I moved to Pawtucket in late 2007. When I decided on Pawtucket being my next home, the reaction from my friends was … interesting. I was peppered with all sorts of cautionary tales and advised to strongly reconsider. I stuck with my gut, and it’s been one of the best decisions of my life.
Pawtucket, at that time, was facing what can only be described as a financial tsunami. The hot rumor was the state was going to take over the city. In the years since, the current administration has pulled the city back from the brink of embarrassment and takeover. We have seen the city’s bond rating, like a credit score for a person, go from BBB+ (low quality) to A+ (excellent). This means the city is a trustworthy borrower and helps us to finance our city’s growth.
Over the past few years, I have seen a brand-new train station built here, spurring a building boom the likes of which I haven’t seen before. We get to fall in love with the game of soccer and support our Rhode Island FC. Soccer is a global sport, and after the USA successfully hosted the World Cup, it’s only getting bigger. Combined with the Tidewater Landing development, the future is getting brighter and brighter for Pawtucket. And let’s not forget our beautiful Slater Park, our pinball museum (if you haven’t check this out yet, you’re missing out!) and even our breweries and distilleries.
Oh, and those friends I mentioned that cautioned me against moving here? One has since moved to Pawtucket, another is in process, and there are bound to be more to come. Soon, our state-of-the-art high school will open, and I’m excited about that, too.
Sure, we’ve had some bruises over the years, such as losing the PawSox because of a $100 million incentive from Massachusetts and delays in the General Assembly. And Hasbro’s recent loss stings as well, but with a West Coast CEO with no real ties to the area, the company was always going to leave Rhode Island. What, exactly, was the city and state supposed to do to cajole a multi-billion-dollar business to stay put? How many more tax breaks were we supposed to let them extort from us?
The best part about our city is its people. Pawtucket is a special community, and our resilience binds us to each other. The city, under the mayor’s leadership, has been on an upswing for several years now. Let’s keep that momentum going, things are only going to keep getting better from here.
Scott Rotondo
Pawtucket
