Now that the dust is settling on the City of Warwick’s financial situation – and it’s not a pretty picture – there is one fact that emerges abundantly clear: there is a razor-thin margin of error for Mayor Joseph Solomon moving forward.

While Solomon could have perhaps spent a little more time during his State of the City address last week addressing the challenges the city faces – and how we got here – rather than trying to sugarcoat the bad news with a long, detailed list of uncontroversial generalizations about it, the mayor showed excellent political sense to not try to hide the fiscal plight the city faces moving forward.

That plight – or a “perfect storm” as Solomon billed it – includes a deficit looming that could reach nearly $19 million, with solutions hard to come by but simultaneously necessary to find in just a few short months when the FY20 budget season commences.

That figure includes a fire union contract deal that remains to be reached – with relationships in that department undoubtedly strained due to accusations ongoing regarding their fiscal practices, not to mention the high level of overturn at the chief position – and an underfunded school department that is facing even more labor increases in the next year, with no long-term funding solution in sight.

We applaud the mayor’s conviction to utilize zero-based budgeting for departments come budget time, which will hopefully ensure that financial waste within City Hall is cut to a bare minimum. We certainly believe that Finance Committee Chairman Ed Ladouceur will hold department heads’ feet to the fire, as he has continuously demonstrated his willingness to do during his tenure. However, how much money can actually be saved from this practice will remain to be seen, and whether that alone will come close to closing this budgetary hole is unlikely.

While Solomon and members of the City Council have a rightful cross to bear against former mayor Scott Avedisian – who we have learned entered into side deals with bargaining units, subverting the council’s overview, and allegedly overstated the city’s reserve fund balance – they should not be allowed to wash their hands of the situation so easily.

Solomon and current City Council President Steve Merolla were as tenured in the city’s operations as Avedisian. They have openly expressed distrust regarding financial figures presented by Avedisian in the past – and look no further than their decision to conduct their own due diligence pertaining to the sale of the former Christopher Rhodes School, a measure presented by Avedisian first in 2017 – as proof of their willingness to get information on their own accord rather than simply trust Avedisian.

So why is it so shocking now to these same individuals that they are uncovering things that weren’t directly brought to their attention?

Unfortunately, it is easier to claim ignorance and point fingers at the person who left a mess at a party rather than admit to owning at least some portion of blame for that same mess. The city council is charged with approving all budgets brought forth by the mayor and scrutinizing all aspects of contracts, and therefore cannot be wholly acquitted of guilt in how Warwick wound up staring at a mountainous deficit. If they wanted further clarification or proof of what was presented, they could have sought it.

Although it may not read as such, this editorial is not intended to criticize or point a finger any which way. There is nobody so wholly useless when dealing with a crisis than those who would rather spend time arguing over, as an example, who forgot to seal a window in preparation for a hurricane – while the storm rages closer and closer by the minute – rather than simply picking up a hammer and nails and fixing the problem; regardless of who is to blame.

We don’t know for sure at this point if any additional information is being withheld in an effort to save face. We have filed Access to Public Records Act requests to try and attain transparency on these issues, and will continue to report as more information becomes known. We hope that Mayor Solomon will strive to release all pertinent facts regarding the situation – even if they are facts that don’t shine positively on him.

As for the taxpayers of Warwick, we advise you pay close attention to the news to come. As of this moment, it seems very unlikely the city will be able to avoid maximum tax increases for years to come. To the policymakers and representatives of the city, we stress that only through unparalleled cooperation and honesty can this “perfect storm” be navigated.