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Middletown council recesses into executive session to discuss personnel and multiple collective-bargaining matters
Summary
The Town of Middletown Council voted unanimously to recess an open meeting and reconvene in executive session to discuss personnel (police chief) and several collective-bargaining units, citing Rhode Island General Laws.
Council President Paul M. Roderick presided as the Town of Middletown Council voted to recess its open session and reconvene in executive session to discuss personnel and a series of collective-bargaining matters. The motion was seconded and carried on a unanimous voice vote.
The council listed the legal basis for the closed meeting as Rhode Island General Laws §§ 42-46-2, 42-46-4 and 42-46-5(a)(1), and said the topics include personnel matters involving the police chief and collective bargaining with multiple employee groups. The meeting record states that “Chief Jason Ryan was notified in writing pursuant to Rhode Island General Law 42 46 5 a 1.”
The council identified a set of bargaining topics to be discussed in executive session: town hall collective bargaining, teachers, teacher aides, library employees, Council 94, fire personnel, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and the Teamsters. The motion on the floor was "to recess open session, reconvene in executive session." The minutes record the chair’s call and the response: “All in favor. Aye.”
The roll call at the start of the meeting shows a seven-member quorum: Council President Paul M. Roderick; Vice President Thomas P. Welch III; and Councilors Peter D. Connerton Sr., Christopher M. Logan, Charles R. Roberts, Dennis V. Toronto and Barbara Avon Villas. The transcript does not name who moved or who seconded the motion to recess, and no further votes or decisions on bargaining terms appear in the public record provided.
Under Rhode Island law cited by the council, executive sessions may be used for personnel and collective-bargaining discussions; the council’s statement that Chief Jason Ryan had been notified in writing invokes the notice requirement in R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-5(a)(1). The transcript does not record any substantive bargaining details, directions to staff, or final decisions in open session before recess.
The council returned to closed-door deliberations on these items; the public record provided here contains only the motion to recess and the unanimous voice vote to do so. Any actions taken or directions given in executive session, and any subsequent public votes or reports, were not included in the transcript excerpt provided.
