To the editor:

This town has devolved into mob rule, elections results are ignored or the work blocked by the mob that lost.  Tiverton Taxpayer Association supported candidates won the election fair and square.  Councilors, Coulter, Driggs and Katz are being recalled predicated on a lie by the petitioner, MacLaughlin, who is suing the town for $3 million and came in dead last in the election and is supported by Councilors Hilton and DeMedeiros to overturn an election. 

This minority has decided that the majority should not be allowed to govern by constant attacks, filing complaints and not accepting the temporary Solicitor Cicione's memos and rulings by being outright, rude and uncivil.  TC meetings have become a circus of out of control yelling out, taking over the open forum and taking control of the meetings from the council with the support of Councilors, Hilton, DeMedeiros

and Perry because they are opposed to doing anything different in the governing of the town.

Council meetings are filled with proponents of hate with recall petitioners showing up at meetings with recall lettered tee shirts and petitions to sign onto during the meeting.

During the council budget meetings, Councilors Hilton, deMedeiros and Perry offered no budget proposals but criticized Councilor Katz for presenting his proposal, any of the councilors were free to do the same.  It really doesn't matter what the issue is, they are opposed to anything that is not their idea. 

After working on this budget template for many meetings, the very last meeting held at the Senior Center, which was not on camera, was interrupted by School Committeewoman Farnsworth, who waited until the end of the meeting as we were trying to vote, yelled in anger that Councilor Katz listed the school budget numbers.  At this point, Councilors Hilton and deMedeiros voted against the budget.  Ms. Farnsworth has been a poor example for students to look up to as she is full of hate toward us at council meetings and social media platforms.  This type of behavior by a School Committee member would not be acceptable behavior by the students, bullying and hate speech seems to be her idea of governing.

The Board of Canvassers meeting on 4/25 at Town Hall was a chamber filled with supporters of a petitioner’s budget by Sanford Mantell that was filled with incorrect math numbers.  He brought a lawyer, the school committee had a lawyer and then there was the solicitor who pointed out that the errors were significant and the alternate budget should not be on the ballot for voters to vote on. 

The angry mob, supported by Councilors Hilton and deMedeiros, argued to let the budget go forward.  Councilor Hilton at the podium was dismissive and rude toward the solicitor and the angry mob yelled, Councilor Medeiros was yelling out with them - such incivility and poor leadership.  Against the solicitor’s advice and memo, the circus ruled and the Board of Canvassers voted to allow the alternate budget to be heard at the Hearing on May 2 at THS and be on the ballot.

The alternate budget was put together, as I understand it, at a councilor’s house during a pizza party.  Also held were signature signing parties for the budget petition and the recall petition.  Members of the Budget and School Committee who wanted to take more of the hard earned money of the taxpayers, signed onto it with the blessing of Councilors Hilton and deMedeiros.

All three councilors voted to block the CRC proposals and put their self generated proposals to stop the FTR, BC and consolidate the TC control over the budget and all casino money. The alternate budget is a raid on the wallets of the taxpayers, less to no tax relief, hard to tell the numbers are wrong.

Donna Cook

Member, Tiverton Town Council