DaSilva Releases Campaign Platform for East Providence Mayoral Race

East Providence, R.I. – Mayoral candidate Roberto “Bob” DaSilva today released his campaign platform detailing a bold vision for the city of East Providence that is built upon restoring trust in our government through integrity, accountability and leadership.

“I am excited to share with the people of East Providence my vision for our city. This vision relies on restoring trust in our government,” said DaSilva. “One person cannot right all the wrongs of the past, but together, we can overcome the challenges we face. As your Mayor, I will work to restore this trust by bringing integrity, accountability, and leadership to our city.”

Defined by ambitious and workable ideas to move East Providence forward, key elements of DaSilva’s platform include:

1. Road & Sidewalk Repair: “We will work to fund, repair, and maintain our roads and sidewalks so that our residents may travel safely. We will seek state and federal funding to help offset the cost.
2. Lower Our Sewer Bills: High sewer costs have been an ongoing challenge in our city that must be tackled head-on. My administration will sit down with the private contractor who operates our sewer plant, dig through our contract, and renegotiate it to achieve savings for our residents and businesses.
3. Education: If voters pass the bond referendum for the construction of a new high school this November, we will ensure that East Providence builds a state-of-the art school in compliance with the state’s requirements so that we can receive the maximum reimbursement rate. We will also work diligently to ensure that financing for the new high school is done in the most fiscally responsible manner.
4. Protect Taxpayers: Our residents desperately need relief from increasing property taxes. I believe that working together with our council, we can restore the homestead exemption to its full 15 percent. We can help our senior citizens and veterans stay in their homes by offering them additional relief by raising the current senior citizen and veteran exemptions.
5. Business Development: It is imperative that we make our city business-friendly. Doing so will increase our tax base, bring more dollars into our city, and make it a more vibrant place to live and work. People looking to start a business in our city will have a dedicated point person to guide them through the regulatory process. We also need to review our way of doing business and simplify the process where needed. We must put resources into promoting our city like a business in order to attract new businesses.
6. Waterfront Development: We will work with the members of our Waterfront Commission to continue the development of the waterfront district and continue its vision of revitalizing our city. Building off the great success of Bold Point, I would like to see the waterfront become a premier tourism destination of our state and will advocate to develop new restaurants, hotels, marinas and destination locations on our waterfront.
7. Create Growth Centers: Expand grant and loan opportunities to encourage small business startups in underutilized economic centers such as Taunton Avenue and Riverside Square.
8. Provide Tangible Tax Relief: We will work with the council to offer businesses an opportunity to lower their tangible tax rate by creating an incentive that ties the tax rate to the number of new jobs they create in our community.
9. Restore Order, Stability and Accountability to Our City: For the last several years, East Providence has been hampered by multiple lawsuits and political theatre, costing our city money and tarnishing its reputation. As Mayor, I promise to bring integrity, accountability, and leadership to East Providence, so that residents can get the most effective and efficient government possible. We will conduct an annual survey to hear the opinions of residents on how well city services are being delivered and to target areas that require improvement.”

“Walking door-to-door and meeting residents as I campaign reaffirms what I already knew: East Providence is a tapestry of diverse people with different backgrounds and cultures all with a commonality – the desire to succeed and thrive here in East Providence,” said DaSilva. “I can attest that we live in a great, vibrant community with endless possibility and promise. And for the first time ever, the people of our community, from Riverside and Kent Heights to Central East Providence and Rumford, will have an opportunity to elect their first Mayor. I hope to earn your confidence and your vote on Wednesday, September 12th, so that together, we can help our city reach its full potential.”

DaSilva urges all residents to contact him with any comments, concerns or suggestions, as he believes the future of our city rests upon our ability to work together and harness our pride and passion to make East Providence the best place to live, work, raise and educate your children and open a business.

You may reach DaSilva at (401) 569-3593 or bobdasilvaforepmayor@gmail.com, and visit his website at bobdasilva.com or facebook.com/BobDaSilvaforEPmayor to learn more.