The State Planning Council last week delayed a vote on a new economic-development plan for the state, to give House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello and his staff more time to review it. The decision came after a handful of state lawmakers voiced opposition to the 181-page document, which was two years in the making.
Critics have already had ample time and opportunity to weigh in on the exhaustive plan, which was approved earlier this month by the RhodeMap RI consortium. The latter represents 35 organizations ranging from state agencies and town governments to private nonprofits. Eleventh-hour politics should not be allowed to thwart those tasked by Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee’s administration with using a $2.3 million federal grant to deliver a literal road map for development, job training, education, taxes and regulation.
The major theme of the plan, outlined in a Page 1 story, is that future investments should be focused on the state’s cities, where they can have the greatest effect on economic growth. This has the dual benefit of reinvesting in high-population areas while avoiding adding costly infrastructure where it doesn’t already exist.
It will still be up to elected leaders to update the plan, weigh and prioritize its many recommendations. But it would be a shameful waste to let politics scuttle the plan before it is even delivered. •