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The Reporter May 010
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Opinion
FROM THE MAYOR’S DESK by Joseph S. Larisa, Jr.
WE KEEP ON CHUGGING
If you are a reader of this column, you realize that managing a budget in the midst of the “great recession” is a neverending battle. Just when you think you’ve plugged a hole in the dam, another one opens up. Such is the case with the State’s auto tax cut, for which it promised to reimburse cities and towns for the lost revenue (and did until last year). Yet, last year it cut East Providence $3 million dollars of promised reimbursement, which forced us to use all of the 3.5% tax cap just to offset some ($ .1 million) of the cut. But that was only the beginning. The General Assembly is in the middle of making more cuts to the promised car tax payment for this year, and even ending the program for next year. As of press time, on the table are cuts to the city side of up to another $1 million this year and a staggering $ million starting July 1. In addition, more cuts to our schools are likely both this year and next. Meanwhile, the General Assembly continues to consider bills that would mandate millions more in taxpayers payments to teachers through binding arbitration or stopping taxpayer changes to unaffordable contracts. Just as bad, the legislature refuses to give cities and town any of the tools we need to afford the state budget cuts. The worst example is the refusal to pass a mandatory minimum 15% healthcare copay for all municipal employees. Big labor got to the representatives, and promised retribution at the ballot box. The result – taxpayers lose. Our bottom line in EP is that our taxpayers have done their share with a 3.5% tax rate increase, the top of our cap. Economic justice demands that additional revenue or cuts must come from somewhere else. If you get a moment, email your legislators and tell them you’ve paid enough. No more broken promises – give your City the tools it needs to reign in unaffordable salaries and benefits. Tools that work when Big Labor says no at the negotiating table. On another happier note, a year ago if you remember, the City and Police Union were in a protracted dispute over necessary salary and benefit cuts and with the selection of a new police chief. The result on the contract (after much wrangling and layoffs) was an agreement for this year that benefitted EP taxpayers by saving the city over $ 00k. On the police chief selection, recently an arbitrator ruled that the City Manager lawfully considered applicants from inside and outside the department, and that his pick of an outsider, was legal. The Council majority, which backed the City Manager’s ability to interview anyone qualified who applied, took a lot of heat for not ordering that insiders only need apply. But we heard from you with the overwhelming sentiment – why shouldn’t the City Manager choose from the largest pool possible and pick the best and brightest from all applicants? That is exactly what happened. Now that the dust has settled, we have an excellent chief, Joseph Tavares, with Townie roots. As an added bonus, we have the first municipal minority police chief in Rhode Island. We kept politics out and made sure merit prevailed. That’s Townie Pride.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments, please email me at mayorlarisa@verizon.net. * Joe Larisa was elected Mayor of East Providence for a fourth term in December 2008 by the Council. He was elected councilman at large in November 2008, a position he previously held from 1992-2002, and 2004-06.