Guest MINDSETTER™ Peter Hewett: RhodeMap RI is Serious Business
Thursday, December 04, 2014
RhodeMap RI – the state’s so-called economic development plan is anything but what it purports to be – but it is very serious business. Most Rhode Islanders know very little about it, including most or our elected and appointed local and state representatives and officials.
The 30 or so appointed individuals charged with the responsibility for its creation – the State Planning Council Consortium – are scheduled to meet next Thursday, December 11, 2014, at the William E. Powers Building, in Providence (time yet to be determined) to vote on whether to adopt the Plan. It is imperative that this meeting be postponed until 2015 to allow for greater transparency and public debate on its merits or lack thereof. Ideally, in my opinion, the Plan will be scrapped in its entirety. There is little economic development content to be salvaged.
I and many others have sent out a considerable amount of reference material and analysis on the subject. The rapidly growing number of Rhode Islanders opposed to or, at the very least, seriously concerned about whether the Plan serves the best interests of the state and its residents, is significant. Pro and con commentary have appeared in the Providence Journal and have been the subject of various media and blogs, including GoLocalProv. Several informational meetings have been held in the last couple of weeks by a newly formed group – Property Rights Alliance Rhode Island (PRARI) – to help to inform the general public and elected officials about the details of this Plan. Time is of the essence in getting information out to the public about the Plan before it may be approved for adoption and implementation as soon as next week.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt is my understanding that a vote on the 11th by the Consortium to adopt will be final and possibly not reversible by the Governor or by the general assembly. That alone – the fact that a consortium of appointed and unelected individuals who may be motivated by personal agendas can irreversibly commit the State of Rhode Island to a course of action that is not in the best interests of we the citizens – that will likely adversely infringe on their personal private property rights and freedoms, substantively emasculate local and state government sovereignty and arguably violate Article XIII of Rhode Island’s Constitution.
Necessary Reading
This is very serious business. Every elected and appointed state and local level official needs to get involved and learn what is taking place before their very eyes. More media attention and public debate of this social engineering initiative disguised as economic development is needed. Whatever “Social equity” is, it is NOT meaningful economic development!
To all who read this article and to those many others who have received additional reference materials from me and other concerned Rhode Islanders on the subject of RhodeMapRI, I sincerely hope you take the time to read and become sufficiently informed to make a decision on whether this meeting must be postponed and whether this plan is good or bad for our state.
Here are several excellent sources of additional reference material. I hope you find them helpful in developing your own judgment as to the merits of RhodeMap RI:
* Mike Byrnes' message which has been sent to Senator Chris Ottiano and Representatives Ray Gallison and Ken Marshall. I believe Mike is spot on with his critique and agree wholeheartedly with his cogent critical analysis.
* I prepared a resolution to be presented to the Bristol Town Council. Unfortunately, Bristol’s Town Council is not due to meet again until after the December 11 meeting. Thus, timing is a problem. I attach it so that others perhaps can use it as a model for their own purposes.
* This 12 minute video is insightful as to what RhodeMapRI promises for Rhode Island towns and municipalities:
* Copy of letter sent by HUD to County Executive of Westchester County regarding reallocation of HUD grant money (the carrot and the stick).
* This website provides insight on how the advocates of social equity agendas would likely view the merits of RhodeMapRI – signs of things to come
* State Senator Marc Cote’s letter dated December 1, 2014, to Mr. John Flaherty of Smart Growth Rhode Island and copied to general assembly and city of Woonsocket leadership addressing his concerns about RhodeMapRI.
* Lastly, the entire 186+ page RhodeMapRI Plan is accessible on the internet.
Get Involved
For everyone reading this article, I urge you to contact your elected town and state representatives by phone, letter and/or email and express yourself on whether you believe the meeting by the Consortium ought to be postponed; whether you support or oppose RhodeMapRI; or that you need a lot more time to read, listen, examine and analyze the details of RhodeMapRI in order to make an informed judgment of its merits.
I strongly believe, as do a rapidly growing number of responsible Rhode Islanders, that this matter is much too important to the well-being of our financially troubled state and to our private and commercial property rights and freedoms to be ignored. Please get informed.
A Bristol, RI resident, Hewett retired in 1992 after 28 years of active duty with the Navy with the rank of Captain. He then worked for Travelers Special Liability Group in Hartford, CT adjusting environmental claims and managing related litigation, before retiring again in 2010.
Related Slideshow: Rhode Island’s Highest Paid Mayors and Managers
The Rhode Island Department of Revenue's Office of Local Government Assistance, for the past 23 years, has conducted an "annual salary survey" of municipal positions in the state.
Below are the salaries reported for chief executives -- Mayors or Town Managers ranked by municipalities (with the position) in 2012, from lowest to highest. According to the survey, the amount "does not include fringe benefit data."
Positions appointed are indicated with an (A); positions elected are marked with an (E).
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