Providence Mayoral Candidates Debate Minority Issues
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Three Democrats and one independent candidate for Providence mayor took stands on immigration, economic development, and oversight of city police at a debate hosted by the Rhode Island Latino Civic Fund last night.
The candidates—Democrats Steven Costantino, John Lombardi, Angel Taveras and independent Jonathan Scott—struck similar themes on a wide variety of issues.
The three Democrats were explicitly critical of the controversial Arizona law and all four candidates support a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally. The four were likewise unanimous in calling for even stronger civilian oversight over the Providence police and stronger enforcement of city fire codes and regulations on lead paint abatement.
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Taveras, an attorney and former Housing Court Judge, said he was seeking office to help neighborhoods hard-hit by high unemployment. “I’m running for mayor because some of our neighborhoods have 25 percent unemployment and that’s unacceptable,” Taveras said. “That’s why I released a 17-point plan to get people back to work and grow our economy.”
Lombardi, a long-time city councilman who had a months-long stint as mayor, sounded a similar theme. “This is a city in crisis and this election is going to be about leadership and experience,” he said. “If you elect me, we can fix Providence.”
Costantino, a state rep and House Finance chairman, said the city needs jobs—and to support the businesses that create them. “Providence needs jobs,” Costantino said. “We will create jobs in this city because Providence is a great city that has great assets and we need to take advantage of those assets.”
At the debate, which was held at the Providence Career and Technical Academy, few Hispanic and African-American voters who packed the auditorium were undecided. Most were wearing campaign stickers for one of the three Democrats.
Independent Jonathan Scott asked them to consider supporting him in the fall if their preferred candidate did not win the Democratic primary in September. “All I ask of you tonight is to listen, learn, think, and ask questions of me,” said Scott, a political consultant who has twice run as a Republican against Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
How Did the Candidates Do?
Tony Affigne, a professor of political science at Providence College, said of the four candidates, Costantino and Lombardi had a firm grasp of the issues facing the minority community in Providence.
He said Taveras, who has never held elective office, was quickly learning how to use his contacts in the Latino community to build his campaign. He said the three Democrats had their “finger on the pulse of the community.”
Scott, meanwhile, is less familiar to the community, but he answered questions directly and impressed many of those in the audience, coming across as a credible candidate, according to Affigne. Of all the candidates, Taveras, who is Dominican, garnered the most applause, following by Lombardi, Affigne said.
He said the four candidates did well when asked about three key issues—safe and affordable housing, immigration, and civilian oversight on police.
But they fumbled on the issue of economic development, according to Affigne. “None of the candidates offered strong, substantial, specific policies to more effectively involve the 60 percent of the city’s population which is minority into the economic development of the city, government employment, city agencies and so on,” Affigne said.
Fourth Democrat Escorted Out by Police
Last night’s debate was marked by controversy before it even really started when a fourth Democratic candidate, Chris Young, showed up with a statue of the Virgin Mary. When organizers asked Young to remove the statue from the stage, he refused and police were called to the auditorium.
Young spent nearly an hour arguing with police and organizers about his right to have the statue with him, before police finally escorted him out of the auditorium, delaying the start of the debate.
The rules of the debate expressly prohibited props, according to Affigne.
Outside of the building, Young told reporters that the statue symbolized what he wanted to do as mayor. He said he was working on restoring the statue and that he was running to also restore the city of Providence.
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