Thursday, December 16, 2010

Like Throwing a Drowning Man an Anchor

ProJo:

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. -- The best way to fix the city's massive municipal deficit is to merge it with the city of Pawtucket, have the state take over the Wyatt detention facility and convince the legislature to enact laws that would change how municipal contracts and pensions statewide are handled, the retired judge appointed to fix Central Falls budget problems said in a report issued Thursday...

A merger with Pawtucket would put Central Falls in a municipality with similar demographics and issues, Pfeiffer said. At first, Pawtucket's own distressed budget situation might argue against such a move, but he suggested the state could provide incentives for Pawtucket, like extra state aid, to help with the transition.

The lower income population of Central Falls would make it easier for Pawtucket to attract government grants, he said, and the increased population would make the new combined entity the second biggest city in the state, enhancing its legislative clout.

When asked about Pfeiffer's merger recommendation, Central Falls City Council President William Benson Jr. said, "That's not going to happen. I don't see that."

1 comment:

xprezpawtcfclc said...

I am sure Mayor-elect Grebien will listen with an open mind to all dialog pertaining to the merging of Central Falls with Pawtucket and also the the possibilities of regionalization.