Photo | Dee DeQuattro

Mayor says delegation lacks courage for not supporting tax

Posted: 6/13/2012 12:20:49 PM
Updated: 6/13/2012 1:57:43 PM

Mayor Leo Fontaine is calling the Woonsocket delegation at the General Assembly gutless for not supporting a nearly 13% supplemental tax increase.

“You have got to be able to have enough courage to say this is what we need to do, let the chips fall where they may and let history show whether you were right or wrong and if people want to vote you out of office as a result of doing the right thing then so be it. If you are not willing to take that chance then maybe you shouldn’t be in office in the first place,” Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine told WPRI-TV.

Rosemary Booth Gallogly Director of the RI Department of Revenue also criticized the Woonsocket delegation. "Representatives Baldelli-Hunt, Brien, and Phillips have done their city and their constituents no favors by failing to agree to what is necessary to begin to take steps to truly address the significant challenges facing Woonsocket," said Gallogly in a statement.

The tax increase was rejected by the General Assembly on Tuesday evening when lawmakers from the city blocked the tax. They said they would be open to considering a smaller tax increase.

Fontaine said the city now will have force the school department to go for a Caruolo action to force the funding to be raised or file for bankruptcy.

On Tuesday, Tom Bruce the City Finance Director said the city may have to lay off 15% of the entire teaching staff to help manage the $10 million deficit in the city’s school department.