By Ryan Gainor
The Sun Staff
CHARLESTOWN — While naming no candidates, the Charlestown Citizens Alliance set forward a platform for which candidates it will support in Town Council elections in November.
To sum it up in the words of CCA President Dan Slattery, the group will try to help elect “five people to the Town Council that reflect Kate Waterman’s everyday actions on the Charlestown Town Council.”
About 60 people attended the second annual meeting of the CCA Saturday morning. After briefly reflecting on previous actions of the group, discussing its new Web site and going over the results of a citizen survey, the group turned its attention forward.
“We want to find candidates who believe in the same vision as you, but also have the character, ethics, and commitment to excellence in public service that some current Town Council members lack,” Slattery told the group. “We want to elect candidates who will listen to citizens when making public policy decisions. We want Town Councilors who will respect citizens rights and appreciate citizen involvement in town commissions and meetings.”
The platform set forward Saturday morning was to support candidates who: • Support open, professional government that is transparent • Advocate preservation of natural resources • Advocate responsible development • Oppose a casino of any kind in Charlestown • Work for fiscal responsibility Slattery said the alliance would support any candidate, whether Republican, Democrat or independent, who stood for these issues.
“Most of all we want Town Councilors who can be leaders and restore good government to Charlestown,” he said.
The group plans on campaigning for and against candidates, Slattery said, and hopes to raise $1,000 per candidate to combat or help them. The CCA’s status as a political action committee allows it to do this, he said.
Town Councilor Katharine Waterman told those attending the meeting she would happily help anyone who wanted to run for Town Council with the process.
“What I want to see is this wealth, absolute wealth of experience; people who can really put some professionalism in the Town Council,” she said.
What citizens should not want, she said, is a repeat of results from 2006. Waterman previously told The Sun that she will not seek re-election in November.
rgainor@thewesterlysun.com |
