Elorza’s Growing Latino Problem — Only 39% Support Him and Performance Under Fire
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Only 39 percent of Latinos in Providence support Mayor Jorge Elorza’s re-election.
Elorza may be of Guatemalan descent, but the growing Latino population in Providence feels disenfranchised from the Elorza administration and new data shows Providence is now the second worst in the country for Latino entrepreneurs.
“It would not be surprising to learn that Elorza’s support among Latinos in Providence is soft. Unlike previous administrations that have sought engage and retain Latinos in decision making positions within the administration and as department heads this administration has chosen to ignore those past efforts,” said Councilman Luis Aponte.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTA poll conducted in early April asked, "Generally speaking do you think Mayor Elorza deserves to be re-elected or do you think it is time for someone new?" Just 38 percent of likely voters who identified as Latino said they support re-election and 39 percent wanted someone new. The remainder were undecided/did not know.
The poll was conducted by John Zogby Strategies — Zogby has been one of the top pollsters in America over the past three decades. The poll was commissioned by State Representative John Lombardi’s campaign.
Lack of Latino Appointments by Elorza
In nearly three and a half years as mayor, Elorza has not appointed any Latinos to the position of department director. Despite sending millions in legal fees to outside law firms, none of it went to Latino-led firms -- the same for nearly every sector of the city's spending under Elorza.
“It would be fair to say that the Elorza administration does not reflect the City’s diversity, particularly when it comes to the Providences Latino community," said Aponte.
Among senior staffers - chief of staff, chief operating officer, legal counsel and city treasurer, one is one Latino descent, said Victor Morente, Press Secretary to Elorza. "Melissa Malone, COO, is of Cuban descent."
“The community feels it is being neglected by Mayor Elorza, that his priority is the East Side. At community meetings he usually does not show or sends one of his staff to deal with the complaints or requests which usually are ignored," said Reynaldo Almonte, the head of Latino Public Radio.
“They always hear the famous phrase "si se puede" but never accomplished,” said Almonte.
Providence Latino Business Community Ranks at the Bottom Nationally
Providence ranks 181 out of 182 cities ranked for Latino entrepreneurs according to a new study released this week. Only New Haven, CT ranks below Providence.
"Expect the Hispanic and Latino community’s contributions to the U.S. economy to be nothing short of monumental in the coming decades. Not only is this demographic expected to make up a more than 25% of the U.S. population by 2050 — translating into large buying power — this group is also creating businesses at 15 times the national rate, according to one report," writes WalletHub.
The Elorza administration defends the city's performance.
"The City has taken many steps to better support those looking to establish or grow their business in Providence. With regard to the Latino community, the Mayor visits Latino radio stations monthly to provide updates on what is happening in the City and to promote resources available to the business community," said Morente.
"The Mayor’s Center for City Services (MCCS), the arm of the Mayor’s Office that services constituents directly has several staff members who are bilingual and also offer support and guidance to city resources. Additionally, Grace Diaz took on the role of MBE/WBE Outreach Director for the Office of Economic Opportunity with the aim of increasing outreach and awareness of the program. The City also has a bilingual Small Business Coordinator. An online licensing and permitting system that offers service in various languages including Spanish was launched under the Mayor’s tenure. A program offering English classes for contractors was launched through a partnership with the Rhode Island Builders Association," Morente added.
Providence ranks 178th out of 182 cities in the United States for the lowest median annual income of Latinos.
And, Providence has amongst the highest unemployment rate for Latinos.
Polling Zogby and Della Volpe
The Zogby poll was conducted between April 4-8 and had a sampling of 424. The poll has a margin of +/- 5 percent. Zogby’s clients also include MSNBC, the New York Post, Fox News, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Gannett News Service, Houston Chronicle, and the Miami Herald.
In a separate poll last fall of likely statewide voters, conducted by Harvard pollster John Della Volpe for GoLocalProv, the perception of Elorza's job performance was also low.
Would you say that Jorge Elorza has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Mayor of Providence?
Excellent: 4%
Good: 24%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 22%
Never heard of: 9%
Cannot rate: 15%
SEE GOLOCAL'S POLL CONDUCTED BY JOHN DELLA VOLPE OF HARVARD IN OCT. OF 2017
Related Slideshow: GoLocal: Benchmark Poll, October 2017
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