Letter: Vote yes on East Providence mayoral charter change

To the editor:
East Providence voters will have the ability this Election Day to finally choose the form of government they want in their City. At present, we have a strong City Council/City Manager type of government. This means three to five City Councilors choose who of themselves they would like to give the title of “Mayor”. As a result, we have seen as few as 3 out of 5 City Councilors hire and fire City Managers they don’t like. The reasons these City Managers have been fired run from personal vendettas to perceived personality conflicts.
In almost all cities our size in RI, voters have decided to elect their mayor. In East Providence this means that out of our nearly 50,000 residents, almost half are registered voters(wish there were more) and all of them would have a say in who manages/directs/ our City. The men and women who run for the office of Mayor would have to be vetted through debates and public appearances. In a real election, EP voters themselves can choose the person who leads our City.
The latest City Manager to fall victim of our City Council has served less than a year. We don’t yet know if he will sue our City, but we are still paying off our last City Manager. These costs are stopping us from doing many of the necessary repairs needed in our City; like fixing our schools.
Don’t you want a choice in the type of government that leads us?
Don’t you deserve a choice in saying who will be the Mayor of East Providence?
Please, vote YES to change the wrong direction our City has been going in for many years. We need ALL the voters of East Providence to have a strong say in the form of government they want.
If this amendment passes, we, the voters of East Providence in 2018, will finally choose whom we want to lead our wonderful City.
Sandy Barone
12 Weeden Ave.
Rumford