Letter: West Side advisory panel is lacking transparency

Posted 4/29/19

To the editor:

To anyone in Portsmouth that thinks the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s (AIPC) West Side Forum is anything but an end run around the Open Meetings Act for the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Letter: West Side advisory panel is lacking transparency

Posted

To the editor:

To anyone in Portsmouth that thinks the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission’s (AIPC) West Side Forum is anything but an end run around the Open Meetings Act for the Portsmouth West Side Development Advisory Committee (WSDAC), you are just not paying attention.

Of the present seven members of WSDAC and its council liaison, five are either present or past members of the AIPC board of directors. WSDAC chair Robert Andrews is a present AIPC board member.

Mr. Andrews announced at the April 25 meeting of WSDAC that AIPC was holding a West Side Forum, it would be by invitation only (no public allowed), the seven members of WSDAC are invited, and he was “chosen” to be the moderator.

This forum is discussing the business that WSDAC was set up by our town council to do in public meetings. I submit that WSDAC, a Portsmouth town advisory committee, is avoiding conducting their business at a public meeting by this ruse.

When the council  voted to require an increase in their membership, WSDAC did not get their way to keep their committee at only the seven original insiders. They are now having a private forum before any new members can be seated and the public is not allowed to attend. They did not think that any interested residents would figure this out?

I believe the West Side Development Advisory Committee and its chair are still not acting with honesty, integrity and transparency in carrying out their mission.

Nancy Grieb

110 Thayer Drive

Portsmouth

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.