As the summer heats up, the political season is cooling down, but it's not all sunny and clear weather going forward.
It would seem that the state and the city, thanks to efforts by House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, have come to an agreement over tax-stabilization deals for the former Interstate 195 land in Providence. The proposed city ordinance subjects TSAs to administrative review, a step forward from the previous procedure that required City Council approval. All that remains is for the Council to pass the measure.
But the celebration over passage of the fiscal 2016 state budget is clouded by the fact that the House and Senate could not come to an agreement on how to pay for desperately needed bridge and highway infrastructure repairs.
The impasse between Speaker Mattiello and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed (who supported Gov. Raimondo's plan for tolling large trucks) threatens to derail this most important initiative. And that is not an acceptable outcome.
The issue of bridge and road safety should snap all parties involved to attention. But in addition, the Providence metro area lost 800 construction jobs in May on a year-over-year basis. The state clearly needs this work to begin, and now.
It is possible that the General Assembly could return in the fall to address the issue, but that is not guaranteed. So before everyone repairs to the beach for the season, the key players should commit to doing the work necessary to get a bill passed so that work can start at the beginning of next year's construction season. •