Town Manager Sequino Named To Woonsocket Budget Oversight Panel
He found out at just after 4 Tuesday afternoon that he'd been tapped as a member of a 5-person committee.
East Greenwich Town Manager Bill Sequino has been named one of five members of a budget commission to help Woonsocket deal with urgent financial problems, Governor Lincoln Chafee announced Tuesday.
Director of the Department of Revenue, Rosemary Booth Gallogly, made the appointments.
The commission is the second of three possible steps – fiscal overseer, budget commission, and receiver – of state intervention under the Fiscal Stability Act of 2010.
“Based upon Susanne Greschner’s finding that a budget commission should be appointed for the city, as well as my own familiarity of the current fiscal challenges being faced by Woonsocket, I have determined that the appointment of a budget commission is in the best interests of the city,” said director Booth Gallogly. “Therefore, I have advised Governor Chafee that I am establishing a budget commission for the City of Woonsocket.”
In addition to Sequino, she appointed Peder Schaefer, associate director of the League of Cities and Towns, and Dina Dutremble, a retired school business officer familiar with the financial conditions and operations of the Woonsocket Education Department. By statute, the other two members of the commission will be Mayor Leo Fontaine and City Council President John Ward.
The DOR’s Division of Municipal Finance has been monitoring Woonsocket’s finances over the past two years. The Woonsocket City Council passed a resolution Sunday night urging the state establish a budget commission. Mayor Fontaine made the same request via letter on May 29.
"I think they’ve got to increase cash flow," said Sequino Tuesday night. "As I’m told, they’re going to be out of money in two weeks."
Their first meeting is Friday, Sequino said. While he knew he was being considered for the role – which has no remuneration – he didn't learn he'd been named to the commission until late Tuesday afternoon.
Woonsocket's Ward said he's comfortable with the group that's been selected for the panel, including Sequino. He said Sequino runs East Greenwich well.
Woonwocket City Councilman Albert Brien was not as enthusiastic as Ward. He said he wondered if Sequino and the other members of the commision were able to relate to the people of Woonsocket. "I'm not confident the answer is yes," Brien said.
When asked if he thinks it's ironic that Sequino is serving on the Budget Commission when some have criticized the disparity in state funding between more affluent municipalities such as East Greenwich and urban areas like Woonsocket, Mayor Fontaine said he can see that point.
But, he said, Sequino is someone who has been involved in goverment a long time, with a lot of experience fixing problems. Also, "I think it will draw open his eyes as to the challenges our urban community faces," he said.
Sequino has been town manager in East Greenwich since 1988. The only longer serving town manager in Rhode Island is Steve Alfred in South Kingstown.
"I don’t expect it to interfere with normal town operations," Sequino told the East Greenwich Town Council during their meeting Tuesday night. "I will be available."
Sequino acknowledged he's honored to have been asked, but said, "It's not going to be easy, that's for sure."
Steve Gregson
7:44 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Guess "Town Manager of East Greenwich" isn't a full time position anymore!
Why should expertise we paid for since 1988 be loaned out for free?
Council should rethink this one!
Steve Gregson
7:46 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
As a second thought we should receive the same consideration John Savage and Judge Flanders received.
Steve Gregson
8:47 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Finally, I thought the Town Manager serves at the direction of the Town Council. Last time I checked Rosemary Booth Gallogly wasn't on our council. Where do outside people get off playing with our assets. I think Bill should feel honored that he was considered but he has an obligation to EG, not Woonsocket, and should respectfuly decline.
Frederick Remington
8:48 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Is Steve Gregson running for something? What's the point here - Sequino seems to have some good experience to lend, and we should be supportive. We have a good backup team in EG, yes?
Steve Gregson
9:12 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Fred, you can be supportive all you want with your money and your time. If Bill wants to take vacation time for this then I have no problem. But while he is on our payroll he should work exclisively for us! Savage has experience to lend as does Flanders but I don't see them doing it for free. It's like sending a teacher off to 3 confrences their last year before retirement. There's nothing in it for us and we are paying the bill to embelish a resume!
ELM
11:26 am on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
What an incredibly selfish attitude! You don't "own" Mr. Sequino just because he works for the town. You must be a Republican thinking only about your own needs.
Steve Gregson
12:26 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Didn't say I owned him but while he is under the employ of the Town of East Greenwich I feel he should be doing the work of our Town during business hours. That's what he gets paid for. If Woonsocket wants to reimburse the town for his time that's a different story and open for discussion. If Bill wants to do it on his own time that's fine also. But Bill's first obligation is to the taxpayers of EG .Woonsocket created there problem as we create our problems. It's called being responsible for your own actions. I don't expect them to come bail us out and they shouldn't expect
us to bail them out at our expense. These things have the ability to consume a great deal of time and I see no limits put on the project. Again if you would like to fund the project knock yourself out, but not on my dime! If Bill has the extra time to devote to Woonsocket then his position doesn't require a full time commitment or something else is being put on the back burner.
Heather Larkin
2:11 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
If you were to extrapolate on that attitude then our own Town Council and School Committee would be unavailable for town related meetings, phone calls and e-mails during working hours at THEIR full time jobs. EG does not operate in a vacuum. By helping Woonsocket, he's helping us all.
Steve Gregson
2:30 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The diffrence is Council and School Committee are volunteer positions chosen by the individuals to dedicate their own personal time. The Town Manager is a paid position not volunteer. He as an employee and is paid to serve the Town of East Greenwich not the city of Woonsocket. And if you realy want to know most of our elected town positions cost the individuals considerable revenue from their ocupations, but it is their perogative as private individuals to make that choice. The difrence again is that Bill is an employee. He is not in a position to accept an appointment that takes him away from the day to day duties of Town Manager.
Heather Larkin
3:45 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
What I mean is that our SC and TC all have paying full time jobs. I assume that some of their civic work is occasionally tended to during working hours.
Bill Sequino is not a minimum wage clock puncher whose work minutes need to be counted because we don't trust that he's doing a good job or think that he's not working hard enough for us.
MmkL
11:03 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Congratulations to Bill Sequino our Town Manager for his appointment to the state commission to oversee the budget in Woonsocket. It is a recognition of his considerable abilities as our Town Manager and the excellence he has demonstrated during his twenty-four years of service.
That said, I find myself in considerable disagreement with the views of Mr. Greyson who maintains that "while he is on our payroll he should work exclusively[sic] for us.". Why should we help out in Woonsocket? After all they "created there[sic] own problem..." Unfortunately, the
problem they created isn't just their problem, it's our
problem too. If Woonsocket and other cities and towns inductionlike Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and
West Warwick file for bankruptcy, do you really expect
that the State of Rhode Island will maintain its bond rating? And do you further expect that the other cities and towns won't suffer the same fate when their bond ratings are reconsidered? I don't.
And finally, I don't subscribe to the governmental Darwinism behind Mr. Gregson's point of view. I see nothing untoward in helping another town with in-kind services in a time of crisis. We were glad to accept out of town help in catching the criminals involved in the housebreaks in Frenchtown. "Mutual Aid" is a longstanding practice between cities and towns. Mr. Sequino's temporary service on this commission is just another form of mutual aid.
Judy Bailey
1:14 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Well said, Mike.
MmkL
11:10 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
I've just re-read my submission and I want to apologize for the typo in my second paragraph; "inductionlike" was a jumble made in trying to edit the piece.
Steve Gregson
5:39 am on Thursday, May 31, 2012
I guess section1270 of the Town Charter means nothing . Did the Council vote on this ? If they did then so be it! If not then this is a clear violation.
" All paid personnel holding office or employment in Town government, other than elected office, shall be required to engage in the actual work of their employment during regular business hours"
Judy Bailey
1:10 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Bill has an excellent track record and will no doubt have a great deal to offer on this advisory group.He's not leaving the planet, for heavens sake,and will just be a few miles away. A simple phone call would keep him in touch with our town (the center of the universe evidently)
Steve Gregson
2:23 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
And maybe Tom Brady could play for the Jets on his off weekend, he would be just down the road! Moodys and S&P were quoted in the Pro Jo a few weeks ago saying EG's bond rating would not be affected by bordering communities.
How bout we play by the rules, wouldn't that be a novelty. Bill requires a vote by the Council. If he attends the meeting Friday he will be in violation of the Charter and subject to removal. If I had known about this issue in advance I would have voiced my opinion at the meeting. I am opposed to resume building at Town expense with no benift to the Town of EG. Yes it is a Statewide problem and should be handled on that level not by taking the best player off our team for an undetermined amount of time and expense. Let the "experts on the hill" figure this out.
We are talking about budget cuts at the schools, canceling programs, putting off manitenance because we are to the bare bones on our budgets but we can afford to send off people to work on other communitie's issues. How about paying attention to EG and filling Bostich, solving our unfunded pension liability.Hey maybe even pick up a dead racoon. I have nothing against Bill but everything against picking and choosing when we apply the rules.