SK Council Reviews Rules Of Decorum

SOUTH KINGSTOWN - In the wake of two months of etiquette and ethics complaints, the South Kingstown Town Council reviewed its rules of decorum at Monday’s meeting, looking to strengthen a relationship of respect with the public.

Following a March 21 letter from resident Jonathan Daly Labelle, the council instated certain procedures that will foster an environment of respectful discourse in council chambers.

“This issue takes on heightened urgency given the Democratic Town Committee chair’s inappropriate remarks and innuendos against a Town Council member and our well-respected town manager, as well as his accosting me in the audience, after his being called out for his poor behavior by our officials at the microphone,” said Labelle in this memo to the town.

He first requested a review of the council’s rules of decorum on March 15.

Labelle also cited sidebar conversations in the audience and use of cell phones during meetings by both residents and officials as distracting to official business proceedings.

“These actions are very inappropriate, in my opinion as an interested citizen, negatively impacting the entire proceedings needlessly,” Labelle added in the letter.

Council President Ella Whaley reiterated basic rules of conduct, but added a new procedure. Moving forward Whaley said she would no longer entertain repetitious remarks on part of the council or the public.

“With accusations of dishonesty and personal attacks – if TC member feels aggrieved or offended, address it through the chair and they will then be allowed to speak with the person at the microphone,” Whaley said. “But I should have mentioned before, with repetitiveness, unless there is new information that has arisen, I ask that since is has already been stated at a prior meeting, unless there is new information I ask that it not be brought forward.”

In order to minimize personal attacks and argument, council members will wait to be acknowledged by the chair before speaking in the future. Whaley said sidebar conversations should be limited, and council members would promote positive body language and limit distracting behavior.

She assured the public the council would maintain respect at all times going forward and refrain from personal attacks and disrespect.

“We recognize that we are very diverse group here and sometimes you have to have discourse to get to a resolution,” Whaley said. “But we are in agreement that it should be done respectfully. I also hold the public to this accountability that we are holding ourselves to at the table.”

“I have heard what you said here and it sounds very good to me,” Labelle said during the meeting. “A lot of this is just common courtesy and people need reminders every so often. I hope it is enforced and I think it may be as simple as when an issue arises that it be dealt with at that time.”

Labelle also brought forward concerns regarding the absence of School Committee member Richard Angeli from 17 scheduled meetings and accused the committee of forsaking its duty to communicate openly with the public.

“Running for office is an option, fulfilling the obligations should be mandatory,” Labelle said. “This is not about personality and this is not personal.”

Labelle asked the Town Council to intervene with the School Committee’s procedural processes, calling it a “mess.” After the School Committee canceled its scheduled March 27 meeting, Labelle said it had made itself even less communicable than normal.

“Elected officials acting as public servants respond when appropriate, over at the School Committee when you go up to speak, nothing. They don’t respond,” he said.

“As far as jurisdiction over the School Committee, there is nothing we can do about that,” Whaley said, adding that the council had consulted with legal counsel. “We hear your concerns, I know you’ve brought them to the School Committee table, but there’s really nothing that we can do here at the Town Council table.”

In other business, Town Manager Stephen Alfred announced the town would be applying for $300,000 in grants through the state-funded Community Development Block Grant program that will help fund town and regional programs catering to the area’s population of low-to-moderate income individuals and families.

The program is underfunded by 20 percent over the current year allocations. In the 2011-12 year, Alfred said South Kingstown applied for $400,000 in monies to aid development of housing, training, and employment programs for the socioeconomically disadvantaged, but received just $296,000 of that request. He estimated the town would likely realize about $200,000 through the grant program next year.