East Providence charter review commission readies draft of proposed changes

Formal document of suggested revisions would be presented to council for approval

By Mike Rego
Posted 4/5/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — Following a month’s worth of working meetings, the East Providence Charter Review Commission recently completed a draft of technical amendments to the city’s governing …

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East Providence charter review commission readies draft of proposed changes

Formal document of suggested revisions would be presented to council for approval

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — Following a month’s worth of working meetings, the East Providence Charter Review Commission recently completed a draft of technical amendments to the city’s governing document and will soon present it to the council for consideration.

The commission, appointed earlier this year, wrapped up discussions on the amendments during its two most recent meetings held on Thursdays, March 16 and 23, in city hall. Chairman Jim Russo led the proceedings, introducing topics for the talks. Assistant city solicitor Dylan Conley was charged with crafting the proposed changes into a formal document. The council has final approval of the recommendations presented by the commission.

Among the most recent additions to the technical amendments were the clarification of the roles the soon-to-be elected mayor and council have on hiring and personnel. The mayor, once seated following the November 2018 election, will definitively act as the lead negotiator of contracts with the employee bargaining units. Those agreements will be subject to council approval. It was noted all state Labor Relation Act provisions supersede charter elements pertaining to negotiations with unions.

The day the mayor and council take the oath of office and meet for the first time in the new session was also clarified. Conflicting language in Section 2 of the charter was amended to match that in Section 11, specifically 11-23, to read, “All elected and appointive officers elected or appointed for a definite term, shall enter upon their term of office upon the first day in May Tuesday after the first Monday in December next following a city election, or as soon thereafter as may be, and shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified.”

The existing Section 2-7 on the day and time of the first meeting of the newly elected council, likewise, was changed to coincide with the 11-23 language.

At the behest of commission member and state senator Bill Conley, a lawyer by trade, Section 13-4 of the charter pertaining to eligibility for officeholders was revised to now only preclude those holding employ in certain aspects of city, state and federal government specified in Rhode Island General Law (RIGL) or the Hatch Act. Dates and deadlines for office seekers in city elections, as dictated in Sections 11-9 and 11-10 of the charter, were revised to match those written in RIGL.

Other aspects aside from the technical amendments talked about at both meetings included that of changing the composition of the council from five to seven members. The move, initiated by commissioner Rick Lawson, was first tabled and then discarded all together upon a vote. Like discussions on the subject were held at both the March 16 and 23 gatherings where the potential pros and cons of the change were discussed.

However, comments from members Bill Fazioli and Michael Kennedy seemed to quell any enthusiasm for the change. Mr. Kennedy noted coupling a switch in the council with that of the elected mayor were “two significant changes” in close proximity and would likely be too drastic. Mr. Fazioli noted changing the council to seven with three At-Large members as proposed, could create a “supermajority” from one ward and could led to “a lot of unintended consequences.” The commission eventually voted 8-2 not to include any change to the council in its recommendations.

Commission member Jason Desrosiers initially suggested creating a fifth ward, reasoning it would give more constituents improved influence over the governing process. That potential change, though, was eventually tabled when his counterpart Rob Rock, who works on elections in the Secretary of State’s office, noted the considerable costs associated with redistricting. If was left that any potential change in the composition of the wards should be delayed until the future, possibly after the 2020 U.S. Census.

On the subject of salary/compensation for councilors and the mayor, the commission appeared headed towards approval of changes in language to Section 3-2 of the charter. The action would remove “salary” and replace it with “compensation.” It would rid the charter of any specific monetary figures and give the council the ability to determine compensation through ordinance, while continuing to refrain from giving itself raises. The practice of accepting ancillary benefits, such as healthcare, was also discussion, with the commission seemingly leanings towards leaving it up to the discretion of the mayor and the budgetary process.

The commission, at the conclusion of its March 23 meeting, began to consider changes to how the city solicitor and the city clerk positions are appointed as well as the order of succession should the elected mayor need to be replaced. No action was taken with the discussions expected to continue during its next scheduled meeting Thursday night, April 6, at 7 p.m. in Room 306 in city hall.

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.