Warwick Ward 4 Council Race Q&A: DeLuise

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 Paola’s answers:

WARWICK  Ward 4 COUNCIL Q&A –  1a) Should the policy require documentation of receipt and understanding, and/or reminders?

DELUISE:  The policy should require annual training as well as a post-training assessment, and compliance should be monitored by Personnel Dept.

WARWICK  Ward 4 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 4 COUNCIL Q&A – 1c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this.

WARWICK  Ward 4 COUNCIL Q&A – 2) What is the most important thing you intend to do to aid small businesses in the city?

DELUISE: As someone who runs a small business I know what it takes and the challenges day-in and day-out. Number one is that we need to be a City that values education and our youth.  A strong educational system and a developing workforce leads to better outcomes for small businesses. Closely following is that we need leaders who support the small business community, focus on bringing solutions rather than putting up obstacles, and we need to cut red tape where possible to make it easier to open and operate a small business in Warwick.

WARWICK  Ward 4 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 4 COUNCIL Q&A –  3b) What is your opinion of how this information was released to the public?

DELUISE: Transparency is key.

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

DELUISE: DeLuise did not elaborate on this topic.

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

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

DELUISE: It is too soon to know what the School projects will require.

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

DELUISE: Education is critical to our city, and modern facilities and athletic fields are critical to our shared success.  We must support these projects in a fiscally responsible way.

WARWICK Ward 4 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 4 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?

DELUISE: The public has the right to speak out at our Council meetings as long as decorum is maintained.

WARWICK  Ward 4 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?

DELUISE: I was not present to have an opinion on this.

WARWICK  Ward 4 COUNCIL Q&A –  5c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

DELUISE: DeLuise did not elaborate on this topic.

WARWICK  Ward 4 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?

DELUISE: I will evaluate any proposed rule changes when they are made available for consideration.

WARWICK  Ward 4 COUNCIL Q&A –  6b) What other changes would you like to see?

DELUISE: I would like to see more collaboration between the City Council, the School Committee, and the Mayor’s office especially on matters relating to School Construction.

WARWICK  Ward 4 COUNCIL Q&A –  6c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

DELUISE: DeLuise did not elaborate on this topic.