“Three votes control the spending between 53 and 56 percent of the taxpayers’ dollars,””

Ed Ladourceur

By ALEX MALM

A resolution asking the General Assembly to approve a ballot question to expand the School Committee from five to nine members was voted down by Warwick City Council Monday.

The Council also rejected two four-year term limits for the School Committee. The vote came two weeks after they asked legislative approval to put term limits for the council and the mayor on the ballot.

Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur who sponsored the resolution said the question of expanding the School Committee has been a topic discussed for many years.

“This is an issue that has been kicked around for a long time now,” said Ladouceur.  “The conversation has never made it to the Council floor.”

The proposed ballot question would call for one school committee member from each ward. The changes wouldn’t go into effect until 2027. Currently the school committee has two at large positions and three district members that represent three wards each.

Ladouceur favors expanding the school committee is because as it stands three votes can decide the vast majority of the overall city budget each year.

“Three votes control the spending between 53 and 56 percent of the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said.

 Ladouceur said a concern some people have is that it would be more difficult to find nine people to run for office. He argued that instead of having to run across a minimum of three wards, a school committee candidate would only have to run for one ward.

In Ladouceur’s view he thinks that running for one ward would lead to more candidates.

Ladouceur said he didn’t think it would be a good idea to have any appointed members to the school committee.

Council President Steve McAllister said he thought the timing wasn’t good, saying that he thought there should be more community dialog over expanding the committee. He said he talked to the Teachers Union, teachers, PTA members, and community members who said they weren’t aware that the council would be taking a vote on Monday.

Ladouceur said that the council voted on putting the question of term limits on the ballot for council members and the mayor they didn’t have any community meetings on it or other means of getting feedback other than talking to constituents.

“There was no big Facebook campaign about this,” said Ladouceur.

Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi was supposed to have a resolution on the agenda two weeks ago regarding expanding the School Committee.

Sinapi said that after hearing from people with a different view on the topic he wanted to give the change additional study.

Sinapi said that he wanted to see a change to the makeup of the committee but wanted to make sure there aren’t any undesirable results from it.

“Shame on me but that’s the situation we’re in,” said Sinapi.

Ward 6 Councilwoman Donna Travis agreed committee expansion has been discussed numerous times and thought a vote should be taken on it.

“If we’re going to do it then we should just do it,” said Travis.

Mayor Frank Picozzi on Tuesday said that he was in favor of waiting.

 “I’m willing to take a look at it,” said Picozzi. “I don’t think nine is it. I really don’t.”

Some of the reasons that Picozzi cited were that a committee member could have one school in their district and it could become political.

Picozzi said he would be in favor of having workshops on the issue before bringing it to the ballot.

Ward 2 Councilman Jeremy Rix, Ladouceur  and  Travis voted in favor of putting the question on the ballot.

Term limits

The council also voted on a resolution that would put the question of two four-year term limits on the ballot in November.

McAllister said he also thought that it wasn’t the right time to do it this year. He also argued that by hearing from the community the council members can hear other ideas that their constituents and different groups have in regards to the makeup of the school committee and term limits.

Ward 9 Councilman Vincent Gebhart said he thinks it’s appropriate to put term limits on the ballot especially since the question of term limits for council members and the mayor was sent to the General Assembly for approval to be put on the ballot during the last meeting.

“I’m not opposed to this one at all,” said Gebhart.

Rix said that he didn’t agree with legislative term limits. He was the one vote against putting the question of term limits on the ballot for council members and the mayor.

Council Solicitor Bill Walsh said that since the resolutions are based on the 2022 elections if the General Assembly doesn’t take action on them a new resolution will have to be passed by the council if they want to put the question on the ballot in the future.

Gebhart, Travis, Ladouceur, and Sinapi all voted in favor of putting term limits on the ballot.

Rix initially voted against it but then asked for a reconsideration. Under Rule 27 of the Council rules a member of the “prevailing party” on a vote is the only people who are allowed to ask for a re-vote. No one who voted against it the first time voted to have it reconsidered.

During the docket session Ladouceur docketed a resolution that would amend Rule 27. Ladouceur’s proposal would still require that the reconsideration comes from the prevailing side however, any member of the Council would be allowed to second it.

“Rule 27 needs to change. If there is anything that is stacked that is stacked,” said Ladouceur.