To the Editor: I continue to be strongly opposed to establishing tolls of any amount on the Sakonnet Bridge. Tolling is neither necessary nor reasonable. It is less than a courageous reach for a quick and easy supplemental revenue source by our governor and general assembly and a shirking of their responsibilities to ensure that the Department of Transportation is adequately funded to maintain our state's infrastructure. Nor is there, in my opinion, any compelling reason why the existing tolls on the Pell Bridge need to be increased. In fact, if our elected representatives had the courage to …

  To the Editor: Marriage provides necessary protections for couples and families,including rights related to property, state taxes, health care, familyleave and adoption.When a state provides legal recognition of same-sex relationships,it promotes an environment of tolerance and acceptance for all itsresidents.Many of Rhode Island's top employers offer benefits to the partnersof same-sex employees, as do a majority of America's Fortune 500companies. It is time for Rhode Island to do the same.Same-sex couples pay the same taxes, follow the same laws andshould have the same access to a civil …

  To the Editor:Few natural resources in Tiverton hold as much beauty and importance as Stafford Pond. As Tiverton’s only public drinking water source, thousands of residents rely on Stafford Pond each and every day. Anything that could compromise the quality and safety of this resource should give all residents of Tiverton pause.When compared to other public drinking water sources in Rhode Island, Stafford Pond stands out – for all the wrong reasons:  It has a public boat ramp; it is stocked with fish for recreational purposes; boats with large combustion engines are allowed on it for DEM-…

  To the Editor: I have followed the news articles on the hardships that the Sakonnet Bridge Tolls would have upon businesses and people traveling to and from Aquidneck Island, and found them to be both an interesting foray into normally unexplored regions of investigative reporting, and a lack of understanding of the total impact of the proposed toll.  While it is interesting to investigate the hardships that the toll would impose, it should also be recognized that tolls in general are a tax burden that, like all tax burdens, will be a hardship upon many people.  All taxes should be …

To the Editor:  I wanted to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the men and women of the Tiverton Police Department for their dedication to their duty during the recent blizzard of 2013. Their performance during the storm exemplified our core values of teamwork, pride, dedication, respect, and integrity. It was clear the officers and staff embraced their role not only as a law enforcement agency but also to ensure public safety. Officers and staff worked long hours, slept at headquarters on cots, and used personally owned vehicles equipped with four-wheeled drive to patrol and …

In recent days, there have been allegations made by Tiverton Citizens for Change (TCC) and candidates endorsed by this group that non-TCC-endorsed individuals are trying to over-turn the Financial Town Referendum (FTR). Such actions are, as purported, an attempt to undermine the will of the voters.For the record, we, the undersigned, are candidates for Tiverton Town Council (though not endorsed by the TCC) and in no way, shape or form has any of us ever made any statement or claim regarding eliminating the Financial Town Referendum (FTR). The voters put it in place and so it is. Let’s move on…

  To the Editor: When you think of the newly formed organization Tiverton 1st, the first thing that may come to mind is our recent presence in the local political arena. However, Tiverton 1st was formed to be much more than a political group. One of our major goals is to seek additional ways in which our organization and its members can build and support community efforts and promote volunteerism. While planning our initial fundraiser, one of our candidates suggested the idea of incorporating a food drive that same evening to benefit the East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP). We sent out …

  To the Editor: We have a new group in Tiverton – Tiverton 1st. Parents, grandparents, single folks, young and old have joined together to fight for a positive future for Tiverton. Tiverton 1st has done their due diligence to recommend a talented slate of candidates for local offices. I strongly support their candidates who are all dedicated to working together to solve issues – what a welcome breath of fresh air! For the last four years we have been subjected to the slick, well-financed campaigns of the TCC telling us that it’s the TCC who will be fiscally responsible and “heal the divide” …

To the Editor: On November 6th, Tiverton voters have a clear choice in local races.  We can vote for individuals supported by the Tiverton Citizens for Change (TCC) who will continue the TCC’s divisiveness, make decisions affecting us behind closed doors, spend tens of thousands of our tax dollars on lawsuits supporting their personal agendas  and support budgets based on ghost revenues and personal agendas.   Or, we can choose to elect the candidates supported by the Tiverton Democratic Town Committee (TDTC) -  a slate of candidates from all political persuasions who take a balanced approach…

To the Editor: I want to thank Mr. David Nelson and Mr. Rob Coulter for being instrumental in allowing our neighborhood and other town residents to voice their concerns and read our formal complaint at the Town Council meeting Tuesday evening regarding the expansion of Site Ready on Eagleville Road. If it were up to Mr. Lambert, our President, Mr. Roderick and Mr. Pelletier, our voices would never be heard. Even with the item on the agenda, Mr. Lambert did everything in his power to manipulate the crowd into thinking that it was not the forum after, at the beginning of the meeting, telling us…

To the Editor:Deborah Scanlon Janick’s letter, attacking me (if you can believe it) for a conversation with a long-time acquaintance on Twitter, is an example of what divides Tiverton. Our elective offices may be non-partisan, but anybody hoping to serve their community apparently must expect big-time-politics personal attacks.Twitter is a Web site that allows users to post very short comments. The first sentence of this letter would be too long. People use it to share interesting articles and to have quick, light conversations.In this case, I was responding to the man who started the liberal…

  To the Editor: Webster’s defines “oxymoron” as something that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements.The TCC could easily slip in as an example. They talk the talk in public, but they certainly do not walk thewalk in private. The most recent oxymoron occurred on a Twitter account. Just when he thought no one was looking,TCC founder and recommended School Committee candidate Justin Katz showed his true colors. Whenasked about his thoughts on Sandywoods Farm, his response was that it is a “good way to subsidizethe “right” kind of poor people.” When complimented on the beauty of …

  To the Editor: If ever there was a time in the history of Tiverton to look at the function of systems in relation to government and management: that time is now. If ever there was a time for the Tiverton community to come together and vote for the clear choice for change-that time is now.  If not, I am afraid Tiverton will fail to work for the best of Tiverton, for the greater good. For the last two years under the guidelines-albeit, questionable, of the TCC/Town Council- Tiverton has been experiencing a quiet and destructive shift, a divide. If not melded  back together quickly with great …

  To the Editor: The recent Patch article, “Fundraising Scam Targets Tiverton Residents”, on Sept. 29 2012, was informative but very incomplete. Readers should have been advised of several laws that are in effect in Rhode Island, but rarely if ever enforced. RIGL 5-53.1-12.1 requires that all professional for-profit solicitors (AKA Telemarketers who contact you by telephone or by mail) identify themselves by name and identify the name of the professional for profit professional fund raiser. The law also requires that, if requested, the professional for-profit solicitor must tell you the …

  To the Editor: The Sogkonate Garden Club would like to thank the 75 people who participated in the Little Compton 2012 International Coastal Cleanup on September 15th.   The clouds and little bit of rain did not deter us.  An estimated 2,255 pounds of trash were collected from our various beaches and shorelines. Not only did individuals show up to work, but the Sakonnet Point Club, the Sakonnet Yacht Club, and The Nature Conservancy joined the effort. Non-local volunteers from other RI towns, Salve Regina University, and Vermont also contributed time and energy to this project. We send a …

To the Editor: Our parents always told us that actions speak louder than words. It's become clear to many in Tiverton that the importance of cooperation, compromise, and community pride in town government has somehow become lost on some, based on their words and actions. Tiverton residents, you have an opportunity to be actively engaged in shaping the future of your community, and to be the voice for the change that you are seeking. Tiverton 1st is a non-partisan grassroots community group that is dedicated to promoting a positive community-based vision for Tiverton. We support preserving our…

  To the Editor:  After DOT Director Michael P. Lewis indicated on March 26 that he wanted to solve the incompetent management ofthe DOT that allows RI roads and bridges to fall apart by doubling a part of the taxation of Newport County residents and workers, I wrote a Letter to the Editor exposing his plan as “The Double Taxing of Newport County Residents andWorkers”. Since then, the Governor has jumped on board the proposal because he sees it as a means of raising additional revenue. Of course the Governor has recognized the Sakonnet Bridge Toll concept as double taxing Newport County …

  Anybody who's able to catch video from the Aug. 14 Tiverton School Committee meeting should do so. It provides an excellent lesson on why all levels of government are facing financial crises. Whether it's the need for new tolls, catastrophic debt, or underfunded pension plans, wishful and unclear thinking about money is at the root. On Tuesday, the committee approved an agreement with the teachers' union, extending their contract until 2015. It didn't have to be approved before the upcoming election, and it didn't have to cover three years.The lesson came when member Danielle Coulter …

The Tiverton School Committee scheduled a “special meeting” — not on its regular calendar — in order to discuss negotiations with the teachers’ union on Tuesday, July 7.  The fact that the district’s single biggest expense item would be up for negotiation this summer wasn’t publicized much when the school department was threatening to close schools and cancel all sports and extracurricular activities prior to the financial town referendum (FTR).  Tiverton residents should pay very close attention. When the budget debate was in full swing, district administrators told me that their requested …

To the editor: Over the past several legislative sessions, including the 2012 session, our East Bay lawmakers introduced bills banning tolls on the Sakonnet River bridge. I watched with pride as those same lawmakers, side by side and united across party lines, made an hour-long stand during the recent State budget debate against potential tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge. This included getting Tiverton a seat on the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) to ensure our voice at the table.  Unfortunately, all proposals were ultimately voted down and the bill to transfer authority …