THIS MEETING CAN BE HEARD IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN WEBSITE WWW.MIDDLETOWNRI.COM OR THE DVD IS AVAILABLE AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY.
At a Special Meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Middletown, RI held by telephone conference at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI on Monday, December 7, 2020 at 7:00 P.M.
Councillor Elect Terri Flynn, Members Present
Councillor Elect Paul M. Rodrigues
Councillor Elect M. Theresa Santos
Councillor Elect Robert J. Sylvia
Councillor Elect Dennis Turano
Councillor Elect Barbara A. VonVillas
Councillor Elect Thomas P. Welch, III
Posted – DECEMBER 1, 2020
SPECIAL MEETING- DECEMBER 7, 2020
TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND
The following items of business, having been filed with the Town Clerk under the Rules of the Council, will come before the Council at a special meeting Said meeting will be conducted by telephone conference call/ webinar on Monday, December 7, 2020 at 7:00 P.M., in accordance with Executive Order 20-46 issued by Governor Raimondo on April 15, 2020, extended to December 8, 2020, which modifies certain provisions of the Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) and the Access to Public Records Act (“APRA”) as part of the State’s emergency response to COVID-19. Members of the public may access and listen to the meeting in real-time by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and entering Meeting ID: 873 4156 1254; or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87341561254
Town Clerk presiding.
Meeting called to order at 7:00 P.M.
Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation by Father John O’Brien, St. Lucy’s Church, Middletown.
Communication of Board of Canvassers, re: Certification of newly elected members of the Town Council and School Committee.
Enter – communication by board of canvassers
The Honorable Congressman David N. Cicilline was introduced by the Town Clerk.
Congressman David N. Cicilline noted it was an honor to be present, congratulated those who were voted into office and those who ran for office. Mr. Cicilline explained the people are governed by the candidates they select.
The Honorable Congressman David N. Cicilline administered the oath of office to the School Committee Elect Tami E. Holden and William R. O’Connell.
The Honorable Congressman David N. Cicilline administered the oath of office to the Town Councillors Elect Terri Flynn, Paul M. Rodrigues, M. Theresa Santos, Robert J. Sylvia, Dennis B. Turano, Barbara A. VonVillas and Thomas P. Welch, III.
Clerk calls for nominations for office of Town Council President.
Councillors were polled by Town Clerk.
Councillor VonVillas nominated Robert J. Sylvia for the office of Council President.
Councillor Welch nominated Dennis B. Turano for the office of Council President.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
Councillor Flynn shared the discussion from the December 5, 2020 meeting of the Council Elect. Mrs. Flynn noted the duties of the Council President under the Town Charter, how meetings have been executed and this being an opportunity for Middletown to be energized.
A vote was taken to elect Councillor Sylvia as Council President; Councillor Rodrigues; Councillor Santos, Councillor Sylvia and Councillor VonVillas voted YES; Councillor Flynn, Councillor Turano and Councillor Welch voted NO; Councillor Sylvia was elected Council President.
Clerk administers oath of office to Council President Robert J. Sylvia.
Council President presiding
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for Town Council Vice President.
Councillor VonVillas nominated Councillor Rodrigues for the office of Town Council Vice President.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to elect Councillor Rodrigues as Council Vice President.
Clerk administers oath of office to Vice President Paul M. Rodrigues.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Town Solicitor.
Council President Sylvia nominated Peter B. Regan for Town Solicitor.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Peter B. Regan as Town Solicitor.
Councillor Flynn noted that she can support appointments which require proof of good standing with the RI Bar Association, because she was provided confirmation of good standing.
Clerk administers oath of office to the Town Solicitor.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Assistant Town Solicitors.
Councillor Turano nominated Richard N. Sayer, Adam H. Thayer and Christopher J. McNally as Assistant Town Solicitors.
There being no further nominations, nominations for these positions were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Richard N. Sayer, Adam H. Thayer and Christopher J. McNally as Assistant Town Solicitors.
Assistant Solicitors were unable to attend, the Clerk will administer oath of office at another time.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Assistant Town Solicitor for Prosecution matters.
Councillor VonVillas nominated Anthony Pesare for Assistant Town Solicitor for Prosecution matters.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Anthony Pesare for Assistant Town Solicitor Prosecution matters.
Clerk administers oath of office to Assistant Town Solicitor for Prosecution matters Anthony Pesare.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Probate Judge.
Council President Sylvia nominated Michael W. Miller for Probate Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Michael W. Miller as Probate Judge.
Clerk administers oath of office to Probate Judge Michael W. Miller.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of First Assistant Probate Judge.
Councillor VonVillas nominated Barbara A. Barrow for First Assistant Probate Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Barbara A. Barrow as First Assistant Probate Judge.
First Assistant Probate Judge was unable to attend, the Clerk will administer oath of office at another time.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Second Assistant Probate Judge.
Councillor Flynn nominated Adrien Ventura for Second Assistant Probate Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Adrien Ventura as Second Assistant Probate Judge.
Clerk administers oath of office to Second Assistant Probate Judge Adrien Ventura.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Municipal Court Judge.
Vice President Rodrigues nominated Francis S. Holbrook, II for Municipal Court Judge.
Councillor Turano nominated Dana Harrell for Municipal Court Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Francis S. Holbrook, II as Municipal Court Judge.
Clerk administers oath of office to Municipal Court Judge Francis S. Holbrook, II.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of First Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
Vice President Rodrigues nominated Robert M. Silva for First Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; Councillor Welch voted NO to said motion to appoint Robert M. Silva as First Assistant Municipal Court Judge. Robert M. Silva was appointed as First Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
First Assistant Municipal Court Judge was unable to attend, the Clerk will administer oath of office at another time.
Council President Sylvia calls for nominations for the office of Second Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
Councillor Turano nominated Kevin O. Hagen for Second Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
There being no further nominations, nominations for this position were closed.
A vote was taken; it was voted unanimously to appoint Kevin O. Hagen as Second Assistant Municipal Court Judge.
Clerk administers the oath of office to Second Assistant Municipal Court Judge Kevin O. Hagen.
Presentations
Council President Sylvia recognized the Board of Canvassers Lucie-Anne Dionne Thomas, Chair, Member Carmella Murphy and Member Adeline Rose.
Council President Sylvia recognized former Councillor Henry “Rick” Lombardi, Jr. Mr. Sylvia noted the gift given for Mr. Lombardi as a recognition of his service to the Town.
Henry “Rick” Lombardi, Jr., thanked the Council, noting it was an honor to work with Council members and serve the people of Middletown.
Council President Sylvia gave the following speech.
Family members, Honored and Distinguished Guests, including Congressman David Cicilline, friends - colleagues, State and Local officials, past and present, thank you for being here with us for our Inaugural Meeting. To My Fellow Town Council Colleagues – Congratulations to each of you on your election and thank you for electing me President again this term.
Council Vice President Paul Rodrigues, Councilor Terri Flynn, Councilor Theresa Santos, Councilor Dennis Turano, and Councilor Barbara VonVillas -- the voters of Middletown have shown their support and have acknowledged your leadership, vision and accomplishments by entrusting you once again to represent them over the next two years. You are to be commended.
We welcome newly elected Thomas Welch III. Tom is a life-long resident of Middletown and recently served on the town’s Open Space and Fields Committee. I’m looking for Tom to bring some new ideas and perspective to the council.
Rick Lombardi chose not to run for re-election. Please join me in thanking Councillor Henry (Rick) Lombardi for his six-years of dedicated service to our Town.
Today, we dedicate ourselves to the ideals and values of our founders and to what their vision was. It is time to move forward in a collaborative manner to honor the sworn oaths that we have taken. Let us take a moment to thank those who have guided and assisted us on our journey, often impacting our lives in ways they will never know. But most importantly, let us reflect on the true meaning of Middletown and let us recommit to our common vision — to be good stewards for the community in order to provide every resident with a quality of life equal to none.
As a united Council we will listen to our residents and business owners, to your questions, concerns and positive ideas for our town and we will be guided by your input. We will explore fresh and innovative ways to create a more livable Middletown and to provide a solid foundation for our children and grandchildren.
I want to thank our Town Administrator Shawn Brown and his administrative staff for their continued tireless efforts.
I also want to recognize all of our employees for their support and continued dedication to Middletown. they too should be recognized and applauded for their efforts.
Middletown has numerous volunteer committees whose members spend countless hours contributing to the betterment of Middletown They are truly valuable players when it comes to our Town’s overall success, and I thank you all.
This past year are been particularly challenging because of the historic COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the Town to pivot resources and energies dedicated to keeping our community safe. I commend everyone who is taking all the necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe – wearing a mask, washing their hands, maintaining social distance in public. We still have an extended period ahead of us when we must remain vigilant and cautious, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the anticipated distribution of a vaccine in 2021.
I also want to recognize area businesses that have made sacrifices to remain open and support our local economy. I encourage everyone to support local businesses by shopping local.
I would at this time like to recognize the dedicated and hard-working teachers and staff of our public schools who provide outstanding educational programs for our children during this difficult time. The Town Council has worked with the School Committee to keep our children safe and to provide the resources necessary to continue their education, including additional funding for cleaning supplies, technology and teaching personnel.
Over the past two years, the Town Council has worked together to promote a common agenda, including the following goals which we continue to develop:
The redevelopment of the 18-acre West Main Road/Coddington property is an exciting project that has the potential to give our tax-payers long-term tax relief for many years to come. The economic development of this area would have a positive impact on existing businesses, attract new businesses and serve as our gateway to Newport.
Middletown has the opportunity to acquire the Shoreline Park property, a 25 + acres of scenic water-front property along Narragansett Bay west of Burma Road that has the potential to be developed by the town into a multi-functional park to be enjoyed by all residents.
We will finalize our current senior affordable housing project and immediately in conjunction with the senior affordable housing, begin a general low-income affordable housing project to assist the neediest and to attract young families to our Town.
We will revise our short-term housing ordinance, to protect the quality of life for full-time residents who have been subjected to short-term rental abuse. This new revised ordinance will be an immediate priority to be in effect by the summer of 2021.
We will establish a tax plan that is beneficial to full-time residents, with tax reductions incentives, to solicit young families to our community. It will be a fair and equitable plan, with no special venue or interest considerations.
Negotiated affordable and fair labor contracts with the Town’s fire and police departments, which increased the fire department staffing by 26%. The additional funding was made through a safer grant which gave us 100% funding.
When COVID-19 forced the closure of beaches for public health reasons, the Town Council and Administration created a plan that gave our residents access and parking considerations. We will continue to adapt beach operations with a focus on protecting public health and safety and prioritizing resident access.
We will continue to work with Clean Water Access to clean and to protect our costal marine environment.
We continue to work with the ALT to preserve property which will be used to promote the preservation of open space on an island-wide basis
Commissioned a study to determine how the Town’s natural resources and infrastructure would be impacted by a total buildout of the Town developable land
We continue to construct pathways and plant trees in the Middletown Valley Park
We are also very fortunate that Attorney Peter Regan has accepted re-appointment as our Town Solicitor. Peter is a highly regarded and respected attorney, and he has served our residents well. We also welcome back our Assistant Solicitors and we welcome Anthony Pesare who will serve as our Assistant Solicitor for Prosecution. Former Prosecution Solicitor Frank Holbrook II., will serve as our Municipal Court Judge and Robert M. Silva and Kevin Hagan will serve as first and second alternates. Probate Judge Michael M. Miller has accepted re-appointment and Barbara Barrow and Adrien Ventura will serve as first and second alternates
In closing, I wish to thank the citizens of Middletown for the privilege of serving as a member of this Town Council. I want to assure everyone that the members of this Council will take this responsibility and the trust you have shown us very seriously. We are committed to serving the people of Middletown to the best of our abilities, and we will continue to do so with enthusiasm, compassion and devotion to our community. A community we truly love, Thank You.
Benediction by Father John O’Brien.
Council President Sylvia noted that the next Town Council meeting will be held on Monday, December 14, 2020 if all items are not completed that night the Council will meet again on Thursday, December 17, 2020. There will be no Council meeting on December 21, 2020.
On motion of Council Vice President Rodrigues, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn this meeting at 7:50 P.M.
__________________________
Karin H. Clancey, CMC
Deputy Town Clerk
Supporting documentation is available at http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-ri