Rants and Raves

Chafee Budget Bashing — Not! And Yay Odeum

What to love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.

RANT: Cue eye roll, please. Reading the Patch article on Governor Chaffee’s decision to cut back on the state reimbursement to East Greenwich by 5 percent, your conclusion might be that we are in a big financial doo doo. One word: Perspective. Or a better word: Woonsocket. Actually, why budget myself? Let’s add Providence, Central Falls and Cranston to the mix. Do I wish that governments wouldn’t renege on its promises? Of course. But I also wish for world peace, a cell phone service that doesn't cut out on Tillinghast and a really good Indian restaurant to come back to Main Street, but I’m not holding my breath for any of those to come true either. Obviously, we will feel the state’s belt tightening in our own town’s budget. But, let’s …

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Lisa Sussman

7:48 am on Saturday, March 24, 2012

Thanks, Betsy - mea culpa. As to the other comments, my intention was not to make anyone feel guilty. I feel incredibly lucky to live in this town whose financial problems are, for a multitude of reasons, small potatoes compared to both other towns in our state and around the country. That's all, folks!   more ›

Chafee Budget Lowers Construction Reimbursement Percentage [POLL]

Instead of getting back 40 percent for school projects like the new Cole Middle School, EG would be reimbursed 35 percent.

Two sentences in Governor Lincoln Chafee’s proposed 2013 budget throw a little rain onto what had become a sunny story for East Greenwich: state reimbursement of school construction spending. Chafee's budget would hold reimbursement for projects such as the new Cole Middle School to 35 percent, instead of increasing to 40 percent in 2013 as had been promised in June 2011. So, under Chafee’s new budget plan, instead of getting a check from the state for $40,000 for every $100,000 paid for the new Cole, East Greenwich would get $35,000. While $5,000 may not seem like a lot, when multiplied by the actual cost of the school — $32 million — that figure grows to $1.6 million. East Greenwich voters approved spending up to $52 million for a new …

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