We all set Madam Clerk.

Okay.

Welcome everybody to the Monday, November 18th, 2023 meeting of the town council.

And welcome to the People's House in North Kingstown.

Let's call this meeting to order.

Pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws 42-46-6C.

Notice of this meeting has been posted on the Secretary of State's website.

I ask everybody's stand and salute the flag.

Thank you.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

So thank you, everybody.

We only have one agenda item as you know.

It's a special meeting to appoint the new school committee to fill the unexpired term of Jennifer Hoskins, who submitted her resignation effective uh December first.

By charter, the council has 30 days to fill this position.

So I know this is a challenging time of the year for everybody.

I appreciate everyone being here.

Um and really this is the only time the members of this body were able to come together.

Uh I want to first start out by thanking Jenny Hoskins for seven years of public service on the school committee.

Public service in this day and age is challenging.

It's very challenging.

We wish her nothing but the best.

As it relates to the agenda at hand, the town has advertised uh this position to the public.

It has asked interested parties to file a letter of interest uh with the town clerk by Friday, November uh excuse me, not November, December 15th at 4 p.m.

Uh no uh we didn't receive any applicants afterwards, but they would not have been considered anyways.

After that deadline, uh we sent the applicants an email, uh informed them of tonight's meeting, and asked them to speak if they so choose.

Um initially we had received uh letters of interest from eleven candidates.

Uh two have since rescinded their candidacy.

Uh tonight we have two sign-up sheets, one for candidates and one for members of the public.

Uh I'd like to, or we would like to hear from the candidates first.

Um we are going to dispense with our traditional three-minute time frame, although we'd ask them to be concise because there are a number of candidates here.

Uh plus we have a number of um people for the public who want to sign up.

Um town councillor Matt McCoy had sent a questionnaire to the candidates, which is very helpful.

They all responded.

I want to thank them, and we all have that information.

Um and it's certainly public information.

We have received uh a number of emails, and I'm gonna turn over Matt momentarily to tell us who who wrote to us.

Um and I would say to you is if you did write to us, um you know if you want to speak again tonight, that's certainly your right.

But I would say to you, we have your information from our perspective.

Um we don't think there's a need, but if you want if you want to speak again, again that's your right.

But uh I I think that it would be a little redundant.

Uh with that, uh Matt, if you could uh let the public know uh what type of correspondence we received before uh uh we have public speaking and have the candidates speak, then we'll go right to the candidate speaking.

Thank you, Matt.

All right.

Uh on the behalf of uh candidate Megan Riley.

We had a total of 33 uh people write uh emails of endorsement, including Courtney Chandler, Ryan Smith, Karen Forbes, Teresa Hirsch, Peter Lucier, Susanna Tingley, Vicky Bennett, Robert and Carol Saborin, uh George Longquist, Joy Cushman, Sue Alexander, Jason Bergenstock, Joan Pacino, Brian O'Dell, Dan and Madeline O'Leary, Mike Raposa, Frank Sullivan, Renee Charlton, Gregory Wallace, uh Janet Sheehan, Karen Salvatore, Gregory Snow, Christina Fry, Cindy Booth, Katie Farroldi, Jennifer Rowland, Mary McComber, Ed Ranahan, Karen Kosminski, Richard Keynes, uh Eric Miller, and Kaylin uh Ariola.

On behalf of uh candidate Deborah, and I apologize if I mess this up.

Uh Lu Cosco, uh Kalia Schmir wrote a letter of endorsement on behalf of candidate Robert Jones.

We got letters, uh emails of endorsement from Kara Martone, Peter Lucier, and Susanna Tingley.

Um for candidate Jim Sheehan.

We had email endorsements from Lori Knold, John Machada, Meg Kierr, Melissa Devine, Kay Ho, Peter Cornelian, Katherine Pastory, Seth Meller, Isabella Montini, Kevin Dignan, Kelly Ryan, Melissa Jones, Nancy Sherman, Lisa Garcia, Anthony Toro, Mary Ann Hackett, Mike Donahue, Chris Graham, Tony Silveria, Rob Zimmer, Kathleen Leighton, Serena Mason, Julie McGuire, Pamela Rowland, Jordan Abernaz, Susan Erickson, Robert Severi, Tony Silvery, Tim Warren, Mary Masia, Matthew Erickson, Kathleen Garino, Emily Windsor Zilly, George Brennan, Michael Anderson, Jonathan Gale, Shana and Ray Marzilli, Nicholas Fetty Jr., I think this is Shannon Gale and Shelly Bigelli.

And then for candidates Sarah Palmer Kelly, Kimberly Haskins, Kelly Ryan, Serena Mason, Jordan Abernas, Chris Graham, Lisa Garcia, Kathleen Leighton, and other correspondents we received, which uh were general in nature, not specific to any particular candidate, uh were from Mary uh Warmbeck, Diane Hill, and Taylor Baltzer.

And that's pretty much as of about half hour ago when I checked my email last.

Thank you, Matt.

I'd like to first ask uh Donna Luco to come to the podium and speak.

Hi, my name is Donna Lico.

I live at 62 Edgewood Drive here in North Kingstown.

Um I'm asking to be considered for appointment to the vacancy on the school committee because I want to make sure the town council has the opportunity to choose a person with the best qualifications to balance the committee so that it may serve the community well.

I've lived in my home since 2002, and my two adult children completed their entire K-12 education in North Kingstown schools.

I believe their education prepared them well for adult life.

Both the quality of their education and the social emotional environment of the schools they were in helped them learn and grow.