A changing council

Posted 11/17/16

A new chapter has opened with the election of four new members to the nine-member Warwick City Council. There hasn't been as many fresh faces at one time on the legislative branch of city government in decades nor, for that matter, as many lawyers. With

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A changing council

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A new chapter has opened with the election of four new members to the nine-member Warwick City Council.

There hasn’t been as many fresh faces at one time on the legislative branch of city government in decades nor, for that matter, as many lawyers. With the election of Richard Corley, Ward 1, and Jeremy Rix, Ward 2, who join Joseph Solomon, Ward 4, and Steve Merolla, Ward 8, the new council will have four attorneys. Also, for a first time in many years, the council will be made up entirely of Democrats.

Already we’re getting a glimpse of how this group may work even though inauguration is more than a month away. During a caucus Sunday, the group unanimously elected Mr. Solomon to serve as president.

Mr. Solomon, who is starting his ninth term on the council and has twice before served as president, wasn’t seeking the post. Rather, Donna Travis was looking to continue in the job. Ed Ladouceur was campaigning for it and Joseph Gallucci said he was interested. It looked like a two-way if not three-way contest for the leadership position.

It’s a guess how such a showdown would have played out, but it’s safe to say there would have hard feelings among the losers that probably would have tainted relationships going forward.

Instead, at least from an outsider’s perspective, we see a unified group.

In an interview Monday, Mr. Solomon talked of working with the administration. He spoke of a shared love for the city with Mayor Scott Avedisian, the city’s only Republican office holder. Mr. Solomon said he would embrace all good ideas.

This is great start.

Mayor Avedisian and Council President Travis have had a cooperative working relationship. The two didn’t always agree, but lines of communication remained open and they have worked cooperatively on a spectrum of issues from the budget to legislation aimed at spurring development and creation of new jobs.

We hope that Mayor Avedisian and Mr. Solomon have a similar working relationship.

Mr. Solomon also faces the challenge of gaining the consensus of his colleagues. He sees a diverse group with different skills and talents. In the weeks ahead he will be talking with each member-elect to learn of their interests and on what committees they might best serve.

Such team building may not be easy, especially when it comes to the finance committee that plays a critical role in the award of contracts.

We look forward to Mr. Solomon’s efforts to streamline council meetings, starting them on time and allowing for discussion without a dragging debate.

We’re off to a positive start and wish Mr. Solomon success in his stated effort to do what’s best for our city.

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