To the editor:

The Home Town Rule Charter begins with a preamble that reads, “We the people, of the Town of Tiverton, in order to secure the right of self government in all local matters pursuant to Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations do adopt and establish this Charter.

What a powerful statement! We, the people of Tiverton, should all be incredibly proud to have a document in place that allows every voter the ability to govern our own town by a simple majority vote of the people.

There was quite a firestorm this year over the lack of democracy surrounding the process of submitting budgets to the Financial Town Referendum (FTR). The Tiverton Town Charter currently allows any registered voter, all 12,809, equal opportunity to submit an elector budget proposal by completing a specific process and procedure and certification by the Board of Canvassers.

The FY2017 FTR gave voters a choice of three unique budgets. In FY2018, the only budget on the ballot was the recommendation of the Budget Committee, as the required content of the only other budget proposal submitted was not complete, nor was it submitted within the advertised time allowed, resulting in disapproval by the Board of Canvasses which was upheld in Superior Court. Some Tiverton residents are complaining about the lack of democracy regarding the FY2018 budget process yet all voters have the same opportunity so there is zero merit to that argument.

The present FTR process works, it gives every voter the same opportunity to submit a budget proposal as well as to vote privately, and it should be preserved. The Town Financial Hearing, scheduled no later than 14 days prior to the FTR, gives every voter in Tiverton advance notice and an opportunity to be heard.

Please vote on July 18 for candidates running for the Charter Review Commission that will preserve the direct vote democracy that the FTR now provides and not for candidates that want to eliminate the Budget Committee, eliminate the FTR and take away your existing right of direct self-government.

Laura Rom
The author is a candidate for the Tiverton Charter Review Commission