A New Opportunity with Speaker Shekarchi - Mayor James A. Diossa

A New Opportunity with Speaker Shekarchi - Mayor James A. Diossa

When I was sworn in as Mayor of Central Falls, I inherited a city in crisis. With the support of our residents, our taxpayers and an unprecedented coalition of local, state and federal partners, we prevailed and were able to right this ship. Chief among those partners who made this possible was the Rhode Island General Assembly. For this I am grateful.

Next month, around the same time that I leave my office at Central Falls City Hall for the last time, a new leader will be taking the helm of the Rhode Island General Assembly as Speaker in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. I am pleased that it will be K. Joseph Shekarchi of Warwick. As a son of immigrants who still holds the American Dream close, I know that Joe shares many of my experiences and the lessons instilled by an immigrant father.  Hard work and compassion in everything that we do, whether someone is watching. 

Joe’s understanding of the importance of community driven solutions, of participatory government, and of making sure goals are clearly identified were well-reflected in one of his first acts as the next Speaker.  Joe has already put together a diverse task force to ensure that Rhode Island’s distribution of the COVID vaccine is done the right way. He made sure that the most distressed communities are well-represented. Representatives Ray Hull of Providence and Joshua Giraldo of Central Falls, along with Mary Messier and Karen Alzate of Pawtucket, will play an essential role in the task force, ensuring that our communities are heard.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Joe has also set a precedent by reaching out to the splintered members and factions in the House chamber. He has welcomed different points of view and embraced diversity through actions, not words, a hallmark of great leadership. This is the way it should be done, in order to ensure that the needs and interests of our communities across Rhode Island are incorporated in any plan.

As if a pandemic were not enough to test the mettle of the next Speaker, Joe Shekarchi also had to oversee the creation of a state budget. He has managed to do what those of us who know him have seen him do on other matters: to pull order out of chaos, in this case while restoring aid to cities and towns. Where cuts had been proposed, his budget restores municipal aid, including distressed communities and car tax reimbursements, provider rates and social programs. The budget also fully funds state aid to education. That means an additional $25 million in relief will be heading to cities and towns, plus an extra $40 million to school districts, while ensuring that $80 million was not put in jeopardy by failure to enact a new budget. I cannot overstate how helpful this will be to communities like Central Falls and Pawtucket which, combined, will see more than $5 million more in school aid and another $4 million more in municipal relief. 

I urge Speaker Shekarchi to continue utilizing the strengths of the entire membership of the House of Representatives. He certainly has shown he understands the value of diversity, the wisdom of inclusion and the strength of change. Now it is up to all Rhode Islanders to do our part to communicate our concerns and issues to this group of legislators who are ready to listen, work with us and act to improve this remarkable state we call home.

Ultimately, our collective success will depend on a combination of bold leadership and widespread civic participation. As I depart Central Falls City Hall, I stand ready to lend a hand, to serve our state, in any way necessary. Speaker Shekarchi has set a new tone for the General Assembly and, in doing so, has created an opportunity for positive change. Let’s take action to work together towards a brighter future for Rhode Island.

James Diossa is the outgoing Mayor of the City of Central Falls