The essence of Westerly: summer residents paying $150 per person to play a game that locals have never heard of. ty chuck royce for bringing culture to our unwashed masses! (Harold Hanka for the Westerly Sun)
In the News
The state general assembly approved legislation to create a “Purple Alert” system for missing adults with disabilities
Governor McKee signed into law a ban on assault rifles - this is on the agenda for the next meeting (Monday, 7/21)
The town is cracking down on short-term rentals with a $500 registration fee - this will also be discussed at the next meeting
Electric Boat bought the former Macy’s building in Waterford
RIPD made 57 DUI arrests over the holiday weekend
One of our neighbors over in Richmond got busted with 250 pounds of the jazz cabbage
Relatedly, the former Friendly’s building may become a dispensary
And there’s another application for a dispensary, this time in the Spindrift Village plaza
CT state troopers were cleared of wrongdoing in a fatal 2023 shooting
Some non-local news of interest: Maryland’s Montgomery county passed a bill last year which allowed people as young as 16 to vote in local elections. Municipal elections have the most immediate impact on a teen’s quality of life, especially as a student affected by school budgets. I wonder what Westerly’s politics might look like if we got high schoolers involved?
🗑 🏆 Worst opinion of the week: Bob Chiaradio continues to be obsessed with the genitals of children (cw: transphobia). This guy gives me the creeps.
Town Council (July 7)
1. The girls are fighting
Councilor Healy is pushing for more information about how the town might comply with ICE’s presence in the community. She made an interesting point that the town — and some Watch Hill businesses in particular — rely on imported seasonal labor during the summer, so the concern is not purely hypothetical. She will speak more about this at Monday’s (7/21) meeting.
She will also be supporting Councilor Niemeyer’s motion to censure Councilor Van Dover and call for her resignation. In an emailed explanation, Councilor Healy wrote:
During a one-on-one phone interview for reappointment to the Multicultural Committee, Councilor Rose Van Dover, acting as a member of the Appointments Committee, asked the applicant — the then-chair of the committee — about their race and used a racial slur to describe them.
This wasn’t hearsay or a misunderstanding.
She admitted to it in writing, then doubled down by referencing her “multiracial grandchildren” as if that somehow made it okay.
2. Surprise monologue from the solicitor
The town solicitor spoke at length about legal precedent for beach access and rights of way. Also something about Warwick town pensions? (I start to lose focus by the third hour of these meeting and am basically dead by the fourth.)
There was the usual tension about discussing legal matters outside of executive session, and citizen comments pointed out that rights of way were not on the meeting agenda, so interested parties couldn’t have known in advance that they could come out to speak on it.
3. Actual government stuff
Approved appointments to the board of finance and the multicultural committee
Approved funding for ten-year water tower maintenance work
Approved funding for road sealing project, which the town manager mentioned could extend the life of our paved roads by up to ten years
A public hearing will be held on the 21st regarding state DEM-mandated allowable levels of pollutants in town sewage systems
Discussed amendments to the short-term rental ordinance, which brought out the usual petit bourgeois to protest. The current point of tension is whether the ordinance ought to apply town-wide or only north of Shore Road. Councilor Niemeyer said that he has come to realize that short-term rentals, especially in our residential zones, pose an “existential threat” to the character and culture of the town — an interesting parallel to NIMBY opposition to affordable housing.
School Committee (July 16)
Presentation on getting new busses and putting into reserve older busses
Presentation on the 2024 audit, with a focus on pension funds
Executive session on the negotiations with the local 808 and a “superintendent evaluation” (?)
RIDE is providing free meals to kids up to 18 years old until August 1! You can participate by bringing your kids to 52 White Rock Road between 11:30-12:30 on weekdays
Work on school buildings will continue into the school year, but all safety maintenance will be completed before school starts
Students will be prohibited from using cell phones this school year per a new state law
Voted to maintain the police security detail at meetings, despite optical misgivings
Boards and Committees
Citizen Spotlight
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