CENTRAL FALLS FIREFIGHTERS OBJECT TO APPOINTMENT OF PERMANENT RECEIVER

The Firefighters argue that Central Falls failed to provide proper notice of the City Council resolution, passed May 18, authorizing the receivership.  The Union also says that municipal receiverships are prohibited under Rhode Island Law, and that the State should appoint a Budget Commission to resolve the City’s finances.

Paul Reed, President of the Rhode Island Association of Firefighters, said “Central Falls residents are entitled to a democratically-elected government, not a court-appointed one.  We’re ready to work with the community and elected officials to help solve these financial problems.”

Mike Andrews, President of the Central Falls Firefighters Union, said “Our firefighters have been in this community protecting health and safety for generations.  We believe in the City, even if Mayor Moreau and most of the City Council don’t.”

The Union’s objection, filed by attorneys Marc Gursky and Elizabeth Wiens, notes that municipal receivership is not authorized by the Rhode Island Receivership Act, and that the Rhode Island Constitution requires separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches of government.  The Union also argues that Central Falls’ financial solvency is a matter of state-wide concern, and the Home Rule Charter prohibits Central Falls from taking actions that jeopardize the financial well-being of other cities and towns.      

“We see turning over the keys to City government to an unelected, all-powerful receiver as a civil rights issue,” said Attorney Gursky.  “Judges haven’t appointed kings since biblical times, and they shouldn’t start again now.”