All actions have consequences. Sometimes we can't see or anticipate the consequences, but such is not the case with the issue of funding for the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority budget. The Dumas Administration has changed the city's economic development priorities, and refused to fund the budget of the ARA from that portion of the Community Development Block Grant designated for economic development. I am greatly concerned by these actions, as are my peers in the business community, because we can clearly see that these actions will hurt the city's future economic growth.

As a lifelong resident of Attleboro, I am pleased to have been a member of the ARA during the past few years when so many good things have happened in the city, many of them involving the ARA.

The Sun Chronicle ran a front page article on Monday, April 28, about the good work that Cookson is doing in redeveloping the old Swank building. In a complex process led by the ARA, with funding assistance from the federal government, Cookson is rehabilitating the environmentally-contaminated site and developing a new facility. That redevelopment effort has already brought more than 300 jobs to Attleboro, with good prospects for more.

But the truth is that without the active efforts of the ARA and our extraordinary Congressman James McGovern, the Swank property would be sitting empty, and there would be no new jobs, and no millions of dollars of improvements to the site, and no near-term solution to the environmental contamination. Those new jobs, and the improvements to the Swank building, benefit the city in two ways: additional circulation of money within the local economy, and increased tax revenues from the rehabilitated building.

Consider for a moment the following completed-project list: the Christopher Heights Senior Living Project; Bliss School Redevelopment for work-force housing; Bristol Community College Campus; County Square reconstruction; and the May Street intersection improvement. What is the common link to all of them? The ARA worked on all of them. The ARA has gained the respect of state and federal leaders because the ARA carefully considers the economic policies established by the city administration, implements those policies, and pursues with efficiency and creativity the accomplishment of those goals. Many of you are aware that the ARA is also working now on the new Industrial Business Park and the Intermodal Transportation Center. The ARA board members and I believe passionately in the importance of both of these projects, as well as the completion of the Swank project, to the future economic vitality of the city. The ARA has had success in attracting state and federal funds for these projects, which has made the city the envy of many other communities in the commonwealth. But the use of those funds is restricted for capital expenditures and cannot be used for administration, and there are insufficient additional funds to administer the ARA's current projects. State and federal authorities assume and expect that the local community receiving these type grant monies will fund their operational expenses.

The ARA had presumed, fairly or not, that the Dumas Administration would continue to fund the ARA with a portion of the economic development funds received by the city as part of the Community Development Block Grant. It seemed reasonable to us at the ARA that the funding would continue, given that Mayor Dumas had declared in his most recent inauguration that he supported the Industrial Business Park, Intermodal Transportation Center, and the Swank/Cookson project. It was a shock for the ARA board members to first learn that the Dumas Administration, on the night of its presentation to the Municipal Council, included no money for the ARA.

The Industrial Business Park is at a critical juncture. We have two local businesses that want to acquire building sites within the park. Other businesses have expressed interest in the site. Without money to pay for the costs of administering these projects, the ARA will have no choice but to delay progress on its projects. You say: "So What! What's the big deal? Delay the projects for a year or so...Will it really make any difference?"

Yes. It will. Believe it or not, what we are doing in Attleboro is of interest to people in Boston and Washington. That this city's leaders, past and present, have recognized the importance and wisdom of focusing on these redevelopment projects, and demonstrated true leadership in creating public support for these projects, has garnered support at the state and federal level, and offered reassurance to those state and federal leaders that the city would see these projects through to completion.

If we stumble now, if the ARA is denied a relatively modest amount of money (we requested $175,000 of the approximate $300,000 economic development funds), then those supporters at the state and federal level may re-think their commitment to this city, because they will rightly see the city reneging on its promise to support these projects to completion.

Projects in jeopardy

Despite the mayor's comments to the contrary, the Dumas Administration has set new priorities without consulting the rest of us - the business community, the lead economic development agency or the residents - those of us who have worked so hard to make Attleboro a viable city again. I said at the outset that the ARA implements the economic policies developed by the city; we don't develop those policies. Some of you may then wonder why I am not simply acknowledging the change of policy, and marching to the new "tune."

Because I don't think Mayor Dumas understands the implications of his decision, and my obligation, as a member of the ARA and a concerned resident of the city, is to make as plain as I can the jeopardy in which he is putting the Industrial Business Park, and to a lesser degree, the Cookson/Swank project and the Intermodal Transportation Center. I appreciate the fact that Mayor Dumas re-appointed me to the ARA, and I make these statements not out of disloyalty to him. He understands, or should understand, that a change of policy of the magnitude he contemplates requires a thorough, thoughtful and public discussion. Disagreements about that policy are not evidence of treason... Further, given the fact that all three projects still beckon as remarkably successful and important projects for the city, it would be wrong to simply "change direction," "emphasis," or whatever the mayor chooses to call it, before honoring the work and commitment of earlier administrations.

You may have heard about some "red herring" problems that prohibit the use of Block Grant monies for economic development activities. We have fully addressed those issues, and await the submission of the clarification letter to HUD from the Dumas Administration acknowledging and correcting their errors.

If you are wondering: "What can I do?," then you should know that FAIR, the Attleboro Chamber of Commerce, the ARA, and other business and community leaders, have voted to form a coalition called "We Care," and invited the City of Attleboro administration to participate fully in that coalition, to pursue a public dialogue to determine whether the perspective of the mayor or the ARA is right or wrong. You can help by expressing your views to the city councilors, who have the authority to influence the mayor's priorities. Please don't delay your calls and letters. Time grows short. PRESTON B. STEVENSON III is chairman of the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority.