Councilman Gebhart sponsored a Council ordinance directing the Department of Public Works to designate legitimate parking near Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) rights-of-way, after years of unauthorized “no parking” signs discouraging residents from using public shoreline access points. The move was part of a broader push, alongside state lawmakers, to make Rhode Island’s constitutional shoreline access rights actually usable in …
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At a contentious public hearing over a proposed short-term rental ordinance, Councilman Gebhart was among those who thought the Council needed more direct input from Airbnb hosts before regulating them, favoring a public forum process similar to the one used for the solar ordinance. He said the Council usually only hears about the problem cases, and floated a permitting approach: …
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After a former Water Division employee filed a 50-page federal lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and a hostile “boys club” culture under Water Chief Terry DiPetrillo — on top of an earlier assault charge stemming from an antisemitic incident at work — Councilman Gebhart publicly called for DiPetrillo’s immediate dismissal. He said the allegations, if true, signified a profound failure …
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This piece was credited “story and photos courtesy of Vinny Gebhart” — it’s Councilman Gebhart’s own recap of the 8th annual Cowesett Heights Neighborhood Association block party, which drew more than 250 neighbors for food, ice cream, face painting, and a chalk-the-block contest. As CHNA President, Gebhart spoke to the piece’s closing theme: the value of strong neighborhood bonds, whether …
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After Councilwoman Donna Travis pleaded no contest to a false-document charge tied to a disputed property transfer, Councilman Gebhart called publicly for her to step down as Chair of the Warwick Democratic City Committee and urged his Council colleagues to remove her as Pro Tempore, saying public officials have to be held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. …
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When the Council approved a bid to begin design work on rebuilding the Mickey Stevens Athletic Complex, Councilman Gebhart raised a bigger-picture question: with the new Toll Gate and Pilgrim High School projects running over budget, could a rebuilt Mickey Stevens serve double duty as a shared home field for both schools? He pushed for the city to inventory all …
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After Warwick Public Schools revealed a projected $9 million deficit for FY25, the Council voted 8-1 — following the Rhode Island Auditor General’s recommendation — to create a five-member oversight commission to help close the gap and protect the city’s bond rating ahead of more than $300 million in planned bond sales. Councilman Gebhart raised a pointed question about the …
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At an October Council meeting focused heavily on city finances — including a review of the FY24 audit — Councilman Gebhart supported a two-year contract with a local business to run ice-skate rentals at the city’s new rink, calling it a responsible way to get the facility open without the city taking on the expense of running rentals in-house. The …
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Councilman Gebhart joined State Senator Mark McKenney, CRMC staff, and URI Coastal Institute experts on a public walking tour of Potowomut’s public rights-of-way to the shore. He spoke about his work with the Warwick Police Department and DPW auditing decades of unauthorized “no parking” signs near coastal access points — so the signs still standing today are legitimate, enforceable ones …
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Another one of Councilman Gebhart’s own letters to the editor — written around Thanksgiving, connecting a Scouting America food drive to a conversation he had with the incoming CEO of the RI Community Food Bank, and encouraging residents to volunteer directly with Westbay Community Action, Warwick’s local food pantry. To the Editor: With this month’s news cycles focused on gridlock …
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