The last 12 months in East Providence have been rather good ones by any measure, the sense of optimism around the city buoyed by the continued redevelopment of our vital waterfront area as well as the start of construction on the new East Providence High School. Both of those things are critical elements of East Providence’s finances in the future, and 2019 could be looked back upon as a milestone year in that regard.
Reflecting on the stories covered in the pages of The Post this past year should give ample reasons for its residents to be hopeful about what lay ahead for the city. The positives far outweighed the negatives in 2019, which has been one of the most fruitful years in recent memory.
There hasn’t been as dedicated a group of elected officials, combined on both the council and the school committee, as there is at the moment. Gone is the drama, the often times farcical nature of their deliberations and actions. How effective the office of the mayor can be in producing real, timely results is still to be determined. Without question, however, having an elected chief executive beholden to the people appears to be a far better option as opposed to an appointed manager behold to the few.
It hasn’t all been rosy, though. There were a few bumps in the road to reconciling the changes in East Providence’s form of government. But even those arguments were conducted pretty much in a serious manner, lacking the vitriol so often associated with our politicians of the recent past, at least. No body, no matter how similar the views its members hold, will get through a long period without some dissension. It’s how they respond to their differences which sets competent leaders apart from the rest, and so far, so good on that aspect.
The city is also fortunate to currently have quite capable appointed administrators, who actually oversee the day-to-day operations of its key components such as schools and public works among others. Their aptitude will be tested in 2020 and beyond as the new EPHS and redevelopment moves ahead full bore.
At a community newspaper like The Post, the preference is to accentuate the better aspects of life in East Providence rather than worst. No city is perfect, and this one is far from it. But times like we just experienced in 2019 are a pleasure to convey. Here’s wishing that sense of togetherness, of commonality of purpose wasn’t just a one off, that they linger for a little while longer.
Happy New Year.