Britney Boyer, Coventry RDA

I want to take a moment to explain my “no” vote this past Wednesday regarding the Johnson’s Pond project.

I had asked GZA for background on how they arrived at the numbers presented. I didn’t receive that information until 4:05 PM, while I was still at work, with the meeting and vote scheduled for 5:15 PM.

That simply wasn’t enough time for me to properly review and educate myself on the details behind a project of this scale.

When it comes to decisions involving taxpayer money, I take that responsibility very seriously. This isn’t my money to spend lightly, and I will never cast a vote if I feel I’m doing so without fully understanding what I’m approving. In that moment, I felt like I would have been voting blindly and that’s something I won’t do.

After having the opportunity to read through the information, I understand the proposal better. My vote was not about opposition to the project itself, but about making sure I could stand behind my decision with confidence.

We’re talking about $4M+ of taxpayer money, and I believe that level of investment deserves careful consideration.

I also want to acknowledge that my decision caused some frustration among other members, and for that, I do apologize.

At the end of the day, my goal is to make sure we are doing what’s best for everyone, and that every decision is made thoughtfully and responsibly.

I want to give everyone an update on what’s happening with the RDA right now … unfortunately, nothing.

We currently have no Voted in Chair, no Vice Chair, and no Solicitor. At least two members have asked the acting chair to call a special meeting so we can fix this and get things moving again. After days of waiting for a response, I was told we now have to wait until the Town Manager returns next week just to even discuss the possibility of scheduling that meeting.

Our end-of-March meeting was canceled because of the March 11th public meeting, and nothing is scheduled until the end of this month. At this rate, by the time a special meeting happens, it’ll already be time for the next regular meeting.

We need to put people into these roles so actual work can get done.

Nathan and I have been pushing to move things forward, but what we really need is leadership that has urgency. Someone who isn’t okay with sitting back and maintaining the status quo while nothing gets accomplished.

Here’s something most people don’t realize: Per the bylaws Angell still technically holds power of attorney over the RDA until we appoint a new solicitor and register them with the Secretary of State. Where is the urgency?!

And to be completely transparent with you all, since the March 11th public meeting, not a single thing has been communicated to the full agency about any progress happening behind the scenes … if there even has been any.

This is frustrating, and more importantly, it’s not how things should be operating.

Shocking, I know.