EDITORIAL: Is Another Mayor Going to Drown in a Pool?
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
In June of 2013, a GoLocalProv investigation found that the decision by then-Providence Mayor Angel Taveras to close the Davey Lopes Recreation Center’s pool was politically motivated.
It was seen by some as a step backward in limiting opportunities for Providence’s children to have access to public pools -- and the chance to learn how to swim.
Far too many inner-city children never learn how to swim, and Black and Brown children are far more likely to drown.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTA few weeks after GoLocal’s initial reports, Taveras was blasted by a series of community leaders.
“This is a class issue and a race issue. I'm angry and I've been this way for years. The [Taveras] administration is making it worse. We have them turning all the pools into what they're calling 'safe pools,' three and four feet deep--a swimmer can no longer use them,” said former State Representative Ray Rickman.
GoLocal wrote more than 30 articles, there was a community uprise, and finally, Taveras was forced to relent.
The damage was done to Taveras, who was then running for Governor.
A year after Taveras ordered the pool closed, it was reopened.
Taveras was wounded, and then-candidate for Governor Gina Raimondo took advantage.
"This is the power of what can happen when the community comes together," said Raimondo, who jumped in the pool along with Council members and supporters. "Everyone deserves the same opportunities, regardless of zip code."
GoLocal won multiple awards for its reporting.
Taveras’ legacy as a politician is that he closed a community pool and was forced to reopen it. Raimondo has gone on to be the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Today, Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins appears to be jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim. Hopkins has been battling with fellow Republicans and Democrats over his pool plan.
On Sunday, Cranston Forward, a community group, criticized Hopkins’ new plan to close the much beloved Budlong pool and replace it with a smaller pool.
“Mayor Hopkins announced that he would proceed, against overwhelming public opposition, with demolishing the Budlong pool and replacing it with a new pool. The new pool will be irregularly shaped, two-thirds smaller, mostly very shallow, and designed primarily for small children,” said Cranston Forward.
“The Mayor added three lap lanes in a late effort to placate critics, but it is clear the new pool will not accommodate the City’s population and that it is not designed for the majority of users—which include teens, for whom the pool was a popular summer spot; the many hundreds of kids in the city’s summer camp (an estimated 700 this year); and the adults of all ages who also used the pool for exercise and socializing,” the group said.
Be careful, Mayor, there appears to be no lifeguard on duty, and it is easy to drown.
An editorial is the opinion of a publication — specifically, the ownership.
While based on facts and news reporting, it is an opinion intended to discuss critical community issues. Often, the opinion is written with the intention of positive change.
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