Strong Mayor Coming to East Providence?

In a discussion which many voters have had for several years, the city of East Providence has voted to switch its' form of government from a City Manager to an elected Mayor form of government, similar to cities like Providence, Warwick and Cranston to mention a few. The vote to approve was by a landslide 12,192 to 4,503 vote.

In years past similar votes to go to a strong Mayor have been defeated. The city's democratic party has always been a proponent of such a move but couldn't muster the necessary support. The recent spate of a half dozen city managers being fired in rapid succession, may have led to the margin of victory this time. This vote is to amend the current city charter. There may be some procedural General Assembly actions before this actually takes place in the near future.