Warwick Ward 6 City Council Race Q&A: Muto

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  Muto’s answers:

WARWICK Ward 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  1a) Should the policy require documentation of receipt and understanding, and/or reminders?

MUTO: Yes.

WARWICK Ward 6 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 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 1c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this.

WARWICK Ward 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 2) What is the most important thing you intend to do to aid small businesses in the city?

MUTO:  I’ve spent my entire career in the private sector, including owning my own business, so I understand the challenges small businesses face in Rhode Island. High taxes, burdensome regulations, and complicated processes make it difficult for businesses to thrive. We need leaders who can bring people together to address these issues. I will work to foster collaboration between the council, the administration, and the small business community to develop reasonable, sustainable solutions.

WARWICK Ward 6 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 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  3b) What is your opinion of how this information was released to the public?

MUTO: Wherever possible, information should be shared in a way that’s transparent and easy for the public to access.

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

MUTO: Muto did not elaborate ont this topic.

WARWICK Ward 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 4) Warwick School Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan reports the new high schools project will outstrip the $350M bond.

WARWICK Ward 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A – 4a) Would you support a second bond to make up the difference? Why or Why Not?

MUTO:  The approved amount for the school construction projects is $350M. While there are many factors contributing to the project going over budget, it is critical for city leaders—including the school committee, school administration, and city administration—to work together to 1) ensure this project realizes its full potential as a generational investment in our youth, and 2) provide greater visibility to the public regarding the financial impact.

This project is the single largest investment our community is making for its future. However, we need to ensure this investment is practical and affordable for this to provide value to our taxpayers. This is a decision we must make together, keeping in mind the significance of our decisions or indecisions on the long-term impact on our community.

We must continue to listen actively and openly to the community’s concerns on construction tradeoffs / downgrades and rising cost and not fall into an urgency trap to move forward without asking better questions, challenging RIDE’s assertions / requirements of what is best for our community and considering an alternative path forward.

Discovery and design of large-scale construction projects are complex and require adjustments as part of this process and I am appreciative of the current school committee for keeping the public informed of the challenges of accomplishing what we set out to accomplish for our community. Unfortunately, rising construction cost is the primary cost drivers and the tradeoffs of reducing square feet, building materials, and practical components that make for a 21st educational environment are not the answers. As a community we have come a long way to understanding what is required, what is valued, and what it will take to construct a future educational environment.

This is a big deal for our community and trusting them with a say on the evolution of this project and related cost increase will build confidence in the process. The voters in Warwick are invested in the future success of our community by there passage of the original bond and I am confident the voters will continue to invest in our future.

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

MUTO: I strongly support our public education system and believe it’s essential for Warwick schools to be among the best in the state, from facilities to educational outcomes and career and technical programs.

WARWICK Ward 6 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 6 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?

MUTO: Absolutely. The more voices we get involved in public policy discussions, the better the outcomes will be. With that said, I would encourage civility and decorum at public meetings – we need to get back to respectful interactions that encourage different points of view and different ways to approach the challenges we face as a community.

WARWICK Ward 6 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?

MUTO: I wasn’t at the meeting, but I’ve watched the video. I believe the situation wasn’t a good representation of transparency and the council’s willingness to hear the public’s input.

As far as what can be done differently, the short answer is that there are a number of other options. The longer answer: any member of the Council can challenge the actions of anyone by: 1) make a point of order stating the speaker’s conduct/words do not prevent decorum from being maintained and ask for the Council President to rule on your point of order. If the Council President denies/disagrees with your point of order, you could then appeal the ruling of the Council President to the Council, at which point you would need to successfully obtain the agreement of the majority of the Council members present. Alternatively, you could: 2) ask for the City Council solicitor to opinion on whether the speaker’s conduct/words prevent decorum from being maintained (or any similar question), and then repeat the steps noted in option #1 as needed. There are other non-rule ways this could potentially be done as well (i.e. simply asking the Council President for a short recess so that the speaker could organize their thoughts & comments in a manner that would not pose problematic to decorum).

WARWICK Ward 6 CITY COUNCIL Q&A –  5c) Please share any other thoughts you have on this topic.

MUTO: From my understanding, currently Council members are not allowed to respond to questions during the “public speaking segment” and even if for some reason a Council member interrupted a member of the public, any period of time in which someone else is speaking is not counted against the member of the public’s time (Rule 41).

I am mindful on allowing responses from Council members during the “public speaking comment” and have the potential of violating the Open Meetings Act. I agree with the importance of protecting the public with laws like the Open Meetings Act and believe we can do with proper meetings preparation and allow discussion in future meetings. It’s about communication and properly notifying the public.

The AG’s office has been cracking down for the last few years on public bodies that attempt to utilize generalized agenda items. The agenda item has to be specific and clear as to the topic to be discussed. This is for the betterment of transparency in public forums.

WARWICK Ward 6 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?

MUTO: I’m not fully familiar with the specific reforms proposed, but I’m open to considering any measures that improve communication with the public.

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

MUTO: I believe it’s crucial that we all work together to ensure the school construction projects stay on budget. This will require dedication from everyone involved.

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

MUTO: Muto did not elaborate ont this topic.