Registered Voters in Providence, RI will decide the direction of the City on November 8, 2022. The Mayoral race has already been decided as Democrat Primary winner Brett Smiley will enter the general election uncontested. The need for representation is not to decide who will lead but how the Capitol City will operate going forward. Every Ten (10) years the City’s Charter undergoes a full review which impacts the City’s operations. The City has been hosting open meeting about the charter this year. It appears anyone could attempt to influence changes. That means residents and any corporation with pending or existing contracts with Providence were invited to share their opinions. 10 Questions were added to the ballot giving the voters in Providence the final say on the changes. If Providence residents do not show up to vote, more power may be handed over to corporate interests.

The 10 ballot questions will appear highlighted in yellow and will be listed as “QUESTIONS 5-14”. I pulled a sample ballot for Ward 15 to obtain the information, please feel free to obtain your sample ballot here. I abbreviated the questions and list them below:

Question 5 – Will appointments by the Mayor be forever, or be up for review by the City Council every 4 years.

Question 6 – Will the City Council be allowed to hire a consultant with a simple majority vote or stay as is a maximum majority vote.

Question 7 – Will the City Council be allowed to remove appointments made by the Mayor with a simple majority vote or stay as is?

Question 8 – Will you allow the City to increase the maximum purchase from $5,000 to $10,000 for regular purchases and $20,000 for construction purchases?

Question 9 – Will you allow the new Water Supply Manager to have sole power to hire and fire all water workers and water personnel?

Question 10 – Do you agree that all City Department Heads and their appointees be subjected to all applicable personnel regulations of the City?

Question 11 – Should the City’s School board be increased from 9 to 10 members consisting of 5 elected members and 5 Mayoral appointments?

Question 12 – Do you agree with the language change of Chairman to Chair and Vice-Chairman to Vice Chair on all City documents?

Question 13 – Do you agree that the City Treasurer be allowed to view every expense within the City and uphold the City Charter?

Question 14 – Do you agree that the City Planning Commission increase the representation of the residents of Providence?

I am not writing to tell you how to vote, but I will share what I know about how the City currently operates and to tell you a bit about the impacts these questions have. Question 5 & 7 are about Mayoral appointments. Municipal, resident, and economic needs change overtime, making lifetime appointments a burden on the budget and city workers when an appointed person becomes inadequate. There are 15 City Councilors in Providence. Decision by Maximum Majority Vote means 10 out of the 15 have to agree. Ballot questions 6 & 7 would change decision making to a Simple Majority Vote meaning 8 out of the 15 agreeing would be required. Currently hiring and firing water workers happens through the City of Providence. Question 9 will allow the new Water Supply Manager sole power over water workers. We all depend on clean water to drink, cook, and clean which directly ties the results of this question with our water quality. I am a strong advocate for equity in the workplace. Women should be treated the same as men at work, thus decision makers should be held to the same standards as their workers. How will the working class communities of Providence respond to question 10?

Unlike Pawtucket, a resident of Providence may not publicly run for a seat on the Providence School Board. Voting Yes on question 11 will create 5 seats for residents to occupy, vote, and run for during elections. As a believer in education and an Alumni of the Providence School System this is the most important question on the ballot and it will increase civic engagement. Question 12 will officially change the language on all City documents to reflect that women also hold these positions. As an accountant I would think the City Treasurer would operate as or with the controller of expenses, so I need to do more research on Question 13. For all the furious residents on the South Side of Providence looking for answers about the recent configuration changes on Broad Street, question 14 is for you. If the City’s Planning Department included more voices of South Providence residents, the changes would have been better for fire trucks, ambulances, and community members.

It is worth mentioning the current City Council decided by a Maximum Majority Vote to add these questions to the ballot. If you are a voter in Providence you will contribute to the final say. Remember to vote on November 8. You can also vote early starting on October 19 at 444 Westminster Street in Downtown. If you registered on-time Voting by mail is another option. We all have a reason to vote in this election. If you still believe your vote doesn’t matter, cast your vote in favor of a family member or friend who can not. Regardless of who or what you vote for… show up!