To say myself, the residents, and the small
businesses of the Silver Lake neighborhood are frustrated with Mayor Jorge
Elorza would be a great understatement. His
unilateral decision to close the Plainfield Street ramp on the 6-10 Connector
is a disastrous decision and by doing so, he is effectively turning his back on
the small businesses of the Silver Lake neighborhood and every Rhode Island
resident who uses this ramp to access the 6-10 Connector.
Despite months of public outcry regarding this
decision, Mayor Elorza has been ambiguous and non-committal to any plan other
than his own. Even when presented with an
alternative plan that was proposed that would give the mayor 90 percent of what
he wants, such as development land, a bike path, and further community
connections that have separated neighborhoods, but would still leave open the
important Plainfield Street ramp, the mayor has stubbornly stuck to his very
flawed plan.
The small business owners of Plainfield Street and
the surrounding area are not rich people.
The livelihoods of their families and their employees are dependent upon
the traffic to the street. Mayor Elorza’s
callous support of cutting off traffic to the street will cost these hard
working men and women untold amounts of business and income, and I personally
would like to know why the Mayor is turning his back to the needs of his
constituents. He’s turning his back on
these people for a small amount of developable space that will most likely be
given to someone who does not live in the neighborhood and whose development
will probably be subsidized by the very people who the Mayor is disregarding
with this ramp closure. Shame on Mayor
Elorza for his support of this disastrous plan and for sending the very clear
message to the small business owners of Plainfield Street that they don’t
matter to him.
I stand with my colleague Providence Councilman John
J. Igliozzi who cites the many negative impacts the removal of the Plainfield
Street on-ramp would have on the neighborhood, including increased traffic
congestion, increased environmental pollution, and a detrimental financial
impact to the existing businesses on Plainfield Street. This plan is being pushed through without an
environmental justice study or an economic impact study and that is a true
travesty to the people of this neighborhood.
And, even though this is a state project, Governor
Raimondo has made it clear she is acquiescing to the mayor’s fundamentally terrible
and anti-democratic plan. I urge all
residents of the Silver Lake neighborhood and all patrons of the Plainfield
Street small businesses to contact Mayor Elorza’s office at 401-421-2489, and
the Governor’s office at 401-222-2080, and tell them that what Mayor Elorza is
doing is just plain wrong.
Sen.
Frank A. Ciccone is a Rhode Island State Senator representing District 7 in
Providence and North Providence