Warwick Ward 4 Council Race Q&A: Miller

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 Miller’s answers:

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

MILLER:  I absolutely think the policy should be changed to provide verification of the receipt of the policies and routine reminders for city personnel. True Communication has two sides to it, and hasn’t truly occurred unless both sides acknowledge the exchange

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?

MILLER: Tax relief for all businesses with under 20 employees. Grants for improvements, updates required by law and low interest loans if necessary for those same small businesses.

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?

MILLER: Any outside corporation, (i.e. Marcum), hired  to maintain records for the city, work for the city government and the taxpayers who pay their salary.  If there is some legal jurisdiction for them withholding the records that law should be changed. 

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

MILLER: It is despicable that the AG has allowed the (past) Warwick City Council, with the exception of one member hide information that the public would certainly be concerned, if not incensed about.

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?

MILLER:  I certainly would not support borrowing another $40 million for two schools that that had $40 million in cuts already made to the original design. At that same meeting Mr. Galligan also tried to persuade the public to believe that our high school population needed two new schools by comparing the number of children enrolled in Warwick schools to the smaller populations of school children around the state.  I found that disingenuous, as it is irrelevant how many children attend schools in other cities.

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

MILLER: When it was my turn to speak I clarified that the numbers of high school population in Warwick, large as it is in comparison to other cities, has seen a decline in high school age students by about 50%.  The economics of two schools would perhaps even tax the students right out of their homes.  At the recent school committee meeting regarding proceeding with the new schools; shared sacrifice was mentioned by Mr. Galligan and Mr. Testa.  Bob Cushman and Rob Cote suggested to the School Committee  that the two schools should not be built until the city employees and teachers share some of that sacrifice by paying a greater portion of their healthcare, restructure pensions, and the teachers/school committee should stop voting themselves a raise every year. I agree with them.

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?

MILLER: Yes

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?

MILLER: They were embarrassed by it.  During the present time allotted the public should be able to say what they want, how they want to of course with no speech that is racist etc.  

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

MILLER: I plan to have quarterly meetings with my constituents to hear and record their concerns so that I can truly  represent them at the city council meetings as well as address the concerns outside the meetings to the best of my ability.  

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?

MILLER: I will support changes when the rules are scheduled to be reconsidered in 2025. As I said previously, there are two parts to communication.  One side is speaking the other side is a response, wether it be an acknowledgement by receipt of notification or the answer to a constituent standing before me questioning my thought process or  decision.  

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

MILLER: There has  to be made time to hear the public and respond to the public on the spot. What that looks like should be a discussion or a number of discussions that includes members of the public.

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

MILLER: Miller did not elaborate on this question