While we respect the commitment of Town Council members who serve our community, we are strongly opposed to their decision to launch a lawsuit against the State of Rhode Island over recent housing legislation. Spending Portsmouth taxpayers’ dollars on an uphill legal battle is both fiscally irresponsible and deeply ironic given recent legislative history.
We believe it’s important to note that members of the Portsmouth Town Council never asked to meet with State Representatives to review concerns about the legislation of concern prior to passage or afterwards. An open dialogue would have helped to identify specific areas of concern and opportunities for improvement to ensure that the needs of the community are best represented.
At the Town Council’s explicit request via resolution, we introduced measures like House Bill 8249 to create local carve-outs from the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. We introduced the bill as representatives of this duly elected Council despite our severe reservations about the implications to housing development. The Council President was notified prior to the hearing date.
Yet, when the time came for the committee hearing at the State House for House Bill 8249, not a single member of the Town Council showed up to testify, and not a single line of written testimony was submitted on that bill. It is disingenuous to launch a costly lawsuit claiming a loss of local voice when local council members neglected to use their voice prior to and during an open legislative process.
Furthermore, this lawsuit ignores a painful reality happening right here at home. A recent Newport Chamber of Commerce report highlighted that median home prices in Newport County have increased 60% in the past five years. This surge makes it much harder for people working in our community to afford housing; one in four working professionals and one-third of retirees now spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Our workforce is finding it increasingly difficult to live near the jobs local employers seek to fill, and data indicates 9,000 additional housing units will be required to match projected regional job growth.
Additionally, Portsmouth is losing vital state education aid because our student enrollment is declining. There is a direct, undeniable connection between our shrinking student population and the severe lack of affordable housing options in town. Young families are completely priced out of Portsmouth, and seniors who want to downsize have nowhere to go.
The final irony is that Portsmouth residents are trapped paying on both sides of this case. While our local council allocates property tax revenues from the contingency fund for outside legal counsel, state tax dollars fund the Attorney General’s office to defend the laws. Instead of spending public resources to fight a constitutional state framework, our town’s leadership should focus its energy on working collaboratively with us to build smart infrastructure and adaptive housing options that keep Portsmouth families here.
Rep. Terri Cortvriend
District 72 — Portsmouth
Rep. Michelle McGaw
District 71 — Portsmouth
