To the Editor: Working together to benefit the taxpayers of Warwick, last month the City Council passed an ordinance that will directly support local businesses. The ordinance addresses the solicitation of bids for the city. While reviewing bids on the
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To the Editor:
Working together to benefit the taxpayers of Warwick, last month the City Council passed an ordinance that will directly support local businesses.
The ordinance addresses the solicitation of bids for the city.
While reviewing bids on the finance committee, Councilman Howe and I noted that many city contracts go to out of state companies. Knowing databases like the Secretary of State's corporate database are available, we drafted an ordinance with the goal of identifying and then contacting Warwick companies when city contracts go out to bid. Previously, the city's purchasing agent solicited bids from past and prospective suppliers who have requested that their names be included on a bidder list. The new ordinance states the purchasing agent shall also solicit bids from prospective vendors by searching additional existing databases.
The RI Secretary of State's corporate database and the Small Business Administration's dynamic small business search engine have updated lists of local companies who currently operate in the city. Searching these databases will help identify Warwick companies who may not currently be on the city's list of bidders. The entire City Council signed on as co-sponsors of the ordinance. It passed 9-0 and was signed by the mayor.
The City Council will continue to award city contracts to the most qualified, lowest bidders. While not all services the city requires can be done by a local company, we want to ensure that Warwick businesses are, at minimum, aware of opportunities to do business with the city.
Because increased competition can drive down costs, including additional bidders on contracts may also save taxpayers money.
This ordinance is another small step that demonstrates Warwick is open for business. We want to create an environment that encourages companies to locate or expand their businesses here. Passing ordinances and resolutions similar to the one referred to above shows business owners that Warwick is a partner city where businesses can thrive.
Steve McAllister
City Council Ward 7
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richardcorrente
Dear Steve,
Your (and Tim Howe's) bill will attract new business to Warwick and help persuade other businesses already in Warwick to stay in Warwick. Great move! It doesn't cost the taxpayers a dime and it improves the "desirability" and economics of Warwick. Congratulations on a great piece of legislation.
Happy Summer Steve and Tim.
Happy Summer everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, July 6, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
The City Council should certainly be congratulated for an ordinance that supports Warwick's already vibrant and growing business sector, despite the fraudulent claims made regularly by the fake "mayor." It is a sign of improvement, however slight, that the fake "mayor" did not repeat his disproven claims in his prior comment, and that he recognizes [while showing no signs of emulating] leadership from the duly elected, legitimate public servants on the City Council.
Thursday, July 6, 2017 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear CrickeeRaven,
If Warwick has a "vibrant and growing business sector" you must have data to back that up. The Warwick school department reports that student population is down from 17,000 to under 9,000. The U.S. Census Bureau and the R.I. Secretary of States office show 4,666 businesses have left Warwick in the last ten years. Do you have data to disprove this?? Can you find one spot on ANY main road that DOESN'T have a bunch of vacancies? I can't. Please tell us where it's "vibrant." Please tell us where it's "growing".
Otherwise please shut up. All I was trying to do was complement Steve and Tim.
Happy Summer everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Friday, July 7, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
For approximately the 20th time, I am posting the link to verifiable proof that completely debunks claims by the fake "mayor" about the business sector in Warwick: http://warwickpost.com/numbers-game-corrente-claims-of-lost-businesses-dont-add-up/
For the benefit of readers who value honesty, here is the factual and provably correct data about Warwick's business sector, excerpted from the article linked above an in multiple other comment threads on this site:
1.: [W]hile the Census showed 8,410 firms in 2007 in Warwick, updated numbers from the U.S. Census showed 8,299 firms in the city as of 2012 — a difference of 111.
2.: [T[he Rhode Island Secretary of State reported 4,485 businesses in Warwick in an email to the city dated July 20, 2016 that she provided to the Post — a net increase of 735 since Corrente last gathered information from that department.
3.: The city’s numbers, reflected in an April 13, 2015 response to Corrente’s public records request and furnished to the Post, show yet another trend: A net gain of 98 businesses from 2007 through 2012 [3,835 to 3,933], and a total of 3,844 reported in 2014. Overall, that means the city added a net of nine businesses between 2007 and 2014.
4.: What is clear from a correct review of the data is that whatever the methodology, none of the reporting entities — the city, the state, or the U.S. Census — show anything near the 4,666 lost businesses since 2007 that Corrente is claiming.
That he chooses to ignore the many opportunities provided to him to admit to his falsehood and the data that shows him to be a liar only further proves his unfitness for office. It is a certainly that he will ignore this opportunity, as well, as shown by his bullying behavior and repeated attempts to deflect from the truth about businesses in Warwick by discussing its population.
Were the fake "mayor" a person of the slightest integrity, he would take his own advice and "shut up." He has proven, however, that he lacks the slightest ability to acknowledge his error; that he prefers to cast Warwick in the poorest light that he can imagine for his own political purposes; and that he remains a failed candidate desperately clinging to some imaginary sense of popularity by polluting this site with his fraudulent claims.
Friday, July 7, 2017 Report this