As Republicans we believe in limited government, fiscal restraint, and an easing of the tax burden. We encourage our government to be innovative in order to eliminate waste, redundancy, and inefficiency. We support quality education for every child and we encourage our school system to look for cost-effective solutions. We also support local economic development which is essential to our community.
In recent years we have had numerous successes and we are building upon them. We believe that Lincoln is an exceptional community in which to live. In fact, Lincoln was recently recognized by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live in America. Please browse our website and hopefully you will be encouraged to become involved. Feel free to contact us with opinions and suggestions at our "Contact Us" page. We welcome all interested Republicans to help make Rhode Island a two-party state! We meet on a monthly basis at the Lincoln Senior Center on Monday evenings at 7:00pm.
Michael Napolitano
Chairman
Our next meeting will be on Monday evening August 3, 2009 at the Lincoln Senior Center at 7:00pm.
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The recent Lincoln Financial Town Meeting held on May 11 was a great improvement over the previous year, built on a strong cooperative effort, and I feel there are many people that need to be thanked.
First of all the taxpayers showed up in very respectable numbers topping 700, which had not been seen in several years. The communication and hard work from the both the Budget Board and Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond through letters and press releases was exceptional. Mr. Ken Booth finished up his many years of service on the board with a strong year. The town's municipal employees, the school administration and the school support staff employees offered up a wage freeze, which is a very difficult concession to give in this economy.
In the months leading up to the Financial Town Meeting, the Lincoln Republican Town Committee took on a mission of working hard to get citizens from all political backgrounds to attend the Financial Town Meeting. We embarked on an advertising campaign which included town-wide signs advertising the meeting. The signs were deliberately non-partisan and our main goal was to significantly increase attendance so that small special interest groups could not tack on items to our budget and increase taxes for our citizens.
I would like to thank the many Republicans who donated money to fund this effort as well as the many individuals who allowed us to place a sign on their property. I also wish to thank independent Town Councilman Keith Macksoud, who supported this effort both in spirit and financially and agreed with us that the FTM needs more promotion to make taxpayers aware of it. This will be a never ending mission.
The Valley Breeze also plays an extremely important role in getting local news and events out to the taxpayers, and their promotion and coverage of the FTM in Lincoln was second to none.
It is important to note that attendance at next years FTM will be even more important as currently the economic future in our state does not look promising. We must be prepared for it.
Michael Napolitano
Chairman
Lincoln Republican Town Committee
Almond's budget wins overwhelming OK in Lincoln
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| Budget Board Chairperson Ken Booth reading budget items during Lincoln's Financial Town meeting at Lincoln High School.
Valley Breeze photos by Bruce McCabe
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LINCOLN - Nearly 700 residents made short work Monday of adopting a new town budget that's penny for penny as proposed by Budget Board members and Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond.
Residents had clearly come with a shared workmanlike attitude. They endorsed line items with a series of strong and nearly unanimous "ayes," then sent themselves home two hours after the first gavel had called the meeting to order.
Support was firm even as leaders made clear that in this economy of lost state revenues, even level-funding means a tax increase come July.
Lincoln's affirmative action stands in contrast to meetings going on in town halls and schools across Rhode Island where severe budget cuts are triggering citizen arguments and political grand-standing.
For Almond and members of the Budget Board, Monday night was a test of residents' willingness to understand this winter's budget deliberations, then heed a call to show up to vote despite having to endure the tedium that goes with the double-reading of nine lengthy resolutions shrouded in legal language.
A repeat of last year's underground drive to boost the school budget would have, from Almond's viewpoint, dropped more money on a School Department already top-heavy with personnel and forced a tax increase beyond the estimated $120 for homeowners whose houses are valued at $280,000.
Instead, citizens agreed with little comment to level-fund the school department to the point of approving less money than last year when the reduced state aid is figured in. Just a solitary "nay" sounding faintly against hundreds of "ayes."
Superintendent Georgia Fortunato was publicly supporting the lower number - $47.2 million compared to last year's $48.3 million - and with a wide smile traded thumbs-up gestures with nearby school personnel when the school budget was so effortlessly adopted.
Residents concluded their business by adopting a $16.6 million municipal budget and were filing from the Lincoln High School auditorium by 9:35 p.m.
Almond told The Breeze the Budget Board accomplished a "tough job" and voters "realized what we were facing."
"I am really, really pleased with the tremendous show of support," Almond said.
Moderator Robert Ericson said that by his watch, Monday's meeting was the fastest in recent memory, beating the 2007 meeting by one minute.
Analyzing the mood later, Ericson said, "They wanted to make sure their taxes didn't go any higher. People understood why it was like it was. People understood and they wanted to make sure it didn't get out of hand."
He said he sensed a tension in the room that was ready to erupt had an attempt been made to alter the plan.
Ericson credited the team of Almond and Finance Director John Ward. "What they have done through the year is amazing. It took a lot of strength and courage to follow through and keep it flowing. Between Joe and John, they really had the whole thing under control."
Budget Board Chairman Kenneth Booth called the vote "a cooperative effort by the community to understand the tough economic times we're in. The people worked together, the taxpayers trusted the Budget Board's position."
Given the pessimistic numbers coming from state officials Monday, Booth predicted next year's budget could be even harder to resolve.
Town leaders' push to drive residents into the high school auditorium Monday almost paid off too well. Only a couple of seats in the 720-chair hall were empty as Ericson called the session to order.
