Teresa Tanzi knows how to bring people together to form a consensus from divergent opinions and follow through until the group’s objectives are achieved.
The route for phase IV, the final leg of the William C. O’Neill Bike Path, became a contentious issue for the Narragansett Town Council to decide, since several different alternatives were proposed by town administrators, state Department of Transportation contractors, private citizens and interested groups. At stake was the $1.2 million dollars remaining in the Federal DOT bike path fund. Tanzi facilitated the meetings of a group of nine people, with representatives from four independent, local organizations..
Tanzi suggested a rational procedure for creating a route, which entailed field trips for each proposed segment. As a neutral facilitator, she did not vote. Over a period of several months, Tanzi and the group walked various proposed routes and finally settled on a plan that was mapped and presented to the Narragansett Town Council. This was one of the three routes presented to DOT for final consideration. Tanzi followed up by attending periodic DOT progress meetings.
This is but one example with which I am familiar, since I was one of the nine participants. If you look at her legislative record, you will see constant effectiveness. She deserves to be returned to her position as our highly successful representative.
William A. Bivona
Narragansett
