To the editor:

This is what the four TTA Tiverton Town Council members (Katz, Coulter, Cook and Driggs) have been up to in their first five months in office.

• On December 27, they hijacked the hiring process of an interim town solicitor. They didn’t advertise for the position, they didn’t include the entire council in the process, they didn’t have a resume, references or a contract for all the council members to read,  they ignored the pleas of more than 50 citizens to follow regular procedure, and that night they hired their hand picked solicitor who is a friend of Katz.

• On February 11, they appointed a TTA crony to the the Tiverton Library Board of Trustees who was not only critical of the library  but lacked the superior qualifications of the other candidate.  They ignored  the input of more than 40 town citizens who asked them to appoint the most qualified applicant.  They appointed  their own guy instead.

• On April 1 at a Town Council special meeting, under the guise of time management efficiency, they adopted a new governance policy which restricts the public forum at Town Council meetings.  The public forum provides Tiverton citizens an opportunity to talk to the entire council, at an open meeting, for two to three minutes on various topics.    There are several ways to shorten meetings but the one the Gang of Four chose helps immunize them from public comment and scrutiny. They wish to exercise power without any accountability. 

• These  councilors ran for election on the premise of open and transparent government …  “Boy Scout squeaky clean government,” to quote Councilor Coulter.  What we have instead is an iron fisted government run by four TTA councilors who do not compromise or cooperate. They ignore the public input of the very people they govern and purposely silence them.  What ever happened to transparency?  It fell by the wayside when the Four were elected.

Barbara Martin

Tiverton