LaFortune Expected to Announce Run for Mayor of Providence on Sunday
Friday, September 24, 2021
Providence City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune is expected to officially announce her run for mayor this weekend.
LaFortune, who represents Ward 3 representing Mount Hope and the East Side, will be holding a “campaign announcement” at the Southside Cultural Center on Broad Street on Sunday.
According to her release, LaFortune will “discuss her next steps and her thoughts about the future of Providence.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn her campaign materials, she says, "This a scary time in our country. We need strong, independent leadership at every level....I know that we cannot move forward unless we trust our elected officials and believe that they represent our interests. Providence is filled with talented people who love their city. I want to bring people together across economic, racial and gender divides and put us to work on solutions."
During her time on the City Council, she has been an advocate for affordable housing, a strong opponent of the Fane Tower, and an advocate for improving the quality of the Providence schools.
Controversial Stands
LaFortune has been an unapologetic advocate for defunding the Providence Police.
In an email to GoLocal in May, LaFortune wrote, “I am still and will always be committed to taking proactive approaches to address this systemic issue. That may be reallocating funds to invest in social services to help address harmful conditions faced by marginalized communities. As I stated, I want our approach to be strategic, which is why I am committed to working with our city leaders, the police department, our young people, and the communities most impacted.”
“For almost a year, I've been advocating and working with the administration to design a city-wide crisis response initiative framework. This is not an issue that can be solved overnight; it will take a collective effort and the necessary resources to address the gun violence epidemic in our city,” LaFortune added.
And, in recent months, the Mount Hope neighborhood has seen a series of shootings, including three separate shootings at Billy Taylor Park.
LaFortune has been public about exploring a mayoral run, hosting a fundraiser in March 2021. She currently has over $130,000 cash on hand in her campaign account.
In addition, LaFortune is the only elected official besides Mayor Jorge Elorza on the community task force that was convened to seek input from the public as to how Providence should use the $165.8 million in federal Rescue Plan funding
Background
She cites, "I followed my parents from Haiti to Rhode Island when I was three. We came here fleeing the Jean-Claude Duvalier 'Baby Doc' regime, which spread oppression and corruption. My mother received her immigration papers first, leaving my father and me behind -- a separation many immigrant families know."
"I grew up in Providence. We started out renting one room in a boarding house. I remember waking up early so my father could catch a van that took workers to a Providence factory. We did not have a car, but we walked to Knight Memorial Library to borrow books so my dad and I could work on our English. I remember watching him study for his GED, so he could get a job at the airport. My father always had 2 or 3 jobs. Eventually, both of my parents became certified nursing assistants and saved enough to buy a home in Washington Park, where they still live today. My parents taught me resilience and the value of education," she states on her campaign website.
She is the mother of two and works at Brown University.
Joining Field
The field for Mayor of Providence in 2022 currently includes former Mayoral candidates Brett Smiley and Gonzalo Cuervo.
Cuervo currently has over $193,000 cash on hand and Smiley leads the pack with just over $350,000.
Smiley and Cuervo went head to head this week after Smiley was fined $4,500 by the Ethics Commission over campaign contributions from state contractors.
Cuervo called for Smiley to return all campaign donations — not just the half dozen he returned — from state vendors; Smiley called Cuervo’s statement “dishonest.”
Former City Council President — and a mayoral candidate in 2014 Michael Solomon — told GoLocal in July he was interested in running again for mayor, but has yet to formally announce.
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- Prov. City Council Candidate LaFortune: “We Need to Figure Out How to Address the Divide in Ward 3”
- Councilor LaFortune Holds Fundraiser in Possible Run for Providence Mayor
- Igliozzi Defends Petition to Repeal Police Officers’ Bill of Rights After Criticism From LaFortune
- LaFortune Wins Providence Ward 3 Democratic Primary
- LaFortune Wins Providence Ward 3 City Council Special Election
- Providence Councilor Who Leads Fight to Defund Police Issues Statement After Shooting in Ward
- 6 Providence Councilors Last Year Advocated to Defund Police - See Where They Stand Now
- Providence Police Union: “Hypocrisy at Its Worst” By Elorza & Council Over Move to “Defund Police”
- Elorza Refuses To Comment on “Defund Police” Movement, Says He Supports “8 Can’t Wait” Campaign
