Council slates school election

A new date is set for city referendum on whether Woonsocket should return to an elected school board

WOONSOCKET – Its hand forced by state law, the City Council last night pushed ahead the timeline for a referendum on whether the city should swap its appointive system of choosing School Committee members for an elective one.

The council had been shooting to hold the referendum on June 12, but members voted to move it to July 24. Moreover, if voters approve the switch, the special election would be held on the very same day as the general election – Nov. 6.

Got that?

“We’re going to have a special election at the exact same time as the general election,” explained Council Vice President Jon Brien, author of the so-called “Omnibus Amendment” to the now-scuttled legislation that dates back to early April.

At issue is a state law that calls for a wait of at least 50 days between the final approval of local ordinances calling for a referendum and the approval of a ballot by

Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. After a series of amendments, the measure had been on track for second passage last night – too late to comply with the law.

Apparently at the council’s direction, the local Board of Canvassers had asked Gorbea’s office to consider waiving the law in anticipation of final passage last night – but members were rebuffed.

According to documents obtained by The Call, the board voted on a motion by John Ward to accept a measure calling for a referendum on June 12 “as the official, certified ballot question” even though the council’s passage of the measure, on April 16, was only preliminary, adopted by a majority vote only once. Two passages are required for an ordinance to become law.

Board members James Allam and Suzanne Vadenais also voted in favor of Ward’s motion, and at their direction, Estelle Corriveau asked Gorbea’s state director of elections to approve the question pending final passage.

The answer was ‘no.’

“Due to the lack of final passage of City Council ordinance 18-O-3 that calls for a special election to be held on June 12, 2018, we cannot accept the attached filing as the official certified ballot question from the Board of Canvassers,” state Director of Elections Rob Rock replied to city officials on April 27.

Other than the timeline, the nuts and bolts of the referendum are unchanged as a result of the council’s action. If ap- proved, voters would change the wording of the City Charter as it pertains to the seating of members of the school committee.

Council President Dan Gendron said the timing was thrown off when the council amended the ordinance for the second time last month, causing it to revert to first, or preliminary passage.

“There were some amendments offered at the last meeting which inadvertently brought us back to first passage, which disturbed the timing,” he said.

Approved on a 6-1 vote, the latest version of the referendum on reverting to an elective school committee – the system in place prior to 2013 – also calls for a freestanding declaration period for anyone who wants to run for school committee.

All other candidates for elective office in the general election, including state lawmakers and members of the council, must say so, in a declaration filed with local canvassing authorities during a three-day period beginning June 25.

That’s about a month before the referendum will be held on whether there even will be a special election. Assuming it passes, candidates for school committee will have just two days to declare under last night’s approved amendment – Aug. 22 and Aug. 23.

“They’re losing a month of campaigning,” Councilwoman Melissa Murray observed.

“They would lose two months, but there would be a declaration period,” Brien explained.

Councilman Christopher Beauchamp cast the only nay on the new version of the referendum ordinance; Brien, Gendron, Murray, Richard Fagnant Denise Sierra and James Cournoyer all voted in favor of the measure.

In addition to reworking the schedule of the referendum, councilors also approved another amendment, proposed by Councilman Fagnant, calling for a more aggressive schedule of advertising the event in the legal sections of The Call and The Valley Breeze, ahead of the vote.

The two votes came after councilors heard at least half a dozen individuals – including a member of the school committee – voice ardent support for reverting to an elective school committee. The panel is supposed to have five members who are appointed by the mayor, subject to ratification by a majority of the seven-member city council.

For the last several months, the school committee has been operating with only four, however, because the council has refused to ratify at least two prospects offered up by Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. Members of the council have demanded the reappointment of former Vice President Donald Burke, who enjoys strong support within the school community.

“I believe the school committee system is broken,” said School Committee Vice Chairman Paul Bourget. “When politics entered the school system, that’s when it started to fail.”

Baldelli-Hunt was not present for the meeting.