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Resident urges council not to replace whistleblower ordinance with policy; town manager says policy is stronger
Summary
At a first reading on an amendment to the townwhistleblower rules, resident Kathleen Guarino urged keeping the ordinanceor ensuring a robust replacement; Town Manager Ralph said the proposed council policy "is stronger than the ordinance" and any changes would be made publicly.
Kathleen Guarino, a North Kingstown resident, told the Town Council on Oct. 28 that she opposed repealing the townwhistleblower ordinance in favor of a simpler council policy and urged the council to preserve the ordinanceor at least retain a formal screening and logging process.
"It feels like throwing the baby out with the bathwater," Guarino said, arguing the current ordinance includes a formal screening process, an internet-based complaint log and procedural detail that a policy may lack.
Town Manager Ralph, who led the council discussion, said the townordinance committee and the audit committee found the existing ordinance confusing and not functioning in practice. He said the draft council policy has been designed to address personnel and retaliation concerns and to direct different types of complaints to the appropriate agency.
"I would strongly disagree with you. I think the policy is stronger than the ordinance," Ralph said, adding that any change to a council policy would be made in a public council setting just as an ordinance change would be. He encouraged written questions and said he would send the proposed policy to Guarino for review.
Guarino told the council she worried the policy could be changed more easily and that citizen trust might be diminished if reporting and screening steps were removed. She suggested creating a screening group with both staff and citizen members to log and investigate complaints if the council moves to a policy.
The item was before the council as the first reading of an amendment affecting Section 14-25 (whistleblower complaints). Council members said earlier discussions on the matter, including a more comprehensive review in March 2023, are available online and that the town manager would provide the draft policy for public review. The council did not adopt a repeal at the meeting; the item was presented for further consideration.
