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City Council Creates Special Committee on Public Education  The Special Committee on Public Education of the Providence City Council convened its first, organizational meeting on Monday, March 5. Officers were elected and the drafting of a mission statement was discussed in some detail.
Councilman Cliff Wood, Ward 2, was elected chairman, and Councilman Michael Solomon (Ward 5) was elected vice-chairman. The Special Committee is further comprised of Councilman Joseph DeLuca (Ward 6), Councilwoman Josephine DiRuzzo (Ward 15), and Councilman Miguel Luna (Ward 9).
“Our mission involves a commitment to conduct an open and ongoing conversation with the people of Providence and their elected officials in City and State government on issues relating to our public education system,” said Chairman Wood.
“We will provide a forum for members of the City Council and the general public to study and discuss our collective effort to make the Providence public school system one of the nation’s best.”
All members of the Special Committee agreed that they must provide fresh perspectives on, and fresh airings of educational issues that will remain of critical importance to the future of Providence. “We will call on experts from all relevant disciplines to inform our deliberations,” Chairman Wood said.
The chairman has been in contact with Mayor David N. Cicilline, Peter McWalters, Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Education, Dr. Donnie Evans, Superintendent of the city’s Public School Department, Mary McClure of the Providence School Board, and Lamont Gordon, Brown University’s Director of Education Outreach, among others, to introduce the new committee’s work and solicit their input.
“The success of public education in Providence and the success of our city and state are profoundly intertwined,” Chairman Wood observed.
“With the formation of the Special Committee on Public Education, the City Council has taken the next step toward insuring that our children are among the best educated in America.”
The Special Committee on Public Education plans to meet on a bi-weekly basis, or as circumstances may dictate. The Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3, at 6 pm at City Hall.
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Introducing "Ten for Fifteen"  "The Docket” is pleased to introduce a new, regular feature, "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 Seth Yurdin, the newly elected voice of Ward One, takes center stage.
*********1. How do you define public service? Working effectively to help others.2. Who are the public servants who have had the most profound positive influence on your choice to join their ranks? A staff member that worked for Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont - who showed me how to have patience, the ability to listen, and that politics should be about helping people.3. What are your top three priorities for City Council initiatives during the next 12 months? Focusing on neighborhood issues and projects, including traffic calming, infrastructure repairs and improvements. Preserving and improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods as the city adopts the new city-wide Comprehensive Plan and as I-195 is relocated. Advocating for community involvement in making our public schools stronger. And pressing for environmental initiatives, including the full implementation of ordinances requiring the city to use renewable energy.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? Through regular neighborhood meetings as well as continuing the one-on-one dialogue with those in the neighborhood. Of course, they are always welcome to call me at 273- 2848 or email at ward1@providenceri.com.5. What are some of your favorite films, books, and/or plays? What kinds of music do you most enjoy? Who has time for films, books and plays with all of these meetings in the neighborhood and downtown?!?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? The arts are critical for our public schools. Studies confirm that students involved in these activities learn and achieve more. While it might be tempting to view these subjects as beyond the core mission of our schools, the Council, Administration and School Department need to work together to restore these 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? Under the City Charter (basically our City’s ‘Constitution’), the Council is tasked with making the laws of our City. The Administration is charged with executing them. Disagreements are natural in politics (as they are in life). We all know that reasonable people can disagree about the best way to move forward to solve a particular problem. Strong debate often leads to better solutions. But I believe we all share the same goals – improved schools, respect for our neighborhoods and the environment. I trust that the City Council and Administration will each fulfill their roles under the Charter to work for the benefit of all of the City’s residents.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?” What took you so long? 9. On what criteria would you ask your constituents to judge your performance as their councilman? That I’ve put in my best effort to represent our neighborhood and the City. 10. Finally, the quintessentially Rhode Island question (be very careful on this one): Red Sox or Yankees? Not the Yankees
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Neighborhood News - Wards 5, 12 and 14 Easter Egg Hunts Set New Records  Fargnoli Park and Davis Park were the scenes of March 31 Easter Egg Hunts that set new records in the “Eggs Found,” “Good Times” and “Just Plain Fun” categories.
Council President Peter S. Mancini and Councilman Michael Solomon co-sponsored the event, along with Senators Maryellen Goodwin, Dominick J. Ruggerio, and Frank Ciccone, and Representatives John J. Desimone, Joanne M. Giannini, John J. McCauley, Jr., and Peter N. Wasylyk.
Meanwhile, over at Davis Park, sponsors included Councilman Terrence M. Hassett, Senators Goodwin and Ruggerio, and Representatives McCauley, Giannini, and Steven Costantino.
And of course the Providence Recreation Department once again was the indispensable partner in both events.
Council President Mancini and Majority Leader Hassett were unanimous in their praise for the Easter Egg Hunts, which brought joy to scores of children ten years old and younger.
 “The Easter Bunny was in rare form, the pony rides were fabulous, and many kids got to take home prizes,” said the Council president. “Who could ask for anything more?”
Apparently, the weekend events also proved to be valuable educational experiences. One precocious nine-year-old egg hunter offered the following observations to his teacher and classmates during a subsequent “What Does Easter Mean to Me” presentation:
“Sylvilagus floridanus, of the order Lagomorpha (the so-called Eastern Cottontail), is observed to be temporarily metamorphosed by the vernal equinox in manners that continue to defy scientific explanation. Measurable, marked increases in height, weight, and intelligence are combined with an unnatural affection for the eggs of the Gallus domesticus (the common chicken).
“Said eggs are painted and secreted by the transformed ‘rabbit,’ who then challenges young Homo sapiens sapiens (human children) to find, collect, and ingest same.”
There’s one in every class.
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The Vote on Charter Amendments – An Appreciation  In last November’s general election, Providence voters approved 14 of 15 amendments to the City Charter. We have reproduced those questions below as a basic reminder of how the document that governs the manner in which we are governed, so to speak, was changed by the people.
The point? Like the United States Constitution, our city’s Charter by design retains the flexibility to be adjusted to meet changing social, cultural, economic, and political realities.
The voice of the people changes in tone and inflection over the decades. So too do our needs. In anticipation of this reality, the drafters of the Charter called for the convening of a Charter Review Commission every ten years. That body makes recommendations for Charter amendments to the City Council, which in turn reviews and says “yea” or “nay” to those submissions and passes on the “yeas” to the voters for their consideration.
In 2006 the process worked flawlessly as we, the voters of Providence, exercised our franchise. Consequently, as of January 1, 2007, and with the exception of the imposition of term limits, which takes effect in 2011, the 14 passed amendments are in full force and effect, and carry the weight of law.
They shall remain so at least until the next Charter Review Commission is convened, and we once again are asked to bring the Charter into alignment with the realities of Providence, 2016.
*****ELECTIONS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Commencing on the first Monday in January, 2011, shall any mayor be limited to serving two (2) consecutive full terms (excluding any partial term of less than two (2) years previously served) and shall any council member be limited to serving three (3) consecutive full terms (excluding any partial term of less than two (2) years previously served)? CITY COUNCIL (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the legislative powers of the city council be amended to allow the council thirty-five calendar days from the date a mayoral appointment first appears upon the agenda of the city council to act to approve or reject the appointment? CITY COUNCIL (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the city council have the power by a simple majority vote to retain and fix the salaries of those consultants it deems necessary for the exercise of its functions? FAILED PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the retirement board membership be changed to substitute the city treasurer for the mayor, and the finance director for the city controller, to allow the chairperson of the city council committee on budgetary matters to appoint a designee, and to add two members who shall not be officers or employees of the city, to be appointed by the mayor? PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the duties of the retirement board be set forth by ordinance? SCHOOL DEPARTMENT (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the credentials of both school board and nominating committee members reflect ethnic and racial diversity, and diversity of backgrounds, experiences and training that are representative of the city? SCHOOL DEPARTMENT (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the mayor be empowered to appoint a school board nominating committee with responsibility to narrow the field of school board appointees? BUDGET PROCEDURE AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the city's fiscal year be established by the city council by ordinance? CITY COUNCIL (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the time period in which the city council must act to override a mayoral veto or reduction run from the time such mayoral veto or reduction is delivered to the city clerk? APPOINTED OFFICERS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the city solicitor attend, or designate a subordinate to attend, all meetings of any standing committee of the city council? CITY DEPARTMENTS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the functions of the department of sewer management be transferred to the department of public works? CITY DEPARTMENTS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the department of department of sewer management be abolished? BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the city council have the power to elect members to the water supply board who are not presently members of the city council, provided that such members serve a term concurrent with the term of the city council? BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the Providence Civic Center Authority be abolished? GENERAL PROVISIONS (Resolution of the City Council adopted August 3, 2006) Shall the reference to section 1205 be corrected to make reference to section 1207?
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First “Providence Tomorrow” Neighborhood Planning Charrette a Success  The first of 10 neighborhood planning charrettes was in full swing last week at the Washington Park Community Center. Residents of the Washington Park and South Elmwood neighborhoods joined together, along with their councilmen, staff from the Department of Planning and Development, the mayor, and other elected officials, to create a plan for the future of their community.
Over the course of five days, participants worked on giant maps of the area and laid out visual representations of their neighborhood. Common themes included: more green space, trees and parks; safer roads; a more walkable community; creating “tot lots” and senior parks; filling vacant properties; better connection to the waterfront; and designating areas for economic development.
Neighbors will reconvene in early May to view a preliminary neighborhood plan, which will be based on the input gathered during the charrette. The Washington Park and South Elmwood neighborhoods are represented by Councilman Luis A. Aponte, Councilman Miguel C. Luna, and Councilman Leon F. Tejada.
In early 2006, the City Council—heeding the feedback and concerns of residents—declined to adopt a new zoning code that had been prepared by the City prior to neighborhood planning. In May 2006, the City Council and Mayor David N. Cicilline kicked off a reconceived, joint planning initiative, dubbed “Providence Tomorrow.”
Planning charrettes will be held throughout the city over the next 18 months. When all neighborhood plans are completed, each will be compiled into a new Comprehensive Plan for the City of Providence. In turn, a new Zoning Code will be drafted, based on the revised Comprehensive Plan.
Coming up: the Hope/Mount Hope/Blackstone planning charrette. Stay tuned for details or visit www.providencetomorrow. org
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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 live, work and visit. Please join us in our work to make Providence the best city it can be -- subscribe to "The Docket" today!
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