Paying Cash For

Voters May Choose New Town Government for Seekonk

By Joe Siegel

The Seekonk Board of Selectmen has authorized a non-binding advisory question on the April 3 election ballot. Voters will have the opportunity to show support for a different type of town government.

The ballot options may include electing a Town Manager and Town Council or a Mayor and Town Council or keeping the current format of Town Administrator, Board of Selectmen, and town meetings.

A newly formed Charter Commission would then recommend whether or not the town’s form of government can be changed.

“We need to get it out there, educate (residents) as much as we can before the actual vote,” Selectman Michael Healy said Wednesday. “Let the people decide if they want to make any type of a change.”

“It’s all data points, it’s all feedback,” Selectman Adam Petronio noted.

“I personally believe we have outlived our form of government and would be better served by an elected town council with either an elected Town Manager, Administrator, or Mayor,” said Gary Sagar at the board’s February 1 meeting.

Sagar requested the board approve a ballot question.

Michelle Hines, a former selectwoman as well as a candidate for the Board, asked if the members were setting a precedent by placing a citizen’s request on an election ballot.

“To be honest with you, I think any resident should feel free to write a letter to the chairman or any board member and say ‘hey, is this something we can consider,’” replied Chairman Justin Sullivan. “Residents should feel free to e-mail any board member or the chair for consideration, it doesn’t guarantee that’s it’s going to advance any further but this particular question itself had some validity.”

Residents May Pay Fee for Stormwater Fund

By Joe Siegel

There will be a much higher expense to the town in dealing with stormwater runoff, and residents may have to pay for it.

“It’s a very significant cost impact to the town of Seekonk moving forward,” Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said at the Board of Selectmen’s February 15 meeting with the Planning Board.

“Someone still probably putting fertilizer on their property, that water is going through the system, getting into our overall system and still impacting that water quality,” explained Town Planner John Aubin.

Cadime said the board had appropriated $440,000 “which was going to give us a leg up on some of the requirements coming through with the testing and the MS4 permitting.”

“If it comes out of the General Fund, we’re pulling from a pool of money and competing with other departments and then we’re going to have to make difficult decisions,” Cadime noted, adding Seekonk has to address the maintenance of catch basins and other methods of handling stormwater to be in compliance with state and federal requirements as dictated by the Clean Water Act.

Under the CWA, the Environmental Protection Agency has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. EPA has also developed national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters.

The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained.

Cadime said there would be a flat fee for residential properties and a higher fee for all commercial and industrial property “which has more impact into the system.”

Seekonk Schools Will Be Open on Good Friday

By Joe Siegel

Seekonk Public Schools will be open on Good Friday like they were last year, says Superintendent Rich Drolet.

Josh Troiano, a senior at Seekonk High School, asked the school department to close schools on Good Friday. Seekonk opened schools on the holiday in 2022.

“I understand the motive behind the change but it’s impractical, unfair and misguided to continue to have school on Good Friday for the second year in a row,” Troiano said at Monday’s school committee meeting.

Troiano noted many surrounding school districts continue to have no school on Good Friday. Troiano also presented a petition signed by 317 high school students.

“Parents can excuse their students from school on this day for religious reasons if they choose, just like last year,” Drolet said Wednesday. “Being an educator, if a student ever reaches out, I will always take the time to meet with them to explain decisions. If you go back and watch the Jan. 23rd School Committee Meeting when this was on the agenda, it was discussed and voted on as part of the School Committee approving the proposed 2023-2024 school calendar.”

Harassment Charges Lodged Against School Committee

By Joe Siegel

The ongoing dispute between a parent and members of the Seekonk School Committee has resulted in allegations of harassment. In a February 8 district court filing, attorney Marc Randazza, who is representing Luis Sousa in his lawsuit against Superintendent Rich Drolet and the School Committee, expressed his opposition to a request for a protective order.

“The Defendants’ allegations are baseless,” Randazza wrote. “Sousa has not engaged in any behavior that could remotely qualify as harassing, intimidating, or threatening. Drolet may have felt annoyed that Sousa was protesting outside his workplace, but voicing negative opinions of a government official without any implication of physical violence or contact does not constitute fighting words.”

Last October, Drolet had issued a No Trespass Order to Sousa, a parent of two students at Aitken Elementary School, as a result of incidents at two school committee meetings.

For the last few months, Sousa and his wife, Kanessa Lynn, have been protesting outside school buildings. They have held signs which called committee vice-chair Kim Sluter a “(expletive) liar” and for Drolet to be “fired.”

Lynn posted photos of her and Sousa’s protests on Facebook, and the defendants admitted “to stalking her social media”, according to Randazza.

“On December 12, 2022, Lynn posted a video about “how obsessed people in this town had become of me and my family. They’re flying a drone over us to watch us protest outside the school.” continued on next page...

“On December 15, Lynn posted a picture of Sousa protesting outside with a sign that says “FIRE Superintendent DROLET He’s Banning PARENTS.” On December 23, Lynn posted a picture of Sousa protesting while dressed up as the Grinch.”

“The Defendants’ purpose in filing their Motion is to harass and intimidate Sousa and Lynn from exercising their First Amendment Rights,” Randazza continued. “This is part of a larger pattern by the Defendants to silence their perceived detractors.”

Randazza added Sousa and Lynn has also been the subject of derision while attending School Committee meetings:

“The Committee is no longer enforcing a policy that restricts people from public speaking outside of the time they are recognized during Public Speak. In fact, they are encouraging, endorsing, and ratifying the harassment of their opponents.”

“We have no comment on the specific allegations raised in plaintiff’s opposition to our motion for a protective order,” Sluter said in a statement Monday on behalf of herself, Drolet, and Bridget McNamara, Drolet’s secretary, also named in the filing. “A response, if any, will be made in Court. As the parties remain in litigation, we have no further comment at this time.”

Sousa’s suit was filed October 20 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The complaint alleged Drolet and the members of the school committee committed violations of Sousa’s rights under the first and fourteenth amendments, pertaining to free speech and equal protection, along with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Sousa claims he suffers from bipolar disorder.

The No Trespass Order was lifted last December and Sousa is now allowed to attend school committee meetings.

“You bullied me, you bullied my (children),” Sousa told Drolet on February 6. “I’m going to say what I want to say because I can.”

School Committee Meetings No Longer Live-streamed on Facebook

By Joe Siegel

Seekonk School Committee meetings are no longer being live-streamed on Facebook. “In early December, it was brought to our attention that the streaming of our meetings couldn’t happen because of a technical issue,” member Noah Escaler said. “It’s been over two months and parents and citizens have reached out to me and asked when the meetings will resume being live-streamed.”

Escaler contacted Superintendent Rich Drolet and was informed that committee chairwoman Erin Brouillette directed him not to livestream the meetings anymore and that he supported that decision.

Escaler noted the decision not to live-stream was never discussed with the public and he was never advised of the decision when it was made.

“This was not asked to be on the agenda nor has it been brought to our attention so this is not the right forum for the topic,” Brouillette said, adding Escaler could wait until the public comment portion of the meeting to state his views.

Escaler declined to speak during the public comment portion.

“I am not speaking on behalf of the school committee, I’m speaking (on behalf of) the people of this town,” Escaler replied. “My duty on this committee is not to protect the school committee but to protect the people of this town.”

“No one is asking you to protect anybody,” Brouillette added.

“Our meetings are broadcast in real time through the local television station (Channel 17), so they are live streamed, just not through Facebook anymore,” Drolet said Tuesday.

Drolet noted the school district had experienced technical issues with live streaming through Facebook. “We put the recording of the meetings on our website the following day after the meetings,” Drolet continued. “Individuals can attend the meetings in person. Given all these avenues for individuals to participate and watch meetings, including in real time remotely, we did not feel it was needed to also broadcast the meetings through an additional platform anymore, especially because we were concerned about various aspects of Facebook live streaming, such as the comment feature and other data security and privacy concerns. We believe these chosen communication methods allow the entire community access to our school committee meetings.”