Committee approves re-naming senior center for Traficante

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 6/21/17

By JACOB MARROCCO Despite fairly light agendas, the Cranston City Council public works and ordinance committees each had lively meetings because of a pair of resolutions. The highlight of public works was an ordinance introduced by Chairman Ken Hopkins,

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Committee approves re-naming senior center for Traficante

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Despite fairly light agendas, the Cranston City Council public works and ordinance committees each had lively meetings because of a pair of resolutions.

The highlight of public works was an ordinance introduced by Chairman Ken Hopkins, which would rename the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center as the “Michael A. Traficante Senior Services Center.”

Traficante was the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history, holding the post from 1985 to 1999. He currently serves as a citywide representative on the Cranston School Committee.

There was overwhelming support for the resolution among the committee and the gallery, but Constituent Affairs Director Jeff Barone did have one suggested change. While he referred to the ordinance as a “great thing,” he recommended the building become the “Michael A. Traficante Enrichment Center.”

“In 2014, the then-director had brought in a consultant to come up with a good way to increase membership, and one recommendation was using the word, ‘enrichment,’” Barone said. “So they’ve tried it, and in the last four years they’ve increased membership in [the ages] 55-60 [demographic] by almost 25 percent. This is a wonderful tribute the council is considering, I just want to see the word ‘enrichment’ incorporated in that.”

The committee took Barone’s advice and unanimously passed the resolution. While it was backed by everyone with a vote, Ward 1 Councilman Steven Stycos argued for the formation of a separate subcommittee to handle matters such as this.

“I think we need a process to deal with this rather than when someone has an idea, [and] voting yes or no on the idea,” Stycos, whose comments were not warmly received by the audience, said. “I would suggest some kind of committee that would review things and come to the council. I don't think this is a good idea to name a building after a sitting elected official.”

Stycos didn’t have much support from his fellow councilmen. There was bipartisan approval of the resolution, with fellow democrat Paul Archetto calling it a “privilege” to rename the center after Traficante.

Ward 5 Councilman and Council Majority Leader Chris Paplauskas also provided a “yes” vote.

“I’ve never met somebody who’s dedicated their lives to a city,” Paplauskas said. “He’s been a fixture of Cranston for a long time, and still has a great smile on his face and works very hard for all of us.”

Hopkins closed comment saying that Cranston still appreciates the work Traficante does, citing the more than 25,000 people who voted for him last November.

“To me, he’s a mentor,” Hopkins said. “I’m doing today what he taught me. He’s a friend, and that’s probably the biggest thing. The city still loves Traficante.”

The resolution moves on to the full council for its meeting on Monday, June 26.

The docket went quicker for the ordinance committee

A resolution in support of bills H5345 and S0187, both seeking to prevent concealed carry permit holders from entering on to school grounds at K-12 institutions, was left on the table.

Both bills are being held for further study, and the committee tabled the resolution last month.

Citywide councilman and resolution sponsor John Lanni, Jr., attempted to discuss it, but no one on the committee motioned to take the resolution off the table.

Tom Wojick, whose letter to the editor appears in this week’s edition, was not pleased as he attempted to speak at the podium as well. Paplauskas, who cannot make motions as the ordinance chair, said that had the resolution successfully come off the table he would have allowed public comment on the matter.

“This is a real failure,” Wojick said, referencing the Virginia shooting at a congressional baseball practice just the day prior that left Congressman Steve Scalise in serious condition. “It’s a lack of courage.”

Since the resolution wasn’t officially in front of the body, the meeting proceeded into new business.

The resolution will “fall off the table,” according to Paplauskas, if it is not removed from the table within 90 days of introduction.

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