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City
Council Delegation to State Education Commissioner Increase School Funding or Prepare to Run City Schools
 As this
edition of "The Docket" goes to electronic press, the ultimate impact of Rhode
Island's grave budget crisis on Providence public schools remains impossible to
predict.
What is abundantly clear to City Council Majority Leader
Terrence M. Hassett, Finance Committee Chair John J. Igliozzi, and Councilmen
Miguel Luna, Michael Solomon, Leon Tejada, and Seth Yurdin - all of whom marched
to the Department of Education building on June 13 to present a letter to
Commissioner of Education Peter McWalters - is that if Rhode Island does not
increase education financing to Providence, the City will pass along
responsibility for its schools to the State.
The following evening, the
Council's Finance Committee addressed in great detail the budget woes facing the
city's public schools - and solutions proved to be highly
elusive.
Schools account for more than half of Providence's $625.9
million budget. For the current fiscal year (ending June 30), the city receives
$189 million from the state. It was anticipated that the General Assembly would
increase that number by three percent, to $195.4 million. But now that
projection seems to have been - to say the least - optimistic.
The
rationale for the Council contingent's visit to Commissioner McWalter's office,
where they presented him with a highly symbolic ceremonial "key" to Providence
Public Schools, was highlighted by Majority Leader Hassett:
"Ours was a
demonstrative effort to inform the State that the City has an enormous financial
problem," he said. "The intention was to show the Department of Education the
future they very well may be facing."
That point having been made -
dramatically - the Council is devoting its resources to solving what might
fairly be characterized as the most daunting and potentially devastating budget
shortfall in Providence's history. Working with the city's internal auditor, the
Council's Finance Committee is investigating cost saving measures and looking
beyond one-time fixes. "If we don't address the shortfall this year, it will
grow exponentially in the years to come," Finance Chairman Igliozzi
noted.
Stay tuned for the date of July public hearings on the budget.
With so many factors affecting Providence's budget - including the State budget
recently approved by the Rhode Island House of Representatives - public
participation in the process is crucial.
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"Ten
for Fifteen"
 In each
issue we will pose the same ten questions to one of the fifteen members of the
City Council. Our goal is to provide insights into their respective backgrounds,
thinking, and values.
In this issue, Councilman Nicholas Narducci, the
newly elected voice of Ward Four, takes center stage.
*********1. How do you define public service? Serving the community to the best of one's
ability.2. Who are the public servants who have had the most
profound positive influence on your choice to join their ranks? My great grandmother, Anna Narducci, my grandfather, Nick
"Scrappy" Narducci, and most of all my father, Nick "Buster" Narducci. All three
were involved in making our community a better place.3. What are
your top three priorities for City Council initiatives during the next 12
months? Making absentee landlords more accountable
for the maintenance of their properties. Working with the Police Department to
address traffic and safety concerns in our community. Working with members of
the Council, Administration, School Board and the PTO to strengthen our
neighborhood schools.4. Before you can function as the voice of
your constituents, you must first hear their voices; accordingly, how do you
effect direct communications with the residents of your ward? I have created the North End Community Action Committee, which
meets on the first Monday of the month. The community comes together to discuss
issues and concerns. They can also visit my website at www.nicholasnarducci.com.
They can call me 632- 0098, or stop by my house and chat. I have an open door
policy.5. What are some of your favorite films, books, and/or
plays? What kinds of music do you most enjoy? Balancing my duties as councilman, president and coach of the
North End Wanskuck Little League, and youth football coach, unfortunately I do
not find much time for movies, books, or plays. I enjoy listening to lite rock,
music from the 50's and 60's.6. In your opinion, how important
are fine and performing arts studies to a well-rounded public education, and how
should we prioritize funding for them? Because each
arts discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through
different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. As
students imagine, create, and reflect, they are developing both verbal and
nonverbal abilities necessary to school progress. As I stated in question 3, we
should work together to fund such programs.7. How would you
describe the unique responsibilities of, and the optimum working relationship
between the legislative and executive branches of our city's
government? The division of the legislative and
executive functions of government limits the possibility of arbitrary excesses
by government, since the sanction of the two branches is required for the
making, executing, and administering of laws. We should all work together and
make the right choices for the people we serve.8. To borrow a
feature from the television program "Inside the Actors Studio," how would you
respond to journalist Bernard Pivot's question, "If Heaven exists, what would
you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?" Job well done!9. On what criteria would you ask
your constituents to judge your performance as their councilman? My hard work, effort and dedication to the residents of the 4th
Ward.10. Finally, the quintessentially Rhode Island question (be
very careful on this one): Red Sox or Yankees? Red
Sox!
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Councilman Hassett Places Fire Safety Atop The Agenda
 In the wake
of an estimated 11 reported fires in the Smith Hill neighborhood this past
winter - one that tragically claimed the life of a father and his daughter in a
fire on Chalkstone Avenue - and at least three more house fires in Mt. Pleasant,
Ward 12 City Councilman Terrence M. Hassett conducted a "Safety Day" on
Saturday, April 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the grounds of the
Nathaniel Greene Middle School on Chalkstone Avenue.
The event was
sponsored by Majority Leader Hassett, Mayor David N. Cicilline, State Senator
Maryellen Goodwin, Representative John J. McCauley, Jr., and the Providence Fire
Department.
The Safety Day event made available free smoke detectors to
area residents and provided education on safety and fire
prevention.
Majority Leader Hassett was joined by Chief Michael Dillon
and Chief James Taylor of the providence Fire Department, who directed the
distribution of the free fire detectors and provided important safety tips.
There was a raffle and prizes for children along with refreshments.
"Smoke detectors save lives by affording residents some valuable time to
escape a building should a fire start," Majority Leader Hassett said. "In
neighborhoods that have multi-family homes with multiple levels, a smoke
detector is one of the most important tools to have in good operating
condition."
He also noted that the Fire Department makes smoke detectors
available free of charge to the city's elderly, economically disadvantaged, and
disabled citizens
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Committee on State Legislation A
Strong Voice for Providence in the State House  Councilman
Seth Yurdin (Ward 1) speaks with undisguised enthusiasm about the goals,
strategies, and tactics of the Committee on State Legislation, which he
chairs.
"Our missions are to monitor, weigh in on, and help shape state
legislation that directly impacts Providence," the chairman explained. "And even
a quick glance at the headlines in this budget season will reveal just how
important a role our committee can play."
Chairman Yurdin indicated that,
under his direction and with the full faith and support of members Councilmen
Aponte, Igliozzi, Tejada, and Wood, the committee will take a "more pro-active
stance throughout our lobbying efforts." He noted that its number one mission is
to find ways to raise revenues for the city without raising the property tax
rate.
That being said, the current budget crises facing Rhode Island and
Providence seem so immense and daunting that even the most impassioned efforts
by the committee may fall short.
"No one in his or her right mind would
minimize the challenges facing the committee," said its chairman. "The
contributions made by Providence to the entire state must not be minimized
either. Imagine the 'state of the state,' if you will, absent all that the
capital city contributes economically and culturally to the quality of life
here. Our residents shoulder a great burden, and do so nobly and without
complaint. But nowhere is it written that we must go it alone."
During
the June 7 City Council meeting, Chairman Yurdin brought forward some 17
resolutions calling for Council endorsement and General Assembly passage of
specific bills.
Subjects included distressed areas economic
revitalization, affordable housing and open land assessment, weapons crimes,
regulation of public utilities and carriers, taxes, education, traffic control,
and open meetings.
The Council passed all resolutions.
Asked if
there were a single overriding theme to the work of the committee during his
first year at its helm, Chairman Yurdin said, "Indeed there is. All members were
in agreement that our initial efforts should be primarily - if not exclusively -
focused on shifting costs away from Providence, for example the Water Supply
Board Rate of Return, and developing new revenue streams for the city that don't
place the burden on property owners but instead call for non- profit
institutions like private universities to step up and pay their fair
shares."
Chairman Yurdin vows that his committee will work throughout the
summer to find stronger ways to speak for the people of Providence in the halls
of state government.
"We will cooperate with Mayor Cicilline and, it
should go without saying, all members of the City Council to make our unified
case to the General Assembly and Governor Carcieri.
"Failure," he noted,
"simply is not an option."
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"The Docket"
is all about making city government accessible to everyone. The Providence City
Council provides this newsletter as an information resource for residents,
business owners and everyone interested in making Providence a great place to
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