PVD’s Post-Storm Civic Engagement Reflected Our Community Strength. But It’s Not a Substitute for Competent Governance.

by Cynthia Gibson, Ann Wang

Sam Howard’s recent Readers Voices piece —“In Providence, the Blizzard Was a Reminder of the Power of People, Not Politicians”— offers a romanticized view of civic resilience that mistakes emergency improvisation for effective governance and celebrates mutual aid that sidesteps accountability. While the volunteerism he [...]