March 29, 2024

Who Will Be EP's First "Real" Mayor?

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In a discussion which many local voters have had for several years, the city of East Providence has finally voted to switch its form of government from an appointed 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.

The East Providence Charter Review Commission was appointed to review and propose amendments to the City Charter and local ordinances in preparation for the impending change in the form of government. Members of the commission are: Chairman, Jim Russo, Attorney & Former Assistant City Solicitor; Vice-Chairman, Bill Fazioli, Waterfront Commission Chair & Former City Manager. Also Secretary, Valerie Perry, Former City Councilwoman and City Clerk. Commissioners: Robert Rock Jr., Senator William J. Conley, Esq., Michael J. Kennedy

Jason J. Desrosiers, Rick Lawson, Christopher Dias, Scott Scienzo and John Faria, EP Democratic City Committee Chair and labor leader.

So just who will be the history making first elected Mayor of East Providence. The Reporter reached out to several who may be thinking of running. We also talked to several residents and politicians on what they thought. In no particular order, here are several potential candidates for Townie Mayor:

One of the more popular choices, if he were to run, is State Representative Gregg Amore. Amore, a high school teacher and athletic administrator is well respected on both sides of the political isle and highly respected in education circles. It is thought by many that Amore would have a good chance of being elected. However, Amore said he is not going to leave the classroom. "I am very happy in my role as a state representative and as the Chairman of the Finance Sub Committee on Education. At this time I believe I can best serve the city in my leadership position in the House of Representatives. I think, most importantly, the first mayor will have to be someone of impeccable character and reputation. It is tremendously important for the mayor to have a policy director or chief of staff that has a background in municipal government or public administration. That position will be as vital as that of the mayor, as it is in every large city in the state," said Rep. Amore.

One former politician who has been giving serious thought to running is former State Representative Paul Moura. In fact, Moura had a lot to say to us. "I'm definitely exploring a run for Mayor," Moura told The Reporter. "There are several factors to consider, such as family and job. I feel the City of East Providence , like many NFL teams, needs a quality Quarterback. There are many talented people in government here but we need consistent, confident leadership coming out of city hall. I believe I have the proven ability and experience to bring this city back to 'All American City' status," said Moura. Before Moura moved to East Providence, he was a State Representative and State Senator from Providence. He was a former House Deputy Whip and a former Senior Deputy Majority Leader. A member of the Rhode Island State Senate from 2006-2008 and in the Rhode Island State House of Representatives from 1984-2006. Moura moved to East Providence and has remained active in local politics and government. He is on the city Waterfront Commission. Moura is a Field Representative for the New England Laborers' Health and Safety Fund. Moura could be a formidable candidate. "When I was living in Providence and working on the “Renaissance" I was envious of what was going on in East Providence. So much in fact when I was forced to find new housing for my family due to an accident at birth suffered by one of my twins, I chose E.P.

"Unfortunately costly property taxes and water issues have become extremely burdensome on the residents. This hurts not only in the pocketbook but also hampers our ability to properly fund our schools and support the excellent teachers we have," Moura continued. "As you know a good school system is paramount to luring prospective businesses here. To address the property tax issue I would set as a priority raising the Homestead Exemption. I would work with our Legislative Delegation to insure East Providence gets our fair share of the taxes that are generated here but go to the state. I would look at reinstituting the General Revenue Sharing Program for example. As for the water costs I would immediately ask the company to the table to renegotiate our deal with them."

Current State Senator Dan DaPonte is also a possible candidate. "Regarding the adoption of a strong mayor form of government, I think there are several things to be included in any new plan that I would consider to be important for the good of the city," said DaPonte. DaPonte wants to know how the job will be structured. "The term should be for four years. Any new mayor would not need the constant campaigning and instead be focused on the work of leading the city. There should be term limits imposed of two terms. That would keep with fresh ideas and energy in the city's top office. There needs to be a recall provision so that problems like some that have developed in some of the state's other cities of late, don't paralyze and adversely impact our government without a way to solve the situation. Lastly, the salary to the job needs to be high enough to attract a better quality of candidates. The range of pay shouted commensurate with what we pay our city managers," continued DaPonte. "The powers of the city council need to be explicit and strong enough that they can act as a check and balance in the appropriate ways to a strong mayor. As far as my considerations, I'd have to think twice about surrendering my seniority in the Senate, but I learned a long time ago that in politics one should never say never."

Current appointed City Manager, Tim Chapman, is not interested (at this time). "I appreciate those who have reached out to me but I am currently focused on my duties as City Manager and do not have that process in my thoughts at this time. I have visions of negotiations, budget, potholes, water pipes, sewer rates, etc. dancing in my head," smiled the solicitor turned City Manager.

Ward One City Councilman, Bob Britto is also not a candidate. "I can tell you that I have no intention of running for Mayor in the city of EP at this time. I'm sure the process will be pretty interesting, considering that this is the first," replied Britto.

Another potential candidate is also waiting to see how the Mayor's office is eventually defined by the revised city charter. "Depending on the how the office of Mayor is ultimately defined by the Charter, I would consider it," said Ward 3 School Committeeman Nathan Cahoon. "I've enjoyed my time on the School Committee, and public service is in my blood. But before I make any decision to run, I want to make sure the office has the capacity to enact the kind of change that East Providence needs, and that its citizens deserve. I have a "back-to-basics" vision for East Providence: great schools; strong support for the Police and Fire Departments; and efficient administration that focuses on value to the taxpayer," he added. "I've spent my career in the service of my Country, my State and my City. And over the course of that career I've learned what makes for good Government, and what doesn't. Strong leadership and capable administrators are crucial. Personal integrity is a must. But the "politics-as-usual" philosophy too often wins the day, and benefits none but the few lucky enough to have strong connections. I have zero interest in status quo.

"My chief concern is that East Providence remains a place where people want to live: a place where people look out for one another, and are proud to invite friends to visit; a place where kids can grow up safe and happy, learning about the world and their place in it. One thing I can tell you for sure is that I'll be paying attention in the coming months. If I should think after that time that I can best serve the people of East Providence as their mayor, then you'll probably find my hat in the ring," said Cahoon.

School Committee Chairman Charlie Tsonos is not leaning toward a run right now. "I have no plans to run for any other office than School Committee," said the School Board Chair. "I would be open to a conversation with you, but simply stated, I have a lot to do here with the school department," stated Tsonos.

A former popular City Councilwoman may consider a run. Tracy Capobianco swept into government with a landslide victory over her first opponent and was never challenged in subsequent elections. Capobianco decided not to seek reelection and continues to operate her pre-school in the city and stay active in City happenings. "As many know, I was not in favor of the Strong Mayor form of government here in East Providence but did vote yes to allow the question to be on the ballot which would allow the voters to decide. I felt that although I didn't agree for the simple fact I was concerned the wrong person would get elected (and do more harm than good), it was the right decision to make on behalf of the residents. Now the people have spoken through that vote and have decided which way they'd like their City government to be set up. That said, I'd consider running for the position at some point in my future. The Mayor form of government is now here to stay and so am I, so time will tell," said the charismatic and popular Capobianco.

Another former City Councilwoman with a strong following may also be interested. Chrissy Rossi has been elected to the School Committee and City Council. "I have had some supporters ask me to consider it (running)," said Rossi. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the final term package looks like before I make any decisions. The position isn't fully defined yet. It's a vital position and a pivotal moment in East Providence's history. I hope everyone is considering it," said Rossi.

Joseph Botelho has served on the City Council for two different terms and is the current Ward 3 councilman. He is a strong supporter of the elected Mayor system and gave a long but non-committal response. "The last election saw the residents of East Providence support a move to an Elected Mayor form of government by an overwhelming 73%. There may have been a number of reasons as to why such a large majority voted for the change, including the carousel of six city managers that the city council has ushered in and out of that of office over the last six years. Two big reasons, however, rest with the fact that the voters became aware of the lack of transparency and accountability of the council/manager system and more importantly, residents felt they were being ignored," said Botelho.

"Lack of accountability has always been a challenge for this form of government since the city’s CEO, if you will, is selected by only five council people, or really only three of five council people representing a majority. The city manager serves at the will of the council, and as has been illustrated over the last six years, can get turned out of office on whim if they don’t comply with even the most unreasonable council requests. As someone who is now serving their fourth term on the city council, I can assure the people of this city they made the correct decision and have wisely moved our city in a positive direction. With an elected Mayor, we will now know exactly where the buck stops, and instead the power being seized by a handful of politicians, it will rest with everyone," concluded Botelho.

Former school Committee Chairman and State Representative Helio Melo is interested. Melo was the long time Chairman of the State House Finance committee before he chose not to seek reelection. "I have been approached by many people asking me to run for Mayor. I've told them I'd seriously consider running if the new charter is adopted," said Melo.

Another person who may run and may be a dark horse, popular candidate is former East Providence City Manager Bill Fazioli. Fazioli was considered a very effective City Manager who was respected by many. He is known to be a financial management expert. While Fazioli won't discuss it much it, sources have long indicated that former councilman and ceremonial Mayor Joe Larisa was not enamored with Fazioli and the latter decided to not seek re-appointment. "I'm serving on the Charter Review Commission so I don't think that it would be appropriate to comment on any of this until that work is complete. The commission is recommending proposed changes to the charter which will impact the mayor and other important aspects of how the city operates. I'll be happy to discuss more once the process is finalized," Fazioli said.

A few others were contacted for comment but have not yet returned messages and emails. It is rumored that former Police Chief Gary Dias and former School Board Chair Bill Maaia are considering a run. School Committee member Joel Monteiro may also contemplate candidacy depending on the Charter Commission set up.

Also former EP State Representative Bob DaSilva has previously told the Reporter that he is giving the matter some thought. "I'm very excited for the city of East Providence and what a strong mayor form of government will mean for our long term success. You only need to look to our neighbor in Pawtucket to see what a strong Mayor like Don Grebien has been able to bring to the city in the way of economic development and customer service," said DaSilva.

"I have spent most of my adult life serving the public in one way or another. I love public service and this community I call home and want to see it thrive and prosper. Currently I am very busy with my employment as a Police Captain (in Pawt.) and as president of the nonprofit East Providence Youth Soccer Association. However, I have learned to never close any door of opportunity as we never know what future circumstances may bring," added DaSilva leaving the door ajar for a possible run.

No doubt behind the scene machinations are taking place. One influential politician has always been the former State Representative and Majority Leader of the House, George Caruolo. Caruolo has always enjoyed being the "leader" behind the scene for many successful office holders.

Oh, one more thing. Just to confuse matters more, this writer is also considering a foray into this crowded Mayoral run for EP. Unless my editors offer me a big raise to stay put...

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