My Platform

 My goals are simple even if the solutions are not:  1) Put the Town on the right path to improve the tax base and lessen the burden on those who live here; 2) End the Johnsons Pond mess in the way that makes the most sense for both those who live around the Pond and the Town as a whole; 3) Help stop the Town Council from making foolish self-inflicted errors as has happened so many times in the past and; 4) Foster a much better relationship between the School Committee and Town Council. 

I'm not interested in organizing parties, parades or fireworks, that's for the Parks and Recreation Department, not Town Council.  I'm not going to advocate for pointless investigations or to increase the size of government.  And I'm certainly not going to suggest the Town be lead by a Mayor who is selected via a popularity contest rather than through a thorough job interview process.  Experience matters.

Are your taxes too high?  Yes.

Is the Town Budget full of waste and excess?  While there is always room for improvement, the short answer is "No".

Unlike other Towns, Coventry does not have much disproportionally valuable property that subsidizes the budget.  We do not have expensive oceanfront property owned by rich out-of-staters, we do not have a significant manufacturing or industrial base, we do not have a source of natural resources that can generate income (think Scituate Reservoir).  Owners of these properties pay a disproportionate share of a Town's tax burden.  A one acre parcel of land in Coventry might be valued at $100,000, while the same one acre on the ocean could be valued at $2million, or 20 times more.  Thus, the owner of the oceanfront parcel is paying 20 times more into the system than the ordinary land owner.   

How do you fix this?  I'm not a politician so I'll be honest and not sugarcoat the answer.  There is no quick fix to this problem, but it can be addressed with the correct long term policies.  First, you have to take stock of what you have to work with.  Coventry has two (and potentially more) areas that could yield such disproportional valuations.  Johnsons Pond and Centre of New England.

 Did you know that not one foot of Rt. 95 touches Coventry (learned that prosecuting a DUI case for the Police Dept.)?  This puts Coventry at a structural disadvantage for attracting commercial and industrial business, but Centre of New England is close enough.  Hotels, Big Box Retailers, Entertainment Venues, or other large value developments would help diversify our tax base.       Centre of New England is an established high traffic development but making Coventry stand out to potential developers will almost certainly require modifications to the existing tax treaty and cooperation of the land owner.  I want to explore establishing a more constructive rather than confrontational relationship  with the Commerce Park entities.  There is an opportunity to investigate a united front that can be presented to brokers and development professionals.   We have to stop thinking short term and develop long range plans that will reap future benefits.

My opponent has stated that if elected he would reach out to the court appointed receiver for Centre of New England to talk about fixing the road (PascuaForCoventry.com).  I would reach out to Centre of New England to talk about additional development and how the Town could help foster that development.  My opponent wants to fix a pothole, I want to fix our tax base. 

One of many things that has frustrated me with the Town Council's handling of the Johnsons Pond situation has been the risk they are taking with such an important part of our tax base.  I've written about this mess many times (see my articles and Position Letter on Johnsons Pond).  A few things have to happen.  The Town needs to take a far more proactive stance in positioning itself for an inevitable lawsuit.  The Town must take the steps needed (appraisals, legal research, consultation with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on eminent domain damage computations, etc.) to take charge of the situation and stop being in a position of always reacting to moves made by Soscia Holdings.  This battle isn't over and the Town needs to be properly prepared.

The Town owns many random parcels of land throughout the town.  Being Town owned means they are no longer on the tax rolls.  The Town should sell (or in some instances give away) many of these parcels.  This would bring in a small amount of revenue (which I would put toward our debt service or road issues) and return this land to the tax rolls.

Fortunately, I do not believe the relationship between the Town Council and School Committee is as frosty in Coventry as it is in other communities, but there is room for improvement.   As  a community we need to understand the relationship between a successful school system, our property values, and the customer base for our local businesses.  If parents are not willing to put their children in the local school system then they won't move here.  If fewer people are willing to live here property values go down and local businesses have fewer available customers.  Fewer local businesses drags down the quality of life for everyone.

My point is that we are a team in this.  The Town Council and School Committee need to work together.  This is particularly important right now as the R.I. Dept. of Education is offering significant State aid to improve local schools.  Up to 70% of the cost of new school buildings (that are designed to promote efficiency and future savings) will be reimbursed.  Coventry already lost its chance at a similar deal due to poor communication between the Council and School Committee.  We can't afford to let this opportunity pass us by again.