Then Again...What Do I Know?
Local commentary by Roger Bouchard as published in the Woonsocket Call on
February 04, 2010
Woonsocket
Council
Vice President Stella Brien took a swipe at state representative Chris Fierro,
district 51, during Monday’s city council meeting calling him out on his
refusal to sign on to legislation proposed by the Woonsocket Taxpayers Coalition
and endorsed by the city council to mandate a 25% co pay on health benefits
for those jobs paid by taxpayers money after their bargaining agreement
expired. Brien publicly declared “are you for the taxpayers or do you
represent special interest groups instead.”
I
emailed Fierro Tuesday morning looking for a reply and within a couple of
hours I received this response: “I have no interest in perpetuating a race
to the bottom for Woonsocket's working families. Cutting benefits is not going
to solve our state's fiscal mess, particularly our over-reliance on property
taxes. I have, and will continue to, advocate for systemic changes to our
taxation and fiscal systems. Eliminating the ineffective alternative flat tax,
a giveaway to less than one-half of one percent Rhode Islanders, would
alleviate the need for future property tax increases. Properly and fairly
funding our education system would have a dramatic positive outcome for the
city. These are the changes that working families need most.”
Providence
In the just wondering why department; why does one of the nation’s wealthiest universities, Brown University, pull in 26 million dollars in federal stimulus funds while Woonsocket, Pawtucket, Central Falls Johnston and East Providence are tethering on insolvency and get morsels of federal assistance earmarked for limited projects? And with only 1,345 jobs created statewide, why does it cost an astronomical $595,000 to create a position even if you include materials. There must be a better way? I couldn’t have imagined how little has been accomplished by spending so much. I was just wondering!
Woonsocket
Who has the worse job in
Woonsocket this month? Try the poor souls earning a living wearing the statue of
liberty suits on Diamond Hill Road promoting a local tax service. Have you seen
them out there dancing, prancing, waving, jumping and doing whatever is
necessary to keep from turning into a human icicle.
Woonsocket
The company
that owns nine area
Hollywood Video stores has filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time
in three years and will close at least one Rhode Island store. The Oregon based
company said it would close at least 805 stores in the United States, or about
one-third of its 2,415 locations, and lay off several thousand of its roughly
19,100 workers. The Rhode Island store set to close is on Taunton Avenue in East
Providence. The chain also has locations in Woonsocket at Park Square, Warwick,
Cranston, Pawtucket, Coventry, Fall River and Dartmouth. Their futures remain
unclear. The company has faced fierce competition in recent
years from Netflex and those Redbox kiosks you see in local supermarkets.
North Smithfield
Paulette Hamilton, North Smithfield’s town administrator, visited WNRI yesterday with her take on local issues. Like other towns and cities, North Smithfield will have to come up with one million dollars before June 30th and 2 million dollars for fiscal 2010-2011 if the cuts proposed by the governor stay in place. That’s a big if as the general assembly has the final word, not the governor, on final cuts. Hamilton says North Smithfield has a surplus to absorb the difference but that would mean jeopardizing the town’s bond borrowing credit rating. Hamilton reminded listeners there is little wiggle room for cutting as the town operates on a bare bones staff with some departments of one like one tax collector and tax assessor. Hamilton, like so many leaders have already said, the changes needed to maintain the future solvency of cities and towns are far reaching and comprehensive and “band aide” approach used to solve problems don’t work anymore. Bluntly put communities are bleeding financially. Hamilton concluded her visit by saying she will run for reelection when her term expires.
Providence
Last month’s edition of Rhode Island Monthly had a fun article about some the dumbest Ocean State moments of 2009. Called the Rhode Island Red Awards, the magazines ribs people and originations for miscues. Rhode Island Hospital was singled out for 5 wrong site surgeries since 2007. The editors chided the General Assembly for running up $167,000 catering bill to serve hungry politicians while they were conducting state business. The magazine noted that Providence Mayor David Cicilline approved a Nashville, Tennessee ad agency to promote Providence, Rhode Island while the state police had to investigate state workers who running personal errands and staying home while getting paid by the taxpayers. The problem was they were part of the state’s fraud detection unit. The person who took the biggest jolt was Rhode Island’s former Supreme Court chief justice Frank Williams for his involvement in a messy divorce involving his female former driver. And I thought only the Governor had a chauffeur!
Woonsocket
Councilman Dan Gendron and
Chris Beauchamp along with the Woonsocket Taxpayers Coalition are urging
residents to attend a planning board meeting next week looking for input on the
city’s Comprehensive Plan. Interested citizens can offer suggestions on open
space, recreation, housing, land use, cultural resources, economic development
and other areas at the 7pm Harris Hall meeting. The plan is updated every ten
years and here’s your chance to be heard.
Speaking of the taxpayers group, their website is offering residents a chance to take a survey. The website is www.woonsockettaxpayercoalition.org and under issues, visitors to the site can offer what they feel are the three most important issues. The 3 issues that concern me are high taxes, the potential for crime as outside influences slowly move into neighborhoods and a disproportion of influence in the general assembly where special interest groups dictate policy at the expense of the general public. I hope you’ll go to their website and offer your opinions.
Woonsocket is slowing moving ahead planning a new water treatment plant. So this Saturday a bus has been hired to go to Cambridge, Ma. to inspect their plant. The field trip will include administration and city council members but interested residents can also inspect the facility if space is still available. Call city hall and inquire about open seats.
My travel tip of the of the week from airfarewatchdog.com is a $158.00 roundtrip to Melbourne, Florida. This is a great deal as Melbourne close to Cape Kennedy and Orlando has a small airport with easy car rentals and no aggravation. US Airways has just entered the market and cut prices to get business moving and as a result you can benefit from this low fare until May. The service begins in Providence to Charlotte and a change of planes down the coast to Melbourne. It takes about 4 hours and twenty minutes including the connection to get into the sunshine.
ROGER BOUCHARD is general manager of radio station WNRI. His column appears every Thursday in the Woonsocket Call. He can be reached at rogerwnri@prodigy.net.
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