Chair of Candidate Development, EGRTC

pcarney1433@gmail.com

Who's Fighting For You? 

(July 6, 2023) If you missed our recent pieces about how your state representative and state senator broke their campaign promises to fight state overreach with regard to planning and zoning, check out our expanded Letter to the Editor which was published today in The Pendulum.


Regarding the Division Road 410 unit development, the next Planning Board meeting will be held on July 19 at town hall, and, according to the EG Director of Planning, Al Ranaldi, the Planning Board chair plans on limiting public comment to the information presented within three outstanding reports (archeological, ecological, and RIDOT report regarding access points from this state highway) or any additional new information not discussed during past meetings. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about how the largest development in the history of East Greenwich will affect our community. This will likely be your last opportunity in which to do so.

 

Here is an update about the last planning board meeting, where you may also leave your comment:

https://eastgreenwichnews.com/vote-on-division-road-project-likely-by-august/?mc_cid=8e1d48bca2&mc_eid=17eb490f6d&fbclid=IwAR29Rh_WHRURaUSsOzzbZ6bfsTKR6VP6NjmFKDGuf4PPf6PLPWgDx7YKVqs


Your state lawmakers may not be fighting for you, but the EGRTC continues to advocate for you and your family.

"The neighbors don't get to decide."

(June 30, 2023) At the June 21 EG Planning Board meeting, Bill Landry, the lawyer for the Division Road project developer Ned Capozzi, stated, “The neighbors don’t get to decide.” Never was this more the case than now because your State Senator, Bridget Valverde, just voted to approve several affordable housing bills which further erode local control over zoning and planning. Mr. Landry may have been referring to who gets to decide whether another traffic study is done, but it could easily have been the General Assembly’s slogan for this legislative session.

 

When it was time for Ms. Valverde to win your vote in 2022, however, her approach was entirely different. At the candidate forum last fall, she stated, “I know this is a hot button issue right now because of the proposed development over on Division Road. I absolutely do respect our home rule provisions that we have here in the State of Rhode Island for cities and towns to make their own zoning and planning decisions. Our affordable housing laws have been on the books since the early 90s in some form or another, and, to my knowledge, I don’t believe that anyone has tried to amend those laws yet. If that’s something that the towns that I represent are interested in trying to pursue through the General Assembly, you know, I’d definitely be open to that conversation.” (This forum video, along with the one featuring Rep. Justine Caldwell’s broken promise, can be viewed on our website at https://www.egrtc.org/events/events. Ms. Valverde’ remarks begin at minute 10:33).

 

One bill which Senator Valverde voted to approve, Senate Bill 1037 (http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S1037A.pdf), diminishes local control in the following ways-

 

If Senator Valverde had been open to returning zoning and planning power to the town, as she stated in the forum, she may have joined Senator Gordon Rogers in his efforts to create a coalition of rural communities seeking better local control over affordable housing laws, and she would have encouraged the EG Town Council to write a resolution to that effect. https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/rogers-to-form-coalition-of-rural-communities-to-combat-overreaching-state-zoning/article_c2cf4e0c-95fc-11ed-9c08-3b86eb68b20b.html

 

A quick look at Senator Valverde’s campaign finance records indicates that much of her funding is derived from special interest groups and PACs from outside of East Greenwich: http://www.ricampaignfinance.com/RIPublic/Filings.aspx

 

When it comes to the health, safety, environment, wildlife, traffic, and quality of life in your neighborhood, our lawmakers are taking away your power to decide. But the neighbors will get to decide on Election Day, 2024. 

Promises, Promises, Promises

(June 25, 2023) If you are concerned about the 410+ unit development on Division Road, you should be aware that Representative Justine Caldwell, who represents East and West Greenwich,  has not kept her campaign promise to fight state overreach of housing/zoning/planning. Last fall, during the candidate forum, Rep. Caldwell stated that she would "go up to the Statehouse in January… and say this actually isn't working for East Greenwich. It’s probably not working for a lot of cities and towns. I speak to people at their doors, I talk to people on the phone about some ideas that we could do to have more local control, and I work very closely with our town council. The idea that we have wrested away local control from East Greenwich is simply untrue.” (Her remarks begin at 29:50 in this video: https://youtu.be/2SbVp6cwgt8).

 

You should know that Ms. Caldwell did the opposite of what she promised. She voted to approve House Bill 6058, which amends the current law by actually giving towns less, not more control over planning and zoning. This bill changes the requirement for developments that are greater than 10 units regarding the percentage of units that must be considered affordable. Previously, the law required that 10% of the units be affordable with inclusionary zoning. This law increases that minimum to 25% of the units as affordable. While it is helpful that more units will be built that are affordable, towns will now have less, not more, power to decide whether a developer gets approval. Any state law which establishes “the zoning ordinance shall” or “must be permitted by planning board” is dictating what towns are obligated to do. “Shall” and “must” are not optional terms – they are mandates. This is the elimination of local control – plain and simple.  

 

Furthermore, according to this bill, once our town meets the state's goal of having 10% of all housing in East Greenwich be affordable, we will still be required to build 25% of all new housing as affordable under inclusionary zoning laws. So, in essence, the total 10% goal set for municipalities is an ever-moving target. In addition, the law states that for every affordable unit that a developer builds, the town must allow them to build two more houses at market rate. Why should the state decide how many units are built in East Greenwich? There may come a time when every farm and large parcel in our town is sold to developers to take advantage of these laws that we have no local power to restrict. 

 

Senator Bridget Valverde also voted in favor of this bill when it moved to the Senate. And if the East Greenwich Town Council is working closely with Rep. Caldwell, as she stated, then they are not effectively advocating for you either. Ask yourself, are the leaders East Greenwich voted to represent them working in your best interests? Reach out to us at info@egrtc.org and let us know. And look for future posts about your legislators’ voting records.

School Safety NOW

(April 12, 2023) Introducing School Safety NOW- a non-partisan group of Rhode Island parents, educators, and community members, advocating for school safety. Their mission is to ensure the presence of an armed law enforcement officer at our elementary and secondary schools so our staff can teach and our children can learn without fear for their safety. 

This grassroots organization formed recently in the wake of yet another school shooting tragedy. East Greenwich and Warwick parents met to plan how they could work together to protect our children while spreading this message statewide. 


Please check out their website (https://schoolsafetynow.com/) and consider signing the petition. (Please do not donate via the petition platform at this time.) Even more importantly, if you agree with this initiative, please write a brief, but heartfelt, email to your representative and senator so that they will be urged to renew state funding for this purpose. Instructions are listed on their "Take Action" page. We have heard from a member of the General Assembly that boilerplate letters are deleted, so please personalize your message in order to communicate your support. 


Also, please subscribe to School Safety Now on their website to receive updates via email about upcoming meetings and how you can get involved.

Even if you don't have children in our schools, we know that you care about East Greenwich families and teachers. Together we can make our schools a safer place in which to teach and learn now, because tomorrow may be too late.

Division Road 410-Unit Development

The Problems

(March 16, 2023) The 410-unit residential development proposed for Division Road between Westfield Drive and Moosehorn Road by Developer Ned Capozzi is progressing to the next stage in the approval process. The EGRTC is extremely concerned about this development for the following reasons:

Here are some recent articles which explain more about this development:

https://eastgreenwichnews.com/division-road-project-back-on-track/

https://eastgreenwichnews.com/410-unit-division-road-project-secures-water-sewer/

Proposed Solutions

(March 16, 2023) Senator Gordon Rogers, of District 21 which includes Coventry, Foster, Scituate, West Greenwich, has formed a coalition of rural RI communities which are working together to fight state overreach and developer abuse of our affordable housing laws (https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/rogers-to-form-coalition-of-rural-communities-to-combat-overreaching-state-zoning/article_c2cf4e0c-95fc-11ed-9c08-3b86eb68b20b.html).

Our Republican candidates for Town Council in 2022 offered other creative solutions to help ameliorate this problem. https://eastgreenwichnews.com/affordable-housing-egs-town-council-hands-are-not-tied/ Although none of our candidates were elected, it is still important to stay engaged and ask your local leaders what they are doing to solve this problem.

What can you do? 

East Greenwich Town Council

Mark Schwager
Council President, Democrat
mschwager@eastgreenwichri.com

Michael Donegan
Council Vice President, Democrat
mdonegan@eastgreenwichri.com

Caryn Corenthal
Council Member, Democrat
ccorenthal@eastgreenwichri.com

Renu Englehart
Council Member, Democrat
renglehart@eastgreenwichri.com

Michael Zarrella
Council Member, Democrat
mzarrella@eastgreenwichri.com

East Greenwich Planning Board
https://eastgreenwichri.com/DocumentCenter/View/1415/Boards-and-Commissions-Membership-May-5-2023-PDF?bidId=

State Senator Bridget Valverde, Democrat
sen-valverde@rilegislature.gov

State Representative Justine Caldwell, Democrat
rep-caldwell@rilegislature.gov

East Greenwich School Building Bond Referendum

Reason #1 to Attend Building Subcommittee Forums: Their Math is Wrong

(March 4, 2023) Option C*, which the subcommittee seems to be favoring, has a price tag of $130M, not the $120M they have been advertising since last year. Apparently their math is wrong, and none of our elected officials, town employees, or even the builder noticed it until we brought it to their attention. This means that the tax impact for this option, which was shared with the Town Council in February, cannot be accurate either. Taxpayers are not being given accurate information about the cost of this project and the impact it will have on family budgets. 

The School Building Oversight Subcommittee has planned two community forums on March 21 & March 30, at 5:30 PM, at Cole Middle School (in addition to PTG meetings) in which they will share the three options* they are considering for the construction and renovation of our schools. Please consider these concerns and make your voice known.

*Please note that the subcommittee has since modified their options and corrected their error, in addition to raising the prices of all options on the table. See Reason #5 for more information. 

Reason #2 to Attend Building Subcommittee Community Forums: Does "Newer and Fewer" Mean Better?

(March 7, 2023)- RIDE's vision for schools is "Newer and Fewer," and it is incentivizing districts to close older school buildings and consolidate students into fewer buildings. The School Building Oversight Subcommittee has planned two community forums on March 21 & March 30, at 5:30 PM, at Cole Middle School (in addition to PTG meetings) in which they will share the three options they are considering for the construction and renovation of our schools. Please consider these concerns and make your voice known:

By June, the School Committee will be voting to approve one of those options, and a bond referendum will be voted on by taxpayers in the fall. NOW IS THE TIME to share your concerns and ask your questions before the impact on your family is irreversible.

Reason #3 to Attend Building Subcommittee Community Forums: The Choice of Colliers Engineering & Design

(March 8, 2023) Did you know that the School Building Oversight Subcommittee chose Colliers Engineering & Design to handle our district's proposed school construction and renovations? Let's take a closer look at this decision:

The School Building Oversight Subcommittee has planned two community forums on March 21 & March 30, at 5:30 PM, at Cole Middle School (in addition to PTG meetings) in which they will share the options they are considering for the construction and renovation of our schools. By June, the School Committee will be voting to approve one of those options, and a bond referendum will be voted on by taxpayers in the fall. NOW IS THE TIME to share your concerns and ask your questions before the impact on your family is irreversible.

Reason #4 to Attend Building Subcommittee Meetings: Timing

(March 11, 2023) Did you know that our School Committee plans to vote on which building/renovation option our district will use by June? That is so RIDE can approve our plans, and the state can prepare the bond referendum that EG residents will vote on this November. Let's look at the issue of timing and how that has affected your ability to have a say in these decisions:

The School Building Oversight Subcommittee has planned two community forums on March 21 & March 30, at 5:30 PM, at Cole Middle School. NOW IS THE TIME to share your concerns and ask your questions before the impact on your family is irreversible.

Reason #5 to Attend Building Subcommittee Community Forums: Cost

(March 14, 2023) There's no question that our schools need work. But how much will the school bond cost your family? Since our message dated March 4, the School Building Subcommittee has already increased its estimates for school construction/renovations, and added some options.

Don't miss your opportunity to have a say about the impact this decision will have on your family budget. The School Building Oversight Subcommittee has planned two community forums on March 21 & March 30, at 5:30 PM, at Cole Middle School. NOW IS THE TIME to share your concerns and ask your questions before the impact on your family is irreversible.