Warwick Ward 3 City Council Race Q&A: Nappa

Warwickpost.com invited all Warwick City Council candidates to answer the same seven questions, giving them four days to respond. Candidates were urged to answer the questions directly, and invited to elaborate on each topic after answering the initial question. The answers have been edited for style and spelling, to ensure responses remain on-topic, and to avoid introducing misinformation into the debate.

All the candidates’ answers to the questionnaire have been posted within the same  10-minute window, with a digital dice roll assigning the order each set of answers run on the site, and thus, their order in  the daily newsletter.

 Here are Warwick Post’s questions, and Nappa’s answers:

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  1a) Should the policy require documentation of receipt and understanding, and/or reminders?

NAPPA: Many successful private organizations require yearly continuing education for employees that include sexual harassment training and refreshers, review of important policies and procedures, and introducing new initiatives, safety measures and the like. Municipalities, like Warwick, should deploy similar procedures in a cost effect manner which will help to maintain an informed and up to date workforce.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 1b) Warwick Post received information on the policy and its distribution to managers –  public information – after a public records request following unanswered requests to the mayor’s office, weeks later. Mayor Picozzi has declined comment on the issue, citing legal concerns. Does Warwick’s mayor have a responsibility to comment to the public generally about the sexual harassment policy, and the communication of it to staff? How would you handle such situations?

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 1c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 2) What is the most important thing you intend to do to aid small businesses in the city?

NAPPA: As a small business owner and a representative of many small businesses, I find the city very accommodating to small business. Hold ups and hurdles often come from complying with State level regulations. However, information is power relative to small business so providing a potential small business owner with an outlet to get information about requirements they may need to comply with will help new business owners streamline the process of getting their operations up and running.

 WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 3) In 2022, the RIAG’s office ruled the original digital records detailing WFD sick time taken by firefighters between 2013 and 2018 that cost the city up to $368,000, produced for the city by Marcum, belonged to Marcum and not the public, and therefore were not subject to the RI Access to Public Records Act, leaving the public to enter the information manually from the printed report for digital analysis:https://warwickpost.com/city-doesnt-have-to-produce-fire-sick-time-file-says-ag/

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  3b) What is your opinion of how this information was released to the public?

NAPPA: If the city produced what was in the city’s possession and determined to be not among the “work product” determined by the RIAG there is no issue. However, if there is a more functional format that information should be available to the public as well.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 3c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

NAPPA: Nappa did not elaborate on this issue.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 4) Warwick School Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan reports the new high schools project will outstrip the $350M bond. 

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 4a) Would you support a second bond to make up the difference? Why or Why Not?

NAPPA: I would support taking that issue to the voters and taxpayers. However, I believe the increase should come with a strict maximum cap as suggested at the last school committee meeting. That should also come with guarantees of quality of materials, guarantee of design and minimum standards for the new buildings. There should be no avenue for the contractor to reduce costs by decreasing the return to our students, teachers, and community.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 4b) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

NAPPA: I am a strong supporter of the theory that an educated population is a productive and stable population. We need to provide our youth, our future, with the best opportunity to succeed and environment in an environment designed for them to thrive. This includes creating a learning environment that is up to date, extracurricular funding, pathway program, funding and advancement, and providing simple necessities for our classrooms.  There is no option for inaction.  We need learning environments and programs that entice young family to come into and stay in the city and to keep our current residents in our school district as well as bringing in strong educators.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 5) ACLU of Rhode Island has filed a free speech suit against the Warwick City Council  in federal court for stifling the free speech rights of Rob Cote, barred from speaking at a July 17 Council meeting about allegations of ethical misconduct aimed at Councilwoman Donna Travis.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 5a) Are you prepared to honor the public’s right to speak at Council meetings, even if the speech criticizes you personally, or someone you know?

NAPPA: I support the public’s right to speak according to council rules. However, proper decorum should be maintained. Personal attacks should be differentiated from attacks on actions in the capacity of a councilperson. Personal attacks do not maintain decorum that is acceptable nor productive.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 5b) Why do you think Mr. Cote’s speech was so easily squelched? What would you propose to avoid a repeat of this behavior from the Council?

NAPPA: As I do not have any first hand knowledge of the events relative to Mr. Cote I will refrain from any comment as to the event referenced in this question.

However, in the scope of my understanding of the council rules, there is an option to make a point of order to challenge the action of any Councilperson, including the Council President, and make an argument that the speaker’s comments or conduct does not prevent decorum to be maintained in an instance where a speaker is improperly squelched.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  5c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

NAPPA: Personal attacks are counterproductive, unnecessary, inappropriate, and undermine the purpose of the public comment.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 6) In 2023, members of the public unsuccessfully proposed reforms to the public speaking segment rules, including preventing Council members’ filibustering from counting against the public speaker’s time, and allowing responses from the Council.

6a) Will you support those changes when the rules are scheduled to be reconsidered in 2025? Why?

NAPPA: The Council members cannot respond to Rule 41 public comment as it would be a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Additionally, when any speaker is inturupted, public and Councilperson alike, their time is not impacted by said interruption.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  6b) What other changes would you like to see?

NAPPA: I will evaluate any appropriate changes to current rules in 2025 by determining what would make the most productive use of both the public’s and the Council’s time.

WARWICK Ward 3 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  6c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

NAPPA: Nappa did not elaborate on this topic.