Is 2012 the Year for Regionalization in RI?
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Talk about regionalization of services has gained momentum among municipal leaders throughout Rhode Island as a means of uniting neighboring cities and towns, for better or worse.
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien, in a recent letter to the governor’s office, suggested a coalition of his city, along with East Providence and Central Falls, would be for the better, with Central Falls in receivership and Pawtucket and East Providence needing aid advances from the state to make payroll.
However, a municipal employee union leader who has sat on both sides of the regionalization equation fears it could be for the worse, too.
J. Michael Downey, president of Council 94, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has a unique perspective on regionalization. He is both leader of a union representing city and school employees in Central Falls and municipal employees in East Providence and Pawtucket, and as a former Town Council member in Charlestown, which has been attempting to break away from the Chariho School District, which also includes the towns of Richmond and Hopkinton.
As a union leader, Downey opposes regionalization of services in the three cities, saying the results “will be very chaotic.”
But if employees are to be regionalized, he said, the principle shouldn’t stop there.
“It’s never regionalization of town councils or school committees. It’s just employees,” Downey said.
Back home, Downey did not back the push for Charlestown to break away from Chariho, but acknowledged the measure is gaining support, even at a heavy legal cost to the town.
“Some felt they could save money and guarantee the success of students better with Charlestown as a separate school district,” he said.
As a councilman, Downey said, he has seen disagreement between the three towns on financial issues throw major roadblocks into planning, suggesting it could be the case with the cities to his north.
“The biggest problem I’ve seen is to have three communities come to an agreement to build the high school. When we go to bid, if one town doesn’t accept, you can’t get it done,” he said.
As a union leader, Downey is not convinced the cities’ regionalization of services will save anyone money, and that their competing interests would create problems.
“I don’t see how it would save anyone money. I know the state has cut back on incentives to regionalize, at least in schools,” he said.
“We certainly would listen to (Grebien’s) plan and want to be part of the discussion,” Downey added.
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