Archive for the ‘Portsmouth’ Category
State Overreach
Thursday, May 14th, 2026Representative Richard Fascia comments on the state’s overreach when it comes to municipal countrol for housing projects in this week’s edition of the Cranston Herald:
The state is stealing municipal control
By Rep. RICHARD R. FASCIA May 13, 2026
Recent legislation at the House of Representatives (H-8006) mandates a 30-year structured tax schedule for new or existing low-income housing in any Rhode Island municipality. This concept is yet another attempt to take total control away from small towns and cities and impose a statewide “one-size-fits-all” form of governance.
This bill is not just about housing, it’s about who controls local taxation and who bears the cost of state policy. H8006 declares that certain housing is a matter of statewide concern, and then it limits how municipalities can tax those developments. It sets the structure, it sets the formula, and it tells cities and towns they cannot go above it – and for that matter, they cannot go below it. This is a direct loss of local control that should not be simply given away. Local municipalities are unique and cannot all be painted with the same wide brush. Moreover, the seizure of that control demeans the integrity of local government and casts aside the rights of local citizens to control their own financial destiny.
Conceivably, through individually crafted tax incentives, cities and towns could otherwise encourage more new development to meet the state imposed minimum affordable housing threshold. This legislation impedes that creativity. Cities and towns are ordered to meet state requirements for affordable and low-income housing, but are then restricted on how to achieve those goals and absorb the resulting financial impact.
No one likes paying taxes, yet property taxation is one of the most fundamental powers of local government and it should be controlled locally. More importantly, it’s how communities fund their schools, maintain roads and provide police and fire services.
This bill takes that authority and restricts it from the state level on down.
The bill in question sets a specific graduated scale that slides from 8% to 15% over a 30-year period. Cities and towns are saddled with this formula, which they had no input on, regardless of the financial repercussions the development might have. These developments will still require the aforementioned services despite having no crystal ball to anticipate costs 30 years in the future. Under this bill, municipalities may not be able to collect the full revenue needed to support those developments or the wider resulting growth. Those additional costs do not disappear; they shift to existing taxpayers. Those taxpayers receive nothing more in return as a result of the state-imposed low-income housing threshold, or the tax plan in question. Nothing.
We need to be honest about the position we are putting our communities in. We already cap their ability to raise revenue through the 4% levy limit. We tell them they cannot increase their tax levy beyond that ceiling, regardless of rising costs to support the state-imposed affordable housing mandate. However, at the state level, we do not hold government to the same discipline when it comes to spending.
Now, on top of that cap, this bill further restricts how municipalities can collect revenue from mandated affordable-housing development. It ties their hands even more. It limits their ability to manage their own budgets and respond to local needs. Our towns, especially those outside the urban core (like Johnston and Cranston) are already frustrated. We feel like the state continues to tie our hands, whether it is zoning, planning, or now, taxation. This bill reinforces that concern by telling us that even our local tax policy is no longer fully our own.
The state should be working with municipalities, not restricting them. They should respect our ability to make decisions based on local budgets, our own infrastructure and the local taxbase. I am never in favor of taxation, but if we must have taxes the structure should be fair to everyone and controlled at the local level, not by the state. We know what’s best for our cities and towns, and we should make our own decisions.
Post Script: Sadly, Bill H-8006 was passed on May 5, 2026 on a vote that included all but four Democrats voting in the affirmative.
Rep. Richard R. Fascia represents House District 42, which includes parts of Cranston and Johnston.
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2026Here is the spot adopted by the Portsmouth Republicans.
Republicans Candidates Forum
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026
From the Ocean State Current: Portsmouth Fights Back: Local Control Under Attack
Wednesday, February 25th, 2026
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Portsmouth Town Council Resolutions on Affordable Housing Laws and Low and Moderate Income Housing
Wednesday, February 4th, 2026The Portsmouth Town Council unanimously adopted the following resolutions regarding affordable housing laws and low and moderate income housing.
Full texts of each resolution is attached below:
Portsmouth Resolution Affordable Housing Laws
Resolution of the Town of Portsmouth re Low and Moderate Housing
Rhode Island Republican Party Acknowledges the Senseless Killing of Ella Cook
Monday, December 15th, 2025
Rhode Island Republican Party Acknowledges the Senseless Killing of Ella Cook
Providence, RI – Chairman Joe Powers released the following statement regarding the tragic shooting at Brown University on Saturday:
“The Rhode Island Republican Party is devastated to learn of the tragic loss of Ella Cook, Vice President of the Brown College Republicans, whose life was taken in Saturday’s horrific mass shooting. Ella was a bold, faithful, and inspiring young conservative leader who fearlessly shared her beliefs on campus. Described by those who knew her as a “bright light,” kind, and grounded, Ella embodied the very best of the next generation of conservative voices.”
“We extend our deepest condolences and fervent prayers to Ella’s family, her congregation at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL, her friends, the Brown College Republicans, the entire Brown University community, MukhammadAziz Umurzakov and his family during this time of profound grief and anxiety. Our thoughts are with students across Rhode Island who are reeling in fear from this terrible event, and with our law enforcement community as they continue to exhaust all measures in bringing the murderer to justice.”
Chairman Powers Blasts Democrats Over Shutdown Standoff
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2025
Chairman Powers Blasts Democrats Over Shutdown Standoff
Warwick, RI: “Make no mistake, this government shutdown is owned…lock, stock, and barrel by the Democrats. Period. Anyone who tells you otherwise…is lying!
For years, Democrats like Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Jack Reed have perfected the art of pointing fingers anywhere but at themselves. But this time, there’s nowhere to hide. While Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House, the reality is simple, without cooperation from Democrats in the Senate, critical funding bills don’t move. That’s how our system works. Anyone in elected office who doesn’t understand that or lies to their constituents about how it works should enroll in a basic civics course or should resign from their seat immediately.
President Donald Trump has already taken decisive action to keep essential services afloat. By leveraging tariff revenues, his administration is ensuring that federal employees receive pay and that vital programs like WIC remain funded, proving once again that Republican leadership solves problems while Democrats manufacture crises.
The American people deserve leaders who govern, not grandstand. This shutdown is a deliberate political stunt by Democrats, designed to score points at the expense of working families. Rhode Islanders see through it, and so do we.
As Attorney General Bondi said, I wish the Democrats loved Americans as much as they hate Pres. Trump. I can only imagine how much we could accomplish. It’s time for Senators Whitehouse, Reed, and their Democrat colleagues to stop the games and reopen the government they chose to close.”