With the Cianci Administration having come to its inglorious end this past
Friday, we hope that the next two months are productive ones for city government.
Acting Mayor and Providence City Council President John J. Lombardi has before
him a unique opportunity. He can leave a lasting mark by helping to get the
city off to a good start as it moves to distance itself from a truly difficult
time. If during the brief period in which he occupies the spacious corner office
on the second floor of City Hall Lombardi is able to set in motion a detailed
forensic audit of the city’s finances, he will have done Providence a great
service. Such an exhaustive audit has been promised by all of the candidates
now bidding to succeed Cianci. While they disagree on certain aspects of how
the city should be run, they rightfully agree that the city’s current financial
mess needs to be addressed – and addressed sooner rather than later. We agree
and in fact would suggest that there is no reason to wait until after the general
election in November to begin such an important endeavor. To its credit, Lombardi’s
transition team has already asked for information from various city department
heads, including detailed expenditures. We can only hope that such information
is forthcoming. And we urge Lombardi to respond swiftly and publicly should
any city department delay in providing him the information he seeks. It would
seem implausible that any City Hall workers would have not gotten the message
by now – that times are changing, that the status quo is no longer going to
be accepted at City Hall. We are sure that when the mayoral election is concluded,
the candidate that emerges from the field will find that a Herculean financial
task awaits. The city’s deficit has been estimated to be just over $23 million.
Its unfunded pension liability is also a mess. And just weeks ago, school department
officials were discussing the merits of obliterating varsity sports and other
extracurricular activities. If our capital city is to generate bold new economic
development projects, it must first get its own fiscal house in order. The next
elected mayor will have to make that his first priority. But Acting Mayor Lombardi
should get the process started now. It is critical for the city’s future that
these next two months are productive ones.
The shows – and life –
must go on
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
In the weeks and first few months following the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11, several Broadway shows closed. It wasn’t because critics had panned them.
The tourists simply stopped coming. Rooms in the posh hotels of New York City
remained vacant. Lines at restaurants – from Little Italy to Chinatown — became
a rarity. But it didn’t last — not for long, anyway. While the numbers of international
tourists are indeed down, domestic travel to New York City is up. Americans
are rediscovering the Big Apple. And some most heartening news came out of Broadway
just last week. Theater officials are predicting that for the year following
the attacks, box office numbers are expected to be down 5 percent. A 5 percent
drop would be met with disappointment during a normal year, but given the circumstance
of the past year it represents an astonishing example of perseverance. Broadway’s
comeback represents one of the core strengths of our country. We protect, and
support our own. It is what we heard in those first few weeks after that fateful
Tuesday morning. That we should continue to shop and travel and do the things
we have grown so accustomed to doing. That message remains true this week, as
we mark the first anniversary of Sept. 11. We need to support our businesses.
We need to dine out and take in shows and ball games. We need to travel. We
need to communicate with one another. We need to remember Sept. 11 forever –
and show the world, and each other, that we as a nation have never been stronger.
