“I Don’t Envy the Voters in the Third Ward” - Guest MINDSETTER™ Mathieu
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Having worked on the hugely successful Campaign to Recall Providence Councilman Kevin Jackson by knocking on doors in the evenings prior to the Special Recall Election and spending the entire Election Day at the polls urging folks to Vote to Recall Jackson, I’m am deeply disappointed in the 3 candidates who are running in the July 12 Democratic Primary to fill Jackson’s now vacant seat.
Not only do they not appear to be qualified, but none of them even bothered to work on the Recall Campaign which underscores their lack of commitment to the folks of Ward 3, not to mention Providence.
Let’s look at the candidates:
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1) Nirva LaFortune has lived and worked most of her life in Providence. This bright, articulate person who works "IN" Administration at Brown and who is active in the community is, perhaps, the least qualified, because she has no political experience (which I think is a BIG PLUS in her favor). Although a bit too far left for me on some issues (I’m a conservative on most issues, although, truth be told, I did vote for Bernie, as did most of my fellow RI Dems, in the 2016 Primary). I admire her passion for improving the Providence school system and agree with her that we should NOT privatize the Providence Water Supply Board and be very stingy in doling out TSA’s. I also commend her stance that Brown and other private colleges are not paying the fair share of taxes to the City. I would vote for her, if I lived in Ward 3.
See GoLocal Live Interview with LaFortune HERE
2) Dan Chaika is lawyer (one strike against him. We have far too many lawyers in government. They should be banned from running for office.) who also has lived and worked in Providence for most, if not all, of his life. Dan was Vice Chairman of Providence Ethics Commission. Who knew the Ethics Commission even existed? What with the shenanigans of Jackson and Aponte one would ever have guessed. If Dan’s ineffectiveness as Vice Chair of the Ethics Commission is an example of what we can expect from him on the Council, NO THANKS.
See GoLocal LIVE Interview with Chaika HERE
3) Mark Santow has lived in Providence for 14 years and teaches out of State at UMass in Dartmouth, MA. Mark was appointed to the Providence School Board (PSB) in early 2015 by Elorza. Not sure what the PSB has accomplished during Mark’s tenure other than force the resignation of the highly respected School Superintendent, Susan Lusi and PSB President, Keith Oliveira, who made the mistake of demanding the City allocate more funds to our schools. Luckily, Keith is now the Executive director of the R.I. League of Charter Schools. With his background as an educator, Mark should realize that he would better serve Providence by remaining on the PSB than by sitting on the Council. Hopefully, the Voters will drive that point home to him.
See GoLocal LIVE Interview with Santow HERE
I don’t envy the voters of Ward 3. Lucky for me I live in Ward 2.
Ray Mathieu is a former executive with Providence Equity Group, active in the startup community in RI, and a former candidate for State Representative.
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- Prov City Council Members Call for Recall on Ward 3 Election
- Will Providence City Council See Fallout Over Ward 3 Battle?
- Dates Set for Providence Ward 3 Special Election
- Providence Ward 3 Candidate Chaika Warns of Looming Fiscal Realities for City
- Forum for Providence City Council Candidates in Ward 3 to be Held Thursday
- Prov. City Council Candidate LaFortune: “We Need to Figure Out How to Address the Divide in Ward 3”
- “Judge the Candidate, Not the Party” - Providence Ward 3 GOP Contender Lallier on LIVE
