you you you you you you you you you Thank you. Can everyone hear me okay? Excellent. Good evening everyone. My name is Sarah Masson. I am the town clerk of Narragansett. In accordance with Section 2-0-7 of the Narragansett town charter, the first meeting of the newly elected council shall be held on the first Monday following the certification of the election. The town clerk shall preside over the first meeting of the newly elected council until we nominate a council president. With all members present here today, I am going to call this meeting to order at 6.32 p.m. on November 25th, 2024. The results of the November 5th, 2024 election have been certified by the Rhode Island Board of Elections and the Narragantate Board of Camusers. The results in order of the most votes received are as follows. Alexander T. Menzies, James P. Durkin, Donna Vignale, Jason Collinies, and Ryan J. Toraldi. Council elect, please stand. Hold on one moment please. We just skipped right on over the Pledge of Allegiance. So we're going to please stand for the United States of America and to the Republic which stands One Nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So the first item on the agenda today is the swearing in of our newly elected council. So will you please stand and raise your right hand? Do you solemnly swear that you will be true and faithful unto this state and support the laws and the Constitution thereof, the laws and the Constitution of the United States, the Narragansett town charter and ordinances, in that you will well and truly execute the office of town council member for the term for which you have been appointed or until another being engaged in your place or until you're illegally discharged there from so help you God. I do. Congratulations. Next up is the election of our town council president. Do I have a nomination for town council president? I nominate Alex Menzays for Narragansett town council president. Do I hear any other nominations for town council president? Do I hear any other nominations for town council president? Does Jason have to second it? There's no seconds on nominations only on the votes. Thank you for asking. Okay, so hearing no further nominations, nominations are now closed. Is there any discussion? Not at this time. Okay, we are going to take a roll call vote on the nomination before us until we have a majority of the newly elected council members vote in the affirmative for the nomination before them. All those in favor of Alexander Menzies being president of the town council for the term ending in November 2026 and less legally discharged there from will signify by saying aye. All those opposed will signify by saying nay. So we're going to call for the role call vote. Councilman colonies. Aye. Councilman Durkin. Councilman Menzies. Aye. Councilman Torrellies. Aye. Councilman Durkin. Councilman Menzies. Aye. Councilman Torrell-Day. Aye. Councilman Vignale. Aye. Okay. By a vote of 5-0, Alexander Menzies has been elected as the President of the Narragansett Town Council. Congratulations, President Menzies. Thank you. Thank you. I'm now going to turn over the meeting to Council President Menzies for the nominations of Council President Pro Tempor. Thank you. And before we move forward with that nomination, I just want to say thank you all for your Support and to all the voters for their support. I know that this is a town council that will work well together and work hard over the next two years on behalf of all residents. It is my hope that all residents, no matter who you are, will always feel welcomed, no matter who you are and where you come from. We want to hear from you the good and the bad. We are only able to lead as well as we are able to listen to you. We have a lot of work to get accomplished over the next two years and we will need your help to get things done. Let's respect each other's opinions and work together to find consensus. By working together we can bring positive change to Naraganset. I look forward to working with you all in meeting with residents as we start this new chapter With that being said Is there a nomination for town council president pro tem? I'd like to nominate James Durkin for town council pro tem Okay, are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Hearing none All those in favor of James Durkin being president pro-tem of the town council for the term ending in November 2026 unless legally discharged there from Will signify by saying aye all those opposed will signify by saying aye. All those opposed will signify by saying nay. Councilman, I will do a roll call vote. Councilman colonies. Aye. Councilman Durkin. Councilman, Councilman Menzies votes yes. Councilman Torielde. Aye. Councilman, Councilwoman Vignale. I. By a vote of 5 to 0, James Durkin has been elected as the President Pro Tem of the Town Council. Congratulations. Jim, would you like to say a few words. I only lost by ten votes, but I wanted Alex to be president anyway. So I had made my decision before that. So I appreciate the five people I've ran with. And I really appreciate you people supporting us so well. Like Alex said, we'll be open to everyone's wants and dislikes and things like that. We want to embrace our neighbors, our residents, the towns of South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Black Island. We have to live in harmony with those people, the state of Rhode Island. You're gonna see a lot of change, I think, on this council. And hopefully you appreciate it. Thank you very much. And would anyone, I will open the floor to any other council members if they would like to say a few words. I too would just like to thank everyone for your support and your trust in us. As I could say, I agree with everything Alex said. We welcome your input. We ask that you be part of the solution, making near-against that the best it can be, consider being part of our committees, and we welcome you to talk to us and be part of this process. And thank you so much for your support. Thank you all for your support both on the campaign trail and on election day. I greatly appreciate all of your efforts to help elect the slate of five candidates to the town council. I speak for myself, but I also speak for everyone here, and that we greatly look forward to working for you, the town of Narragansett, and the residents of Narragansett. So thank you all for your support. It was a really great campaign that we ran a night. I just enjoyed meeting every one of them that we did meet. I'd like to thank the families of Narragansett, the young families of Narragansett that supported us. There were many and you were all great. And I'd also like to thank my wife and children who supported us as well. It's hard to run for government when you're a young family and it's going to take up some time and the support that they've given me is been amazing. Thank you. With that being said, I will now turn it over to the town clerk to read a statement on behalf of the town manager. Thank you, Council President. Town manager Tireny is out of town on a pre-plan vacation and was unable to make it this evening. He wanted to extend his well wishes in regards to the new council by reading the following statement on his behalf. Town Council President Alexander Menzies, President Protour, James Durkin, and Counselor Jason Colonies, Ryan Torrelda, and Donna McNally. Congratulations to all, and I welcome you to your new role. I wish you all the best as you begin your journey governing our town. Thank you very much. Thank you. And now it is time for the open forum portion of our meeting. The comments of citizens addressing the council are neither adopted nor endorsed by the body, but heard as requested. Is there anyone who like to speak for open forum? Come on up. Just as a reminder, public comment will not be taken on matters involving open litigation. In the future, please sign in to speak at the back of the chambers. Please state your name and address. Speak only on topics, not on the meeting agenda. Three-minute time limit will be given per speaker and please be orderly and respectful. Susan Sicilini-Panano, nine secluded drive. Congratulations to all of you. Alex, Jim, Donna, Jason, and Ryan. You've worked extremely hard during the campaign, and I couldn't be proud of all of you the work that you did. But now the real work begins. So as you begin your term, I want you to remember, to respect each other, listen to the Narragansett residents, let the residents participate in finding solutions, make good policies that are balanced and well thought out, compromise when you need to, revisit the housing laws, and get the model litigation. Make sure that you have a plan for the eight firefighters that were obtained on the safer grant. Begin the dredging of the river finish the bike path continue the road so they're improved and they're excellent for our residents. Support the projects for affordable housing. Maintain our beaches and ensure that all the coast is accessible to all. Take care of our seniors, solve the parking challenges, and set timelines to ensure the completion of these projects. Lastly, enjoy the time and work on the Narragansett Town Council. It will be completely satisfying and congratulations again. And I do have a public service survival kit in front of you and it just take me a minute. As you begin the town council, please remember the following. The gum will help you stick together. The erasers will help you when you make mistakes. The bandaid will help you when you get hurt. Your hard hats will help you protect you when you're facing big projects and decisions. The fire extinguisher will help you put out the fires. The skateboard will help you keep it moving. The energy shot will give you energy when you're exhausted. The chocolate bar will help you keep the work sweet. The sunglasses will help protect your eyes and the sunshine. The payday bar will help you remember that it's not a paid job that's a volunteer work. The residents will help you remember the other people that voted for you and trusted you. The Tylenol will help you when you have aches and pains. And finally, the kisses will help you feel the love as you serve the town in the residents of Narragansett. So again, congratulations. She deserves. Okay. Figured out the clock. Would anyone else like to speak for open forum. Please state your name and address. Good evening. Representative Carol Hagen-Mackenty from South Kingston, 70B Broad Rock Road. I want to congratulate all of you. I don't have anything as prepared as Susan does, but I look forward to working with all of you to do what's best for Narragansett, statewide and community-wide. So congratulations to all of you. Thank you. Thank you, Carol. Anyone else? Mark Crook 161 Boone Street. So for some unknown reason to me, the last town council decided that the Boone Street market issue was to be passed on to the new council. The liquor license hearing will be held next week. I've lived on Boone Street for 45 years and there has always been a commercial area. Never have I experienced a level of noise, parking problems, and safety concerns since they opened June 8th. Boone Street markets hours of operation 11 AM to 1 AM and having the far majority of their space, customer space, outside has had a negative impact on the whole neighborhood. I've gone from some occasional noise to a gathering up up to 400 people yelling and screaming. It is the worst from 9 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. Getting a walkin' up at 1.15 a.m. by people leaving Boone Street Market, slamming car doors, yelling at each other, having FU fights in front of your house. For 45 years, I kept our bedroom windows open all year round. Now the noise level is so bad that in the summer, with the windows closed, air conditioning on, and ear plugs in, I still could not sleep. I had to finally move to a different room to get some rest. Add this to having your driveway blocked by Boone Street market customers and the concern of increased traffic has a neighborhood quality of life drastically and negatively affected. This is not a suitable location for the business model used by Boone Street Market. The owners will try to convince you that Boone Street Market is a family-friendly restaurant. That is not reality from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. It is a beach bar with the attraction and promotion of alcohol consumption by a certain age group including URI students. Look at the facts. They have been provided to you. The noise complaints, the arrests, the violation of noise ordinance, the violation of variances. The town and arrogance arrogance has developed numerous rules on gatherings of residential properties with many consequences, such as fines. Yet, Boone Street Market operates until 1 a.m. with up to 400 people outside screaming and yelling, bordering a residential neighborhood that is much larger than the very limited commercial zone part of Boone Street. It is time for the town council, town manager and police chief to put up the necessary limits on Boone Street market to give back the neighborhood residents to quality of life they deserve. Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak? Good evening. My name is David Bird. I live at 23 Perkins Ave and I do welcome the new town council members and I appreciate the service who those who have served in the past. I Wanted to come tonight, you know and welcome you and I also wanted to say that I'm glad that we have people who have served on the School committee and a lifelong educator as a lifelong educator myself. I appreciate their service I have a suggestion as we move forward because we do need to move forward in terms of coming to agreement, coming to consensus and handling the problems within their agancet. And I think of our elementary school. So life on the educator, I know something. I know it's an excellent school. I know they know how to treat children well. When we go as community members to that school, we see the pleasure of those children within that building, whether it's a play, whether it's pickup, whether it's a concert. Someone I know very well said he had a petition for the principal. I said, well, what are you gonna propose? He said, year-long school. And I said, how do your friends feel about that? They hate it, not the school, the idea of year-long school. And I said, how do your friends feel about that? They hate it, not the school, the idea of year-long school. I do want to also say that, you know, 40 or more of us who are here, we are concerned about certain situations here in town, and we'd like to move forward quickly to solve those things. One last thing I believe that the planning board, the zoning board and the town council were clear in what their anticipations were for that endeavor. And I don't think those anticipations came true. It became something else. So I feel like I was invited to the party or not invited to the party tonight, but I came anyway. But thank you for your service and your intended service, and I will see you on Monday. Thank you, would anyone else like to speak? I'm very, very excited to have a new town council in Narragansett, the town that I love, and I feel tonight should be a joyful occasion. I don't want to dampen it. We have time for that in the future, but I just think that words matter. I think that we need to be decent to each other, and I think that working together, we can come up with a compromise. I love business. Business friendly person moved into this neighborhood knowing that it was commercial commercially zoned and residential zoned area. And my family's actually thrived here. We volunteered on the Boone Street Improvement Advisory Board, volunteered at the schools. My kids took karate at Babcock Karate. We all got our smoothies at Crazy Burger. Now they're smoothie booty. New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, New injustice for all. So I believe that we all have a voice how we use it is up to us. And this isn't easy for me. I'm a shy person. But I do feel like there are things that need to be heard. And they will. But congratulations, everyone. I hope that we can work peacefully, come up with a solution that benefits all of us. So congratulations again. Thank you and welcome. Anyone else like to speak? Please come up. Good evening. My name is Paul Zahn-Frillo. I live at Semper. Excuse me. Seven win would circle in narrowing answer. Congratulations, Arnour. Win. One of the things that concerns me is that, you know, some folks in town are very happy. Some folks not so much. There was a lot of divisiveness in this town, and I have to say it wasn't caused by the last council. And a lot of the divisive voices were surrogates and advocates on your behalf, including the first speaker here. So you represent all of us, and President Menendez, you said to express your concerns. My concern is that there's still real rental problems in this town, real Airbnb problems. Just saw on Facebook somebody looking for 10 people to come homecoming weekend and party. Where could they get the right place, right? And I don't think the litigation isn't necessarily bad it's a means to an end so and we don't really know from the forums we didn't really get a good feeling about how you would change a lot of these laws mr. Durkan you promise to go to the ethics committee in 2007 did, talked about 150 200 properties. My hope is that you give a full financial disclosure, audited financials so that the Ethics Committee can really decide and people can feel good about the promise you made to this town. So your interest and your success is important to me. I do hope you're successful and I do hope it's a productive term. Thank you. Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak? Yep, please come up and state your name and address. Hi, my name is Paul Seowen, and I live at 18 Robinson, president of the Robinson Brown Condo Association. I had that address. I want to congratulate you guys all of you. You did a heck of a job. You stuck together and showed what happens when Democrats all stick together and work together. You win and you did a good job of doing that. I walk through the pier daily all the way down Boone Street to South Pier Road and down to the wall and back to Robinson Street. And I watched that whole Boone Street market go up as they were renovating it. And I was under the impression we were getting a market. I was even telling people that, hey, we got a market coming in finally. And that's not what happened. But it is what it is. I would like to see the old library building somehow morph into a market, if that's possible. While you somehow you could explore that. Because one of the primary reasons I left the South End to come into the pier was as I get older I was hope there was a market there and I was looking forward to walk into the market as I got older and then the library is a gift because I was an English major at Providence College and that's what I like to do. I like to spend time in libraries. So going forward, I hope you can find something to do with that old building that's not going to be office, anything but in office. And good luck and do a good job. Thank you. Thank you. Would anyone else like to say anything? Yep. Hi, Winham's 30-Wood Avenue. I just want to congratulate each and every one of you. I don't think the town could have done better by electing anybody else but the five of you. I have a tremendous amount of confidence that you guys are doing the correct thing but the five of you. I have a tremendous amount of confidence that you guys are doing the correct thing for the next two years. I know each and one of you personally and I'm super, super proud to say that the five of you are sitting here. There's a lot of challenges ahead of you, but I think each individual is gonna assess those challenges and as a group you're gonna come to solutions for these challenges. Thank you again. Thank you. Would anyone else like to say anything? Seeing none. Our next meeting will be held next Monday, December 2nd. I believe it's at 7 p.m. if memory serves me correct. Correct. Thank you. Do I have a motion to adjourn at 7 o'clock p.m.? So moved. All those in favor? All right. All right. All right. Let's try that again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is there a motion to adjourn at 7 p.m.? So moved. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Have a great night.