Questions of land use, planning for Warren’s future and fiscal responsibility dominated discussion when the eight candidates for five seats on the Warren Town Council met last Tuesday for a forum sponsored by the Rhode Island League of Women Voters, East Bay Newspapers, Full Channel and the East Bay Chamber of Commerce.
The forum, held on the second floor of Warren Town Hall, drew a large crowd despite the World Series. Though there were a few baseball fans among the candidates and cell phones buzzed with updates throughout the night, they stayed on and answered audience-submitted questions on everything from Warren’s Comprehensive Plan, whether marijuana shops would be welcome in Warren if its recreational use in Rhode Island becomes legal, and whether party politics, once a driving force in the town’s political climate, are a thing of the past.
Though all but one have political experience in Warren, the candidates varied widely on the surface. Among the hopefuls are four Democrats — former councilor Brandt C. Heckert, current council vice president Keri Cronin and newcomers Keith Phillis and June Speakman; and four Independents, council president Joseph DePasquale, incumbent councilor John Hanley, newcomer Steve Calenda, chairman of the Zoning Board, and Serpentine Road resident Barry Lial, also running for the first time.
But unlike previous forums that night, during which candidates for House District 67 and 68 sniped at each other, those hoping for a seat on the council stayed civil and avoided attacking other candidates. Instead, they spoke of the ties that bind them — love of Warren, a desire to improve the town and the willingness to do the job.
“I like that hands-on aspect of being on the council,” Ms. Cronin said. “I think that there’s a lot we can do as community members to really stabilize, improve and grow the wealth and the economy of the town.”
“I’m not your typical politician,” added Mr. Hanley. “I don’t show up at every single event. I have a full life. I have five children and I have three grandchildren. (Running is) kind of a selfish decision. I want to keep Warren a place where they want to grow up, where they can afford to grow up.”
“I look forward to the new ideas, the new perspectives and the new approaches that the new council will bring,” said Mr. DePasquale.

Zoning, planning and Warren’s future
Several of Tuesday’s audience questions centered on zoning, Warren’s Comprehensive Plan and the future of the town. All candidates agreed that Warren needs strong zoning in place as it grows and expands, especially downtown. And with pressure on the town’s remaining open space greater than ever, there is a real need for smart, sensible and long-term thinking with respect to the town’s guiding document, the Comprehensive Community Plan.
Mr. Phillis, an attorney with land use experience who serves on the Warren Planning Board, said it’s essential that Warren have tough zoning laws and carefully consider the special use permits and variances sought from the zoning board. He suggested that past zoning decisions have gone in favor of the applicant too many times:
“It does alarm me a little bit at the frequency with which special use permits and variances are approved,” he said. “Warren is changing. Looking at business and residential development being proposed, it’s very important that we have people that understand how you ned to look down the road at economic development.”
“We need to controlled use so that we don’t get sprawl and we don’t get over-development,” Mr. Heckert added. “That’s where the zoning and planning boards really come into play.”
Mr. Calenda serves as chairman of the zoning board. While Mr. Phillis saw the approval of variances and special use permits as somewhat troubling, Mr. Calenda touted the board’s record, noting that during his tenure none of the board’s decisions have been successfully challenged.
“I believe in responsible government, coming up with innovative ways to provide services, and new ways to attract businesses to the Town of Warren. We have one of the best-run zoning boards in the state … we have never had a decision overturned.”
Several candidates spoke of zoning’s importance in not just determining land use, but also keeping the town attractive and consistent. Answering a question on whether the planning and zoning boards are currently living up to their charge, Mr. Hanley, the zoning officer for the City of Pawtucket, said he believes they are.
“I believe they are performing as they should but it’s the day of the council to update the zoning ordinance as needed,” he said. “The Warren Zoning Ordinance, in my opinion, could really use a going over. We have a couple of districts that are really outdated. (For example), the rural business district (is) extremely limited and really doesn’t promote business.
Mr. Phillis agreed, saying the town’s sign ordinance, in particular, needs some attention, as does the level of review given by the zoning board.
“I’m alarmed at the issues that are created by the zoning in town,” he said.”We do need to look at the ordinances and make sure the ordinances are written so that we don’t have people going before the zoning board to have special use permits and variances approved on a monthly basis.”
“I would agree that yes, our signage ordinance is probably antiquated and does need to be tweaked,” Mr. Calenda said.
Mr. Lial, who is running for the council solely to advocate for the protection of the upper Kickemuit River, said special use permits — specifically one recently granted that allows a large solar farm in Touisset — are troubling. The same is the case for the comprehensive plan, he said, which needs to be written strongly to protect the town’s natural resources:
“We have to have a comp plan that really, really speaks from the people,” he said. “The most important part of the plan is keeping track of what Warren has to offer. You can do too much with what the town has for natural resources; the comp plan is the prime mover of everything that goes on.”
Unfortunately, several candidates said, Warren’s work on updating the comprehensive plan is somewhat lagging.
“It’s incredibly important for the town to follow and update” the plan, Mr. Heckert said. “We’ve been working on the update it seems like 10 years now, and I think that is something we really need to focus on.”

Change and leadership in Warren
It’s no secret that Warren is changing, and its growth has not come without growing pains here and there. Still, both current councilors and those hoping for a seat believe the town is headed in the right direction. Despite turnover in the town administration over the past few years, several said they are reassured to have the town’s current management in place. Town Manger Kate Michaud has been a breath of fresh air, several suggested, and the relationship between the town’s paid staff and volunteer board members has seldom been this good. That’s an important point as Warren continues to evolve, they noted:
“Stagnation will kill things,” Mr. DePasquale said. “Warren is definitely changing for the better. Warren is known for its restaurants, small business, Hope and Main is great, Cutler Mills is great. It’s been an economic pyramid of success. Our national planning award (several year ago) spoke volumes on our planning. (And) we’re setting a financial strategy along with our success.”
“Of course Warren is changing,” added Ms. Speakman. As that change confronts the town, she said she feels confident that good leadership is currently at the helm:
“When you have a great town manager, that’s wonderful. (And) it’s really important for council members to be accessible to the public so they can provide that essential information to the public.
“The reason I’m running again is to give the support that the manager needs,” Mr. DePasquale said. “Without the support from the council I feel there’s an indirect problem that becomes a dangerous cancer. Morale is up and I want to be a part of of that continued boost in morale.”

What would you do?
One of the first duties of any new council is electing a president for the coming term. One light-hearted moment came when moderator Scott Pickering of East Bay Newspapers asked Mr. Lial to be the first responder to the following question: What would you do as a member fo the town council?
“Well,jeez, you already know,” Mr. Lial said after a pause. “Jee willikers. Why would you ask that of someone who is a once issue candidate?”
“My thing really has to do with land use in town. There are certain things that I think were fine, and I don’t want to see that go away. I want to see a Warrenthat has open space and where people have a chance to breathe and spend some (time on) recreation.”
Offered Mr. Calenda: “I would try to be as transparent as possible and make sure there is a good conduit” between the council, boards and commission, the manager etc.

Business climate and marijuana
One question about whether Warren should welcome marijuana sales if its recreational use is legalized in Rhode Island morphed into a later question about whether the town is business friendly.
As for the marijuana question, Mr. Hanley was clear:
“That’s mainly a state deal, but I would say yes,” he said. “As a council we already amended our zoning ordinance to allow the growth of marijuana in some zoning districts. I would absolutely be open to having a shop in Warren as we have numerous liquor stores, state-regulated, state-governed. I do not think the town should limit it.”
Allowing it is not just a social issue, but a revenue one as well, Ms. Speakman added.
It’s important that municipalities such as Warren “get some share of the revenue. All of those tax revenues go to the state. I think that’s not fair.”
“I think there’s a lotto benefit that the Town of Warren could get by considering this issue,” Mr. Phillis said. “It could be a big revenue maker for the town.” Buyers “certainly won’t be going to Bristol or Barrington.”
Mintues later, candidates were asked if Warren is business-friendly:
“As a small business owner I would say yes,” Ms. Cronin said. “I think there are some misconceptions and misunderstandings when businesses close. But having a good strong business plan and having a business that is viable … knowing what your plan is going to be makes a huge difference. We have seen some great new business coming to town.”
“A good quality for the council is listening,” Mr. DePasquale added. “We heard loud and clear that the system for businesses coming into town wasn’t great. We went from 326 registered businesses to 392. Businesses are coming to town.”
“Part of being business friendly is providing opportunities for business to locate here,” said Mr. Calenda. “We need to make sure we’re providing the best possible picture. We’ve done a good job with Water Street. Now we need to look at Main Street. We should, just in general, make sure that the streetscape is clean and neat and tidy. When business owners see that type of environment, it makes you feel better about locating” here.

Traffic
One key to being business friendly is regulating traffic throughout town. One question centered on what should be done to regulate traffic downtown and while councilors agreed that places like Metacom and Main Street could use a redesign, lights or other changes, they bemoaned that as those are state roads, getting infrastructural work done is out of their hands and must be left to the state DOT:
“The council unfortunately can (only) petition, as we always do,” Mr. DePasquale said. “We’re asking for a traffic study right now on Market Street. DOT calls the shots and I think (regarding) the traffic problems, everyone should leave 10 minutes earlier, get a little less stressed and let the guy in front of you pull out.”
“It’s incredibly frustrating to deal with the Department of Transportation sometimes,” Ms. Cronin said. “It’s not a simple process.”
“Just because (Main Street) is a state road, I don’t think we should give up trying,” Mr. Hanley said.
“We do have a safety issue in Warren,” said Mr. Heckert. “The crosswalks are in the wrong place and people disregard the crosswalks. What we have in Warren is bad intersections; those really need to get solved. Screaming loudly at the state to get some help with this and working with our representatives” cold help.

Kickemuit River dam
One other question was directed specifically to Mr. Lial: What should be done about the old berm at the upper Kickemuit River, just north of Schoolhouse Road, that the Bristol County Water Authority is planning to remove?
“Keep the dam, keep the dike,” he said. “Keep them the way they are. The fact of the matter is it needs very little maintenance. Think of the people and the water view. Leave it the way it is, it’s beautiful.”

Education
There has been much made of the relationship between Warren and Bristol with respect to education, especially after a ruling several years ago that found Warren paying too much, and Bristol too little, into local education aid. Council candidates said Warren and Bristol need to work on their relationship, but there also needs to be fairness as the amount of educational state aid continues to decrease:
“The state’s so small that there has to be a way” to establish fair educational aid, Mr. DePasquale said. “Nobody wants to give up what they have.”
“We need to work with our reps, our senators,” offered Ms. Cronin. “I think we need to spend some time at the state house when funding of school issues are being legislated. I think our regional school district gets short shrift.”
One idea is “trying to think of innovative ways to think out of the box,” Mr. Calenda said.
“I don’t think we need to innovate,” replied Mr. Phillis. “I think we just need to put the wheel on the road and start doing the work.”

Other points made:
Mr. Phillis, on supporting groups like Volunteer Warren: “I think that the town has a huge gem in all of the volunteers. Volunteer Warren is out doing a lot of good. I think that the town could do a better job of commiunicating with Volunteer Warren.”
Mr. DePasquale, on his motivation to run: “For those who want to throw out the bums, I’m a bum. I’ve run .. about half my life to public service. I still have some life left in me.”
Mr. Lial, on growing up by the Kickemuit: “When I was a kid we walked, we bicycled, we fished and we ice skated on the Kicky. Once in a while we need to look backwards in order to go forwards. I think you will agree with me that it was a wonderful thing to do. I want to see it come back.”
Mr. Heckert, on change in Warren: “I think Warren is changing for the better, but in some cases it’s changing for the worse. We’re seeing our historic fabric in this community being decimated at times. That is an essential asset to this community that really needs to be protected. So I wold like to see more emphasis put on historic protection for our assets.”
Mr. Calenda, on the local schools: It’s “a very hot button topic. From what I’m hearing, teachers not being satisfied with the current administration, the overcrowding at Hugh Cole. (I think) we need to go back to the table and start at square one.”
Mr. Heckert, on funding the district: “The system is kind of broken. It creates an adversarial situation for the two communities. I think we need to take a more proactive step and possibly a taxing district, which would level the playing field between the two communities.”
Mr. DePasquale, on party politics in Warren and whether they matter: “Party politics do not matter. What we need is safety, good school, our toilets flush, potholes fixed. Those days are over. Party politics at the local level really doesn’t benefit anyone.”
Mr. Heckert, on the same issue: “I was one of two council members toot to do away with the partisan aspect” of town council races in the recent charter review.
Mr. Hanley, on making election promises: “I hate to make promises … I’m one of five. But I can promise that I’ll work hard and I’ll always be prepared.”
Mr. Lial, on voting: “I make it a point when I vote nowadays to vote for non incumbents. I attired of government that doesn’t serve the people because of people that have been in too long.”
Mr. Heckert, on turnover at town hall: “We need to do everything we can to retain good people, and that means working with them together.”
Mr. Phillis, on the same subject: “In business, when you talk about high turnover you talk about the loss of institutional knowledge.”