Budget Opponents Deploy Flyer Tactic
By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
May 30th 2025
RICHMOND – As they have done in previous years in the days before budget votes, budget critics have sent flyers to residents urging them to reject the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget in Tuesday’s budget referendum.
The flyer is signed by Clay Johnson, founder of the Forgotten Taxpayers political action committee. The latest packet, which arrived in mailboxes on Friday, also invites residents to join the Forgotten Taxpayers and the Richmond Republican Town Committee.
The proposed budget contains no increase in the property tax rate, which will remain $14.67 per $1,000, but its critics are demanding additional reductions.
Describing the four Democrats on the Town Council as “spend-a-holics,” the flyer charges that municipal spending is out of control.
“Propelled by Town Administrator Karen Pinch – spending is up 82% over 12 years!” the flyer states. “Fiscal Year 2026 expenses account for a whopping $8.36 million [a 14% INCREASE from just 2 years ago!] Why is this happening? Because Democrats love to spend a dollar – YOUR DOLLAR.”
The lone Republican on the Town Council, Jeffrey Dinsmore, is singled out for praise in the flyer for his opposition to the budget.
“A municipal employee himself, he saw through the budget bloat, unsustainable spending increases and runaway spending,” the flyer reads. “Coupled with additional full-time positions with costly benefits, Dinsmore said ‘this budget is fiscally irresponsible in the long run. Road improvements should be the priority, not raises.’”
It should be noted that Dinsmore is employed by the Town of Westerly, at the Department of Public Works, where employees received a 2% salary increase in the current year and will receive 3% increases in 2026. In addition, as a
result of contract negotiations in which the town agreed to cover the cost of the union pension, the total amount of the increase Dinsmore and other Westerly DPW employees will receive in 2026 is between 5.5% and 6%.
The Postcard
A postcard, mailed separately by the Forgotten Taxpayers, specifically targets Town Council President Samantha Wilcox for giving “huge raises to 38 employees at YOUR EXPENSE.”
Then there is a question: “Are you getting raises or social security increases?”
Editor’s Note: The answer to that question is yes. Social Security benefits increased by 2.5% in 2025 and by 3.2% in 2024.
Reached Friday, Wilcox said she remained open to considering reductions in the spending plan.
“I welcome disagreement with policy views, as long as it’s based on facts,” she said. “I never claimed to speak for the council nor did I say ‘the Democrat council will brazenly dig their heels in’ if the budget fails. After the last council meeting, I told Alex McKendall [ Richmond Republican Town Committee Chair] and Jeff Dinsmore that I personally wouldn’t support cutting the proposed raises but would suggest other cuts, like the grant writer position. I’ve been open about sharing some of the same concerns that residents have about the grant writer, but I always speak as an individual.”
The town has grappled with the issue of employees’ salaries, losing many to higher-paying positions, including some in other towns. Wilcox said that during her first term, she had requested an assessment of the compensation that employees would require to make Richmond more competitive with the salaries of their counterparts in other municipalities. The council determined that a 3% increase would help with employee retention.
“The League of Cities and Towns conducted a wage study, which confirmed that our staff is underpaid on an hourly basis compared to employees in similar roles elsewhere,” she said. “Over the past few years, we have experienced significant employee turnover. Some individuals left for personal reasons, while others pursued higher-paying opportunities.”
Asked what the next steps might be if voters reject the budget, Wilcox said,
“If this budget doesn’t pass, council will regroup and discuss, as a whole, what cuts are made, just like every other decision made on this budget. Clay Johnson didn’t attend any budget hearings [there were two public budget hearings] or contact me directly, so his comments as President of the political action committee in this last-minute postcard reflect an obvious misunderstanding of my position.”
The budget referendum will take place on Tuesday, June 3, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Richmond Town Hall.
