Editorial: Approach of East Providence Council to appointments is appreciated

Posted 4/11/19

One of the most salient, sage comments to come from what has appreciably been an auspicious start to the term of the City Council elected in November 2018 was delivered last week by new Ward 3 …

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Editorial: Approach of East Providence Council to appointments is appreciated

Posted

One of the most salient, sage comments to come from what has appreciably been an auspicious start to the term of the City Council elected in November 2018 was delivered last week by new Ward 3 Councilman Nate Cahoon when discussing the appointment of the first female voting member to sit on the Waterfront Commission, attorney, city native and East Providence High School graduate, Jennifer Griffith.

As noted in the story on the matter, which appears in this edition on page 5, Mr. Cahoon said the following after the council unanimously supported Ms. Griffifth’s selection, “I think Jennifer will be the first voting female member of the Waterfront Commission. And I think that is important for us to keep in mind that these commissions set the tone for our entire community. They really should reflect the demographic and the perspective of our community. So, I think it behooves all of us to put some consideration into who’s going on these commissions and these boards. And specifically making sure they’re representative of the folks they’re working for.”

Read some of those words closely again.

“…these commissions set the tone for our entire community…put some consideration into who’s going on these commissions and these boards…making sure they’re representative of the folks they’re working for…”

Imagine that, our elected representatives carefully considering whom they select to act in the stead of the public rather than just randomly choosing someone out of political expediency?

By no means is the sentiment expressed by Mr. Cahoon isolated to him or the current council. Past incarnations of the body have held similar views, but some of its previous members and those who have sat in the executive, on the contrary, were blatant in their attempts to stock these positions with unqualified cronies.

It is rather refreshing, though, to hear an elected official take a thoughtful approach to the process. And it’s deserving of being highlighted.

Many of these boards and commissions in city certainly do set the tenor of how we do things in East Providence and, almost as important, help mold outside perceptions of it. The Waterfront Commission, specifically, most definitely does so.

They should not be taken for granted, nor should this council’s pointed perspective.

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.