Providence GOP Releases Platform on Issues

The Providence Republican Party released a platform on issues on Sunday, called the “New Urban Agenda.”

“This platform is a statement of how the Providence Republicans would govern the city; and the principles, policies & programs that would guide us. The platform represents more than a year of work, and all items in it were approved by a super-majority of the membership of the Providence GOP,” said Ronald Iacobbo, Chair of the Platform Committee.

Platform on Issues

The Providence GOP’s platform on issues is as follows:

On Municipal Finances, the platform calls for renegotiating all labor contracts, to achieve reasonable wages, benefits, pensions, and health care.

To reduce debt financing and borrowing, it calls for a Capital Fund Budget and a Capital Improvement Plan. It suggests taking back full ownership and control of the Port by 2036.

It also recommends a natural gas processing plant at Fields Point, and abolishing the Providence Tourism Fund.

On Education, the GOP calls for bringing back neighborhood schools, and reducing involuntary busing of children.

Expansion of Charter Schools is recommended.

The platform also calls for a school choice voucher program, to help families who can not wait any longer for the schools to improve.

On Quality Of Life issues, the Providence Republicans call for sensible immigration policies.

On Values & Ethics, the Republicans take a pro-life stance.

They also call for separation between General Assemble membership and city employment or service.

Read the Agenda Below

The Republican City Committee

of Providence, Rhode Island Proudly Presents Its

New Urban Agenda

A Statement of Those Principles, Policies, and Programs Through Which We Propose to Govern

Section I Municipal Finances

We declare that the financial challenges facing our City of Providence are the result of unsustainable expenditure levels and contractual obligations initiated by various city councils and municipal administrations coupled with unfunded mandates imposed by the Rhode Island General Assembly. Since the middle of the last century, that political machine which has dominated all aspects of our municipal government has chosen to act as an agent on behalf of local, special interests and ignored the needs of the general public in Providence. The result has been a low quality of public services at high levels of taxation and contracted, future obligations which simply cannot be met. To remedy this situation, we propose the following:

Renegotiation of All Existing Municipal Labor Contracts so that We May Obtain Realistic and Sustainable Levels for Wages & Salaries, Medical Benefits, Pensions, and Other Post Employment Obligations

We declare that the current method of funding municipal, public works is far too reliant upon debt financing. To help improve municipal finances in the City of Providence, we intend:

To Implement a Capital Fund Budget Sufficient to Cover 85% of All Costs to Construct and Maintain our Municipal, Public Works

To Accompany this Capital Fund Budget with a Capital Improvement Plan Clearly Stating which Public Works shall be Undertaken and in which Priority

We declare all assets owned by the City of Providence to be held in trust for our citizens and that the Providence Republican City Committee considers itself bound by a fiduciary responsibility to that citizenry. Municipal assets are not tools to enrich the personal incomes of a connected few, nor should they be the means of providing a cash flow to any privately owned entity. Hence, we hold the following position:

Full ownership and absolute control of the Port of Providence are to be resumed in the Year 2036 via the creation of a Municipal, Enterprise Entity. This will be a separate, accounting entity with its finances adjunct to those of the City of Providence for the purpose of demonstrating full, municipal ownership.

2.

We declare that the fiscal health of the City of Providence is predominately dependent upon the prosperity and material success of its people. The surest way to promote universal prosperity is through the embrace of private property, the support of a Free Market Economy, and the maximum encouragement of a diversified, Labor Market. Towards these ends, we advocate the following:

Let us support in every way the construction and development of a natural gas processing plant on the waterfront at Fields Point. Such support will facilitate short-term jobs in construction and permanent jobs in both processing and distribution.

The Providence Republican City Committee declares the administration of all municipal finances to be a public trust. The use of partially independent or non-profit agencies to run a public service in the place of direct, municipal control and responsibility is an abuse of that trust. Hence, we shall:

Abolish the Providence Tourism Fund because this non-profit, city controlled entity is nothing more than a personal fiefdom and a slush fund for the Mayor of Providence. All monies under the control of the Providence Tourism Fund will be transferred to the municipal General Fund and subject to regulations governing it.

3.

Section II Education

We declare that in present form the Providence Public Schools fail to serve either students or taxpayers. Measurements of student achievement show poor results. The physical infrastructure has been neglected and is decaying and aggregate costs are growing at an unsustainable rate. Therefore, we shall appoint only those school board members who support the following:

School Assignment Policy will be changed so that the default choice is for all children to attend the school which is physically closest to them. No child shall be made to ride a school bus unless that child chooses to attend a school which is more distant from his home.

School Board appointees shall create a voucher program as a means to allow greater school choice for students and their parents or guardians.

Lastly, we call upon the Central Committee of the Rhode Island Republican Party to support the expansion of Charter Schools throughout the state and to change the School Funding Formula in a manner favorable to Charter Schools.

4.

Section III Quality of Life

We declare that the safety of the individual and the integrity of private property are the raison d’etre of municipal government. Towards these ends, we advocate the following policies:

The Providence Police Department and all, other municipal agencies shall work hand-in-glove with any, Federal Agency to support and enforce Federal Law in all instances and under all circumstances.

We declare ourselves to be a society of immigrants. From the founding of Providence in 1636 through the present day, successive waves of immigration have brought vitality and new ideas into our city. However, with the 1890 closing of the American frontier, our society has been forced to balance the benefits of immigration with society’s ability to assimilate the numbers of new arrivals into our existing, social framework. In recognition of the complex nature of a situation with conflicting goals, we take the following positions:

We call upon the State Central Committee of the Rhode Island Republican Party to adopt a policy in support of comprehensive, immigration reform at the national level. We acknowledge that such a vast and intricate task will inevitably involve trade-offs. While reasonable may disagree upon policy and its emphasis, all civilized people agree upon the primacy of law in governing a society. We therefore condemn any action which would reward those who violate our existing immigration laws and call upon the Republican Party of Rhode Island to oppose the granting of Drivers Licenses to illegal immigrants.

5.

Section IV Values & Ethics

We declare that both as a people and as a civil society our heritage derives from The Western Tradition. Our religious-based morality and our secular based ethics rest securely upon Judeo - Christian values of longstanding. Therefore, we shall govern in accordance with who we are and what we believe to be right. Hence, we take the following stands:

Because we believe that all human life begins at conception, we call upon the Republican State Central Committee of Rhode Island to clarify and expand its platform plank which states its own Pro-Life position. At the very least, we urge that committee to adopt a policy calling for the establishment of a Choose Life registration plate for motor vehicles with all revenues ensuing to be dedicated to the budget of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

We declare our faith in and commitment to the concept of self-government. Those who govern and those who are governed must never become mutually exclusive classes or groups of individuals. In order to ensure the widest range of opportunity for our citizenry to rule themselves, we propose the following:

No sitting member of the Rhode Island General Assembly shall be appointed to, selected for, or serve upon any agency, board, commission, court, office, or any other Exempt type employment status with the City of Providence.

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