Mike Kiernan Questionnaire Responses

1. Why are you running?

Because I love this town and I want to try to help the people who love this town as much as I do be able to stay here.  I want to help create an environment that understands that our community is as great as it is because of the work and care of the people who have been here for many years.  I want people to know that these are the people that built this great environment and we need to keep them here.

2. What are the three most important issues facing the Town of East Greenwich and how would you address each?

Taxes. Despite a lot of people’s understanding, we still have a large number of people on fixed incomes here. These are the people who have made this town what it is. They cannot continue to pay tax increases greater than their income. This starts with the school budget.

Disinterest in our senior citizens. The powers that be that fight for every last dime for school programs seem to disregard our neighbors who don’t have kids in our schools. A $600 hike in property taxes may not seem like much to many, but as it has been told to me by many of my neighbors, “That’s Christmas.”
 
Schools. We have arguably the best schools in the state. We have tremendously talented teachers and administrators. Because of our increase to debt services due to the school construction projects, our budget has been stressed. We need to balance our commitments to our neighbors who do not have children in the school system with those who do. Susan and I have a son at Frenchtown Elementary and two more on the way to our public schools. We want the very best for our kids but I believe that we need to look closer at tax increases that primarily go towards the school side of the budget.

3. Do you think the EG Fire District should be merged with the Town, even if it involves a “hostile takeover”?  

No. I think this idea is politics at its worst. There has been a comprehensive study that has shown unequivocally that the taxpayers would not save a dime if the enities are merged. Further, if they were merged, our existing firefighters would not be guaranteed their jobs after the merger. I think that is unacceptable.

4a. Is there any part of town government spending that should be reduced?

I don’t think that the town side of our government can be reduced any more than we have reduced it. Any reductions have to start with the schools, whose budgets have been increased every year since I have been on the Council. We’ve reduced the town side of the budget and decreased the number of town employees since I’ve been here. Maybe there are ways to do this on the school side....

4b. Is there any part of government that should not be cut?

All town departments.

4c. Is there anything that should be expanded?

No.

5. Beyond the town’s financial agreement with New England Tech, in what ways should the town seek to benefit from the school’s presence?

I’d encourage all of my neighbors to visit the school. Its faculty, students and staff and staff are remarkably inviting and helpful. The campus is impressive. Michael Isaacs has been incredibly instrumental in maintaining a formative relationship with the school and the town. We need leaders like him to continue this relationship and I applaud him for his efforts. What we need to do is keep this relationship and move forward with the school to reap the benefits we negotiated for several years ago. Meaning, use of their fields that they anticipate to build and library and technical services they have promised in our agreement.

6a. Should the Financial Town Meeting be abolished?

No.

6b. What ideas do you have to better engage people in town government?

We are an open and honest book here. People have to get engaged on their own and I encourage them to do so. It makes my job a lot easier when I hear from my neighbors about what they want or don’t want done in our managing of our Town.

7. In 100 words or fewer, explain why people should vote for you.

Because I care about the woman who calls me to say that she can’t buy Christmas gifts for her grandchildren because her taxes went up $600 last year. Because I care about the family on Duke Street who complains about the noise on the water in the summer. Because I understand the impact of bringing the chief of police together with our neighbors to solve noise problems with businesses, churches and other neighbors. Because I refuse to vote for million dollar renovations to the high school library that students can’t use. Because I refuse to vote for a three plus million dollar construction project at Meadowbrook Farms School that offers no guarantees of any solutions. Because I care about the London Bridge School. I have lived here for most of my life and I refuse to allow this town to be taken over by outsiders. I may lose every vote 4-1, but I won’t go down without a fight.