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Local government

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Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Work, Economy and Organizations

Providence's Unending Quest For Cash, Chester Smolski Jun 1993

Providence's Unending Quest For Cash, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The mayor of Providence has a big problem. How can he balance a budget that addresses the needs of an increasingly large number of people, yet deal with a declining tax base that is less able to pay for theses extra services?"


A Note To Candidates: Look At Housing, Chester Smolski Aug 1990

A Note To Candidates: Look At Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The 1980s will be remembered as the time of the federal government's decimation of housing policies and programs that previous administrations had sought so diligently to design and implement. Candidates for federal and state offices need to be aware of current housing problems and possible measures that will improve housing in the state. The following are major concerns and suggested action proposals to help alleviate the housing plight of state residents.


Cluster Battle Is Over, But The War Rages On, Chester Smolski Dec 1987

Cluster Battle Is Over, But The War Rages On, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Chinese have a saying: 'Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.' For Americans, the same could be said for zoning in the seemingly never-ending war between residents and developers over land development."


Providence Home Rule, Chester Smolski Oct 1980

Providence Home Rule, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The opposition bumper stickers have already appeared. In bright fluorescent colors to catch the unsuspecting eye, the message is loud and clear--'Reject Home Rule Charter.' Why should there be this opposition, and who are the people against this progressive move toward better local government?"


Key Factor To A Better City, Chester Smolski Jul 1980

Key Factor To A Better City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Providence Charter Commission is now moving into the homestretch. After a full nine-month period in which more than 60 meetings were held, culminating in three public hearings in late June, the nine-member commission has gone back to the drawing board to review ideas, revise where deemed appropriate, and have a completed document ready in September. Voter acceptance in November, with General Assembly validation of certain provisions in 1981, will allow home rule for the state's capital city to become fully operational in January of 1983.


Waste, Abuse Assure Changes In Section 8 Housing, Chester Smolski Dec 1979

Waste, Abuse Assure Changes In Section 8 Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The series of articles and subsequent editorials on the Section 8 program that appeared in these papers have drawn several angry responses to the editor from residents of this government-assisted housing. Typical is the following: 'When something worthwhile is being done for the handicapped and elderly in Rhode Island, why do you do your best to kill it?...If the Section 8 program is hurt in any way because of your articles, you can sit back and laugh while 1,700 future applicants for housing are crying.'"


Right Mix For Successful Downtown Renewal, Chester Smolski Aug 1979

Right Mix For Successful Downtown Renewal, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is sometimes called a 'big, small town.' It has all the trappings of a large urban center: from outdoor concerts at the Civic Center to a Go-Go lounge; parking problems and traffic congestion, to a Worthinton Street where bars and prostitutes prevail; and vacant old buildings , to new, high-rise office blocks. Sheer numbers alone in this city bring visible evidence of the activities and characteristics common to the downtowns of most large American cities."


Mayor, It Doesn't Wash, Chester Smolski Jul 1979

Mayor, It Doesn't Wash, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One of the major achievements in the city of Providence over the past five years has been a vastly improved parks system. From the recently refurbished Hopkins Square in the North End to the newly constructed Market Square near the downtown, the restoration of open spaces in the city has been a distinct contribution to the urban environment. And nowhere are these improvements more manifest than in the 430 acres comprising Roger Williams Park, one of the principal city assets that is enjoyed by both resident and non-resident alike."


Housing Rehabilitation Working In Hoboken, Chester Smolski Jun 1979

Housing Rehabilitation Working In Hoboken, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One may not believe the argument but George Kohn, executive vice president of Applied Housing Associates, makes an interesting point. His business is housing, and he raises the question of where one should live--Manhattan or Hoboken. Why live on Manhattan's West Side, he asks, and pay $1,000 a month to wake each morning and view the flat, industrial ad boring New Jersey landscape across the Hudson? Why not live in Hoboken, at a $250 monthly rental, and view the fantastic, and only one like it in the world, Manhattan skyline to the east? Thirty cents and a 12-minute PATH subway …


The Case For Residency Requirements, Chester Smolski May 1979

The Case For Residency Requirements, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The issue has been raised previously. It came up again most recently with the applicants for jobs with the Providence Fire Department. The question is, 'Should city employees be required to live in the city which employs them?'"


Cleaning Up The Litter, Chester Smolski Feb 1979

Cleaning Up The Litter, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The last time the Environmental Protection Agency checked the numbers, it determined that eight million tons of America's annual municipal solid waste load was in the form of bottle and can beverage containers. Much of this was picked up from highways before it eventually reached municipal landfills."


Despite The Heartaches, Urban Renewal Deserves High Marks, Chester Smolski Oct 1978

Despite The Heartaches, Urban Renewal Deserves High Marks, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The term "urban renewal" draws a mixed reaction. For some, it has meant relocated families, destroyed neighborhoods and heartache, even years after the fact. For others it has meant new construction, new jobs, increased taxes, reconstructed neighborhoods and visible signs of process."


Mayoral Candidates And Downtown, Chester Smolski Oct 1978

Mayoral Candidates And Downtown, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The next mayor of the city of Providence will have some hard decisions to make on the future of this city. There will be economic opportunities and constraints, social problems, political decisions and a host of questions to be raised and subsquently answered over the next four years which will shape the direction in which Rhode Island's capital city will move--and it is starting to move.


City Need Is Jobs For Young, Chester Smolski May 1978

City Need Is Jobs For Young, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The federal Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 was a landmark piece of legislation which continues to benefit communities in need. Over the past three years Providence has received close to $27 million which has been spent to improve housing, parks and historic buildings in addition to building and servicing community centers. The focus of this major legislation was on physical and social improvement of the community. The one unprovided area was economic development."