Eight Days for Lame Ducks?

Could lame ducks in East Providence be lame for a little less time?

Earlier this week, the City Council discussed passing a resolution that would seek to shorten the time between when the new City Council is elected and when they can be inaugurated. 

If passed, the resolution would allow the question to be put to East Providence voters in the next general election of whether the city should hold the inauguration of the newly-elected council members on the eighth day after the November election. 

Currently, they have to be sworn in before the first Monday in December, when they have their first meeting.  

Mayor Bruce Rogers has spearheaded the effort to do something about "lame ducks" since he came into office in December.

He has repeatedly taken issue with actions the prior school committee and council took after the most recent November election. The election resulted in an almost complete turnover in leadership on the council and school committee. 

Before leaving office, however, . Incoming school committee member Charles Tsonos went to court on behalf of the new school committee to try and stop the action, but was told the committee's actions were legal as it was still in office. 

Rogers said he was seeking the change because of bills the prior school committee and council had left them with. 

Assistant Mayor Thomas Rose agreed, saying that because East Providence didn't have this, it cost the city a lot of money and caused a lot of problems for the newly elected. 

But Councilman Michael DiGioia said he thought it was a "terrible idea" because of contested elections, like the one between Dr. Isadore Ramos and Joseph Larisa several years ago, which resulted in recounts. He argued that the time allows for legal issues such as that. 

Councilman William Conley said that moving the inauguration up would substantially increase the chances that if there is a challenge, one ward could go unrepresented while the newly-inaugurated council votes on appointments. 

They also discussed whether the school committee should also have its inauguration moved up as part of the ballot question.

The council voted 5 to 0 to defer the resolution, while Assistant City Solicitor Gina DiCenso researches the issue further and prepares a draft of the proposed question. 

What do you think? Should city council and school committee members who have been defeated in an election have the the remaining time they serve shortened?