I would like to thank the constituents of District 71 (Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton), and the citizens of not only Rhode Island, but nation-wide for the outpouring of support on my stance against sexually-centered clubs in our high schools. The plethora of correspondence has affirmed that the majority of parents do not want these clubs in their children’s schools, and condemn the school administrators and educators that act ‘in loco parentis’, or in place of the parent, in permitting their formation. In addition, the letters, e-mail, and phone calls from the supporters of Gay-Straight…

At last year's financial town meeting the people voted to sell the old school buildings and place the proceeds in the towns coffers. The resolve was amended on the floor  and the portion that stated "or if less than fair market value to a non-profit or government entity acting for the public good" was removed. The vote was to sell them. The council at that time appointed a committee to research possible uses of these buildings. I just received a copy of the Municipal Facilities Committee Report with suggestions for Nonquit School. They don't follow the voters request to sell the building. In …

An Open Letter to Rep. Dan Gordon: On behalf of the Tiverton Democratic Town Committee (TDTC), I add our support to Cynda Martin in her efforts through her Senior Project to create a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Tiverton High School. While doing this in today’s society may be somewhat safer than in decades past, those who understand prejudice and hate in our society know that this is a very courageous act. Kudos to Ms. Martin and her peers for their courage to act! As for the comments you have made in various media outlets, Mr. Gordon, I hope that these stem from simple ignorance of human …

To the Editor: Representative Gordon, My name is Phil Stocker, and I want to touch base with you with respect to your recent call to prohibit the newly-founded Gay-Straight Alliance at Tiverton High School from meeting on school grounds. I was made aware of this by Karen Izzo, a teacher at East Greenwich High School, my alma mater, and want to personally touch base with you on the subject. I organized the first Gay-Straight Alliance at EGHS for my Senior Project in 2004, a project that started a positive reformation of the student body and community at the school. First, as a gay student who …

I am greatly disappointed to report that most of the Budget Committee, currently led by Mr. Chris Cotta, made it clear they will thumb their nose at taxpayers and submit a financial town meeting docket that does not follow the legal advice of the Town Solicitor, who according to the Town Charter “shall be the attorney for the Town." In fact, at the joint meeting last Thursday night with the Town Council and the School Committee, when asked by Town Council President Jay Lambert and Town Council member and former Budget Committee Vice Chairman Robert Coulter whether he intended to follow the …

A public hearing on my Tax Cap Ordinance took place at the high school on Monday night. I am publishing my closing statement in the paragraphs that follow for those who were unable to make the public hearing, and to ensure you hear, directly from me, my reasons for tabling the Tax Cap Ordinance. I have tabled the ordinance in favor of a Charter Amendment to transform the current financial town meeting (FTM) into an voting referendum, which many on both sides of the debate spoke in favor of last night. I believe this is the prize that Tiverton seriously needs to allow more citizen …

Councilman David Nelson, president of Tiverton Citizens for Change, wants the Tiverton Town Council (elected by the majority of the 5,561 voters on 11/02/10) to prevent the small special interest groups from increasing the property tax levy beyond 4.5% this year and beyond 4.0% in future years, and also to prevent the special interest groups from increasing the municipal tax levy beyond 2.5%, unless certain criteria are met and unless the Town Council first approves the larger increase. This proposed ordinance would severely hamper the ability of small special interest groups to obtain large …

On Monday, April 4, Tiverton’s Town Council holds a public hearing at Tiverton High School on a proposed ordinance from Councilor David Nelson. While advertised as a “tax cap," it in fact "caps" no tax or budget, since our Town Charter gives full authority for those decisions to voters at the Financial Town Meeting. From town documents, we now know that it’s true purpose is to take that right away from the citizens and give it to the council, in direct violation of the Charter and state law. While the wording of the state’s tax-cap legislation is ambiguous, the Standards & Procedures adopted …

Dear Editor: This letter is in response to statements made by State Representative Dan Gordon that recently appeared on the Tiverton Patch website. Specifically, Mr. Gordon was commenting on an article concerning a Tiverton High School student’s effort to start a Gay-Straight Alliance. Mr. Gordon stated, “and this is why if I have anything to say about it, Tiverton will lose school funding to local charter schools. It doesn’t matter if gay or straight, if sexual meet-up groups are being promoted in our schools rather than improving test scores, that school is failing. Is it really more …

To the Editor: "NAME IT, CLAIM IT, STOP IT" earned the winning logo of the recent anti-bullying contest at Tiverton High School. I name you, Representative Dan Gordon, and I ask you to stop posting hurtful rhetoric against our students and high school community at THS and saying that "Tiverton will lose school funding" and that "Children are getting sexed up." I personally could not be more proud to be a member of a school community that is inclusive, that welcomes every student who comes through our doors, makes them feel safe to learn, grow, and become caring, tolerant, productive members …

To the Editor: It was with great shock and dismay that I read ignorant and prejudicial comments from Representative Daniel Gordon Jr. in response to a recent Patch.com story highlighting a newly-established anti-bullying alliance at Tiverton High School. The story details the school’s first-ever “Gay-Straight Alliance,” established to promote acceptance and individuality among students. While I cannot imagine how anyone could find a problem with high school students coming together to fight bullying, Representative Gordon issued the following response to the article posted on Patch.com: “And …

Just as Mark Twain wrote that the report of his death was an exaggeration, the claim that libraries are “dying” just doesn't square with the facts. In a nationwide survey conducted in January 2010 by Harris Interactive, 65 percent of the respondents reported they had used their public library either in person, by telephone or by computer in the past year. Notably, 40 percent had increased their overall use of the public library during the second half of 2009 and 94 percent agreed that the library improves the quality of life in their community. When the Harris poll asked about the services …

To the Editor: As I walked down Neck Road one sunny day last week, I thought, “Okay, looks pretty good, what a lovely day, the ice is gone from the pond…” And then I see it. The blue Bud Light can rests on the brown grass alongside the road. I just cleaned this stretch of road five days earlier as I walked my usual route armed with plastic bags. I returned from that walk with two bulging loads of, yes, Bud Light cans.  What gives here? Who are you? A construction worker returning home? Or are you an overwrought parent escaping home for a few hours in the evening? Worse still, are you a teen …

Have you noticed the amount of trash on the roadsides? We do not get much help from the towns or state in cleaning or litter prevention. Our local government officials need to show leadership in cleaning up this mess. In Little Compton, the Sogkonate Garden Club has an active road litter pickup program. Every month this group will police one of the major Little Compton roads. Just this week they picked up eight large garbage bags on two Little Compton roads. We all need to do more to keep our community looking beautiful.

What lessons did we learn from the historic floods of March, 2010?Of the many issues still facing us one year later, the floods certainly underscored the risks of obsolete and deteriorating dams impeding the natural flow of rivers and streams throughout the region.  Rhode Island has 671 dams, many of which have outlived their useful life. Many dams were damaged during last year’s storms, and both municipalities and private dam owners are just now starting to assess the damage and determine if these dams should be repaired or removed. Dams were an important part of our early industrial history…

Let me first state that I, over the years, have utilized the library in many forms and found it very useful and informative. I have fond memories of bringing my children to storytime to teach them the importance of reading. However, times have changed and with that our thinking in Tiverton has to change. As you know, there is talk currently of the government and the state stopping aid to libraries. Don't you think there is a reason for that, other than slashing the budget? Think about it. The library is going to go the way of all things extinct, probably within the next five to ten years, I …

I was at the Monday, Feb. 28 Town Council meeting to hear the tax cap proposal discussed. Low and behold, the dirty tricks were in effect once again! I know this was a public meeting and anyone could attend, but let's face it, how many times have there been non-taxpaying bodies at a Town Council meeting? That is right, non-taxpaying bodies brought in to exceed the capacity limit, so that the tax cap proposal could not be discussed.   I was apprised by a number of people there that there were Tiverton teachers in attendance who do not live in Tiverton. The people that brought them there are …

For years now, Tiverton's budget has been neglecting our roads. Every year we put less money in the budget for paving. That money in many cases was diverted to cover other costs in the budget. We have over 80 miles of road in town. Many are in deplorable condition. I am looking for reader input to see how people feel about their roads. It costs about $100,000 a mile to pave roads. I am trying to get an idea how much we should be spending each year. Simple math tells me if an average mile of road lasts 20 years we should pave four to five miles a year to stay ahead of the pot holes. We haven't…

To the editor: The Tiverton Town Council will be voting on the pay-as-you-throw program next month at their regular meeting. The last council postponed the vote pushing it off until after the election. This program will be met with some resistance from the people in town. It is an added expense to people, and a small inconvenience. The landfill closure and building a transfer station are going to be a big bill we all face in several years, costing up to $10 million depending on the EPA/DEM rules to close it at the time. If we wait until the time of closure to come up with the money we will …

Tiverton has a history of open, democratic, and participatory government. The people of Tiverton have repeatedly rejected attempts to give the seven member Town Council any power in setting our budget and tax rate. As recently as November 2008, with over 7,100 people casting ballots, 59% of the people voted to retain an elected Budget Committee and a Financial Town Meeting to make budget decisions on their behalf. Regardless of how I, or anyone else, feel about the current process, we must respect the majority’s right to decide. New Town Councilor David Nelson is proposing an ordinance that …