Anthony Sinapi has plans for the City Council, although as the incoming council president, he’s keeping them secret for the moment.
Sinapi, who was selected chairman by incoming council …
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Anthony Sinapi has plans for the City Council, although as the incoming council president, he’s keeping them secret for the moment.
Sinapi, who was selected chairman by incoming council members in a caucus prior to Christmas, will officially assume the role on Jan. 7 during inauguration ceremonies at the Crowne Plaza.
In an interview Thursday, he said he aims to make meetings “more streamlined.” Pressed for details, he said, “I want that to be a surprise.” And should it not work out, he added, “We won’t stick with it.”
He’s also keeping close to his vest those council members he plans to name committee chairs. With four of the incoming council members new to the job, he has four incumbents, Bill Foley, Ward 1; Jeremy Rix, Ward 2; Ed Ladouceur, Ward 5 and Vincent Gebhart as seasoned veterans. He said he’s talked with members and essentially selected committees, which will also be announced at the Jan. 7 meeting.
But Sinapi isn’t hesitant to name challenges faced by the city and how the council may play a role. On top of his list are the school budget and the construction of new Toll Gate and Pilgrim high schools.
Next in line is the municipal budget, which he points out doesn’t have the luxury of federal ARPA funds in2025. Unlike some other municipalities that used ARPA funds on operating expenses, the administration of Mayor Frank Picozzi allocated most of its $33 million on capital improvements such as fire trucks, sanitation trucks and the extension of Bayside sewers, meaning the city would not be faced with structural deficits going into the new fiscal year beginning on July 1. That was not the case with the School Department, which used federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds made available during the pandemic to initiate new programs that it continued to fund when the federal programs weren’t renewed.
The School Department faces a deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. How much of a deficit and how the administration aims to deal with it remain undefined. When faced with a similar situation where schools failed to complete the fiscal year with a balanced budget, former Mayor Scott Avedisian used city funds on the condition that schools refund the city, which it did over time.
Looming, which could be an even greater problem, is how schools will complete the current budget. Schools are facing a $9-million shortfall in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The administration and schools have been meeting regularly on budget issues. Additionally, schools retained Diane Brennan, who previously worked for the city Finance Department, to work with auditors. How that plays out could ultimately involve the council.
Sinapi aims to improve “collaboration” between schools and the council, although he didn’t say how that might happen. He is also looking to repeat the good relationship that Picozzi and outgoing City Council President Steve McAllister had.
A shortage of funds on a larger scale – approaching $37 million, according to the most recent projections of the project manager working on the design engineering for the new high schools – could likewise come before the council. Sinapi finds some merit to McAllister’s suggestion that the city assume the cost and control of athletic fields as a means of cutting construction costs of the new schools, although it would not reduce costs to the taxpayers.
Sinapi doesn’t see an alternative to building the new schools, although it appears the $350 million approved by voters won’t cover costs.
“RIDE [Rhode Island Department of Education] made it clear refurbishing [the two high schools] or a single high school wouldn’t work. We’re trapped on the path we’re on,” he said.
While he sees school financial storm clouds, he’s optimistic growth in the city will help sustain operations without unduly pressuring taxpayers. He points to an increased tax base through new and planned developments. He mentions vacant land such as that next to the Kent County YMCA as a possible site of new development. Condominiums were being suggested for a 36-acre parcel abutting Y property. And he cites the development of parcels like those on Centerville Road across from Diamond Hill Road.
“It was assumed all this land would stay as it was,” he said.
Ironically, development on Centerville Road, especially construction of condos, could have a direct impact on Sinapi. He was moving into a home last week in Pilgrim Estates off Centerville Road. Access to and from the development is especially difficult during commuter hours and Sinapi and the city have sought answers from the Department of Transportation, which controls the state highway.
Among the first of council actions will be to vote on the tentative agreements reached by the Fraternal Order Of Police and the Warwick Municipal Employees Union. Members of both unions have reportedly approved the agreements, and now it is up to the council to ratify them. Provisions of the agreements have not released by the administration.
Sinapi, who is licensed to practice law in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, works at the law firm of his father, Richard Sinapi. He also writes contracts for Johnson & Johnson. He is the father of a son.
Asked why he is taking on the job of City Council president, Sinapi said, “I want to go wherever I can help the most people.”
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Thecaptain
What the article does not tell you is that Sinapi failed the bar exam in both Mass and RI. He then requested to retake the exams but wanted extra time and a private room stating that he has ADHD. Mass laughed at him, but when he was denied by RI he sued RI stating that he was disabled. Yet the guy who wanted extra time was the architect that changed the council rules to restrict the time that the public had to speak on financial issues.
This is a little man in an old suit looking for power.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Report this