Is It Time to Abolish the City of Central Falls?
Monday, May 24, 2010
With a deepening corruption scandal at City Hall, a failing school system, and recent news that the Central Falls city government is broke, the city with “A Bright Future” is looking anything but.
In an editorial today, GoLocalProv asks if it is time to abolish the City of Central Falls and merge it with another community.
“I think it would be an excellent candidate for consolidation,” said Jim McGwin, president of the North Kingstown Taxpayers Organization and an advocate of consolidating schools and towns. “The problem is the receiving community. Who wants to take it?”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe problems the city is facing are staggering: it has one of the worst performing high schools in the state, a corruption scandal that has state police and FBI agents crawling over City Hall, and a declaration last week that the city government is broke. Even before this spate of bad news, the odds were stacked against Central Falls: it is the smallest community in Rhode Island and among the poorest.
Official Says There Is a Way Out
But one city councilor said he was nonetheless adamantly opposed to doing away with the city. “This cloud of corruption and things like that make the city look bad,” said Central Falls city councilor James Diossa. But, “if you drive by Central Falls you will see a lot of good things.”
Diossa, who said the city should not have declared insolvency, said those who grew up in the community and live there should be the ones making decisions about its future.
When asked how the city could surmount all the problems its facing, he conceded he had no easy answer, but said he was sure there was a way out. “I’m pretty sure there are ways around this. I don’t have a concrete answer,” Diossa said.
One outspoken critic of current Mayor Charles Moreau was cool to consolidation as well. Edna Poulin, who ran against Moreau for mayor in 2007, said none of the surrounding communities would want to take on Central Falls. “Lincoln doesn’t really want Central Falls. Cumberland doesn’t want it. Pawtucket doesn’t really want it,” Poulin said.
Legal, Political Hurdles to Eliminating City
Ending Central Falls' existence as a city would not be easy, according to Jared Goldstein, a law professor at Roger Williams University. The General Assembly would have to revoke the city’s charter—but only if local voters approve. “The legislature can pass laws that change all local governments without a local referendum, but it cannot single out a particular city for change unless the city approves it by referendum,” Goldstein said.
When asked if state lawmakers were considering the idea, House Majority Leader Nicholas Mattiello declined to comment.
“I think it’s a non-starter politically to eliminate or merge municipalities together,” Goldstein said. “Each one is its own fiefdom that protects its power.”
Goldstein and McGwin agreed that Rhode Island has too many cities and towns that duplicate each other’s services. The number and small size of the communities, Goldstein added, create an environment ripe for corruption. “As corrupt as the state government is, I think the local municipalities are worse,” Goldstein said.
Were any surrounding community to absorb Central Falls, McGwin said it would have to receive a guarantee from the state that the financial costs would be cushioned by a boost in state aid. “That’s a tough sell in Rhode Island,” McGwin said. “Who believes that a deal you strike today is going to be honored tomorrow?”
The more realistic solution, McGwin added, is to merge some municipal services—like police and fire—among Central Falls and other northern Rhode Island communities.
In the meantime, he says only the state is in a position to save Central Falls. “Until the state addresses the bigger issue of consolidation, the state is going to end up rescuing Central Falls,” he said. “I can’t see another town or city taking it on.”
