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We do indeed pay enough in taxes to afford an attorney to fight our case in court. Funds have been allocated and approved by City Council (back before Avedesian owned six out of the nine). And most importantly, in 2004 - seven years ago - seventy-five percent of the largest voter turnout in Warwick's history voted AGAINST airport expansion - and we did that in spite of the incredibly-bad wording and without Avedesian's support. Yet, in the years since then, he has done nothing. oh, I know, he shows up at all the RIAC/FAA/CAN soirees, and makes those impassioned speeches damning the players and the process...but he has NEVER committed his administration to actually stopping expansion. Instead of charging a committee with selecting and hiring an attorney, he sat on the funds; instead of strengthening what legitimate stopgaps we have - wetlands protection - he has rolled over like a good puppy at Dillon's command; instead of firing up the city to act as one, he has let the flames smolder. What we've been getting for the last three years are press releases and interviews from Avedesian insisting the city has never been opposed to "improvements" at T.F. Green, opening the door to expansion under another name, and that we are "resigned" to expansion. His latest tact is to wonder aloud if the city should pursue legal recourse, or if it's too late.

Truth be told, it may well be too late - and if it is, and expansion happens, we have our mayor to thank for that. He has sat on his ever-widening duff since the day he was elected, hoping expansion would happen without negatively affecting his political career in Warwick so he could parlay that into election to a state office by never ruffling the feathers of voters who support expansion (which is just about everybody who don't live in Warwick).

But I say, let's spend the money, hire the attorney, and fight the fight. I'd rather see the city go down fighting than roll over and whimper, something the Avedesian years have trained us to do.

From: Stand our ground on airport expansion

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