To the editor:

Mr. Katz’s letter to the editor on 4/11/19 was missing some important information.

Regarding his choice of solicitor:

Mr. Katz indicated that “the prior solicitor had resigned and it made sense to put someone in place while we got our bearings on the council.” He failed to mention that the previous solicitor offered to stay on until a new solicitor could be hired. Therefore, the position could have been advertised for others to apply rather than just appointing someone Mr. Katz knew.

Additionally, he questioned Mr. McLaughlin’s “agenda” when complaining about Mr. Katz’s choice of a solicitor given that Mr. McLaughlin was suing the town. This seemed ironic since Mr. Katz also has a history of multiple suits against the town. In fact, he had a legal action in place when he referred the solicitor to the council. While he has since taken his name off of the most recent legal action, his friend, Mr. Rom continues the action.

Given his own history of legal action, I am confused that Mr. Katz did not perceive his personally choosing the solicitor as a conflict of interest?

Regarding his choice for the Library Board:

Mr. Katz indicated “we” chose a Library Board candidate “who would represent a different point of view - a view shared by many Tiverton residents.”

To be clear, the entire council did not support this candidate for the board. “We” actually referred to the four majority members of the Town Council who are fellow members of the TTA. This decision disregarded concerns of the Library Board and other citizens. They also passed over someone who had advantageous experience and skills who was supported by the library board, the minority council members, and many citizens who wrote letters and spoke at the Town Council Meeting.

Mr. Katz also did not clarify the “different point of view” of their Library Board appointment, Mr. Rom (a fellow TCC member). Mr. Rom clearly indicated this view on the Facebook page “Tiverton Happenings” on 2/12/19 when he stated, “The TC knows I will represent voters that did not want a new library in Tiverton.”

Being on a board is not just about different perspectives. It is also about valuing and supporting that which the board oversees. If Mr. Rom does not value the library, how do we know he has the best interest of the library at heart?

Moreover, I attended the first Library Board meeting. One of the concerns about Mr. Rom being on the board was due to incident reports about him at the library. One of his first agenda items was to suggest that the library not have incident reports. While this is a different perspective, this suggestion does not seem to indicate the best interest of the library.

I hope Mr. Katz more deeply reflects on concerns from Tiverton citizens regarding his ideas for a “better run government.” I agree with his goal of “a lower tax bill,” but I have concerns about his methods.

With concern,

Maureen Umehara

Tiverton