To the Editor:
I was surprised to discover that according to newly-announced City Council candidate Ethan Ris '05, Ward One City Councilman David Segal is "certainly not interested in Ward One issues" ("Ris '05 will challenge Segal for Council seat," Sept. 26). Ris extends this claim further, informing us that the Iraq war and the PATRIOT Act "don't even affect the city of Providence at all."
If Ris had pledged that if elected, he'd do a better job than Segal has at representing specific Ward One issues, that would be one thing - in fact, that's what I would expect any challenger to say, and it may even be true. But Ris' attacks on Segal's work on city- and nation-wide issues are parochial and short-sighted. I, like many of the Brown students who comprise a significant portion of Ward One, understand that what happens elsewhere in the United States, and in other parts of Providence, affects me too - and I want a councilperson who has more than just the narrow interests of East Side homeowners (or seemingly in Ris' case, the mayor's office) in mind.
Finally, Ris' claim about Segal's supposed neglect of his constituents seems a little exaggerated. This summer, I attended a Providence City Council meeting to voice support for the Displaced Workers Ordinance, which was co-sponsored by Segal. But in the meeting docket, I also noticed five other items labeled "Councilman Segal:" minor requests for traffic signs and other traffic safety measures on the East Side. At least from this small slice of evidence, it appears that Segal hasn't let his admirable commitment to larger issues dull his attentiveness to the most minute of Ward One issues.
Chris Hu '06Sept. 27
