Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Keeping The Pols Honest With Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The New England Governor's Conference will hold a meeting in Hartford on December 6 to address regional economic issues that are common to the six states located in the northeast corner of the country. During that same week, the towns of Warren and Bristol in Rhode Island will hold public sentiment for the sharing of schools in the two towns. As disparate as these two meetings appear to be, there is a commonality of purpose that marks both: regionalism."

Bringing It Together, Downtown, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They came, they saw, they discussed, they analyzed, and they made their ideas known to the populace. Now they wait for further comments from the citizenry before they provide their final written report in January."

The Benefits Of Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Bristol County is unusual among Rhode Island's five counties. Not only is it contiguous with a county of the same name in an adjoining state, but it also consists of only three towns--Barrington, Warren and Bristol--and is one of the smallest of the 3,141 counties in this country."

Some Thoughts On Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"New Englanders pride themselves on their self-reliance, their fortitude, their independance and, some would say, their obstinacy. Generally good qualities, but they come at a price: not cooperating with others around you. And this has been a tradition in this part of the country since its founding.

But now the 39 cities and towns are faced with severe cutbacks in funding from federal and state sources, and major questions are being raised by taxpayers who are expressing their anger by voting to reduce all types of programs, especially the biggest expense in most communities--the schools."

You Mean There Are Counties Here In The Ocean State, Too?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Ask any Rhode Islander how many counties there are in the state, and the typical response is a blanklook. Ask the names of these five state devisions and you might get a Providence or a Kent. Then say that the one in the south does not have that name, and that really creates confusion.

Welcome to the world of the locally misunderstood yet most important form of government below the state level in this country: the county."

Census Numbers May Mean Money To Cities, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It looks like we're nearly there. The results of America's most costly census have been announced and many cities and states are not happy with them. A possible adjustment of figures will likely do little to placate them."

Skewed Distance Perception Is Rhody Tradition, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"We all joke about the size of this state and the attitude that its residents have regarding traveling any distance: Packing a lunch if you are going to Westerly from Providence, staying overnight if you go to Burrillville from Bristol and driving from Pawtucket all the way to Exeter to visit a friend. We hear it enough to start believing it."

Love The City? Live In It, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In a recent editorial lauding retired Providence Police Chief Walter Clark, the Journal stated that in choosing a new police chief the most important single quality should be professionalism. The Journal might have added that the new chief should also reside in teh city, because of the 24-hour on-call and hands-on nature of the work expected of such an important position. It should not take a long distance telephone call to reach that person at home, as is so often necessary in times of trouble."