by Abigail Appel | Mar 9, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5, Ward-7
This evening, the City Council’s Committee on Finance referred and approved the Mayor’s multi-year contract between the City of Providence and the Fraternal Order of Police Union (FOP) Lodge No. 3. The contract will be sent to the full Council for vote and passage.
“The administration is duty-bound to negotiate union contracts upon completion of past contracts, and this contract with the FOP is no different. As presented to the Committee on Finance, it was our obligation to ensure that the contract was executed with our taxpayers’ best interest in mind. This precedent-setting pension reform contract will be decreasing the City’s pension contribution, which will have an accumulative savings of $31 Million. It is in no way a fix to the City’s long-term pension liability, but it is a much-needed savings. I want to thank my colleagues on the Committee on Finance, the Council’s finance team, the City’s finance team, and the FOP for their hard work and their shared goal of ensuring a fair and fiscally responsible contract,” stated Chairman of the Committee on Finance and City Council Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi, Esq (Ward 7).
The contract approved by the Committee on Finance is a 4-year contract that will bring the members of FOP Lodge No. 3 more in line with the other Rhode Island municipality police departments. As the largest police department in the state, before the contract, the members’ base wage rates were in the bottom 25-percent in the state, and with this contract, they will be within the top 10 percent.
“We are committed to working with the administration to increase our diversion programs and family services go-teams. However, the FOP has been working without a contract since 2019, and to avoid costly arbitration, it was prudent that Mayor Elorza and his team came to an agreement with the union. This contract is unique because it addresses one of the City’s most pressing issues – its pension liability. Once passed, this contract includes serious and meaningful pension reforms, which are much needed. Further, this agreement will save taxpayers millions of dollars through cost savings from health insurance and retirement contributions. These are important steps in moving the needle to address our shared goal of creating a more robust diversion program and improving our residents’ quality of life. I, too, wish to extend my thanks to the leadership of the FOP Lodge No. 3, the City’s finance team, as well as the Council’s finance team for their hard work,” stated Vice-Chair of the Committee on Finance and City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5).
In addition to the FOP contract, the Committee on Finance is committed to working with community partners, the administration, and the FOP to improve and grow the Police Department’s diversion programming. Whereby ensuring that distress calls that don’t necessarily warrant an armed response, but might need the response of a social worker or clinician, has more funding and will be better equipped to help those in crisis in a way that our Police members are not trained to do.
Chairman Igliozzi continued, “In the upcoming fiscal budgets, we will be allocating more dollars to the City’s Diversion programs and are in full support of expanding our family services go-teams to help the most vulnerable amongst us. It is our goal to grow and build out a program that will have continued success and the ability to keep assisting and putting those in crisis with the help that they need.”
The contract will be sent to the City Council and requires two passages before it can go into effect. The contract can be found here: FOP Lodge No. 3 Union Contract
by Abigail Appel | Mar 9, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10
Today’s fire was yet another example of why I have been advocating for eliminating these types of businesses in South Providence, and indeed the whole City. This area has the highest rates of childhood asthma in the state, and we are ninth in the nation, and it’s because of businesses like these.
The scrap yards along Allens Avenue are continually polluting our neighborhoods, and we were lucky that what occurred today was quickly contained. What would happen if it was an oil tanker? It would have been a disaster.
We are the Ocean State, and our waterways are our most precious natural resource. We need our businesses to do better, be safer, and transition to cleaner and safer practices.
I want to thank the men and women of the Providence Fire Department for acting so quickly to eliminate the fire and causing further damage to the area.
Pedro Espinal
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 10
by Abigail Appel | Mar 5, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-12, Ward-2, Ward-9
At tonight’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves proposed a resolution endorsing and urging the passage of Rhode Island House Bill 2021 H-5442, an act that would prevent the termination of utility services during periods of a declared emergency, including the on-going COVID-19 Pandemic. This resolution was co-sponsored by Councilors Helen Anthony (Ward 1), Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), and Kat Kerwin (Ward 12).
“Rhode Island unemployment rates remain at astoundingly high due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, so many hardworking men and women lost their job or were forced into dire economic situations. Nobody should have to choose between buying groceries and keeping their heat on. This bill would provide some relief for those who have found themselves faced with these difficult circumstances,” stated Councilman John Goncalves.
House Bill 2021 H-5442 would impose a moratorium on the termination of utility services throughout a limited period of any emergency declared by the Governor of Rhode Island, with particular guidelines in place in the event of a public health epidemic. Customers would be protected for the duration of the emergency and for 90 days after the emergency has ended.
“One year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is time we begin to think about what systems we can put in place to protect the financial and physical well-being of Rhode Islanders if we are faced with another crisis like the one we are currently fighting through. House Bill H-5442 will provide immediate relief while also building a long-term crisis response framework. I commend and support the members of the General Assembly who have worked to put this bill together,” added Councilman Goncalves.
The resolution will be sent to the Special Committee on State Legislative Affairs for further discussion.
by Abigail Appel | Mar 4, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-3, Ward-5, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
Tonight the Providence City Council passed two resolutions, sponsored by Councilor Rachel Miller (Ward 13), to support several initiatives before the Rhode Island General Assembly to reduce Perfluorinated and Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) in Rhode Island’s water supply and in food packaging in our state. The resolutions were co-sponsored by Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15), Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5),Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), Chairman John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7), Councilors Helen Anthony (Ward 2), Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), John Goncalves (Ward 1), and Kat Kerwin (Ward 12), Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), James Taylor (Ward 8), and Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3).
The first resolution supports and urges the passage of House Bill 2021 H-5523 and Senate Bill 2021 S-107, which will require the RI Department of Health to set a Maximum Contaminant Level for PFAS and requires that our public waterways and drinking supply be sampled and monitored for PFAS contamination. The second resolution supports and urges the passage of House Bill 2021 H-5356 and Senate Bill 2021 S-0110, which eliminate the manufacture, sale, and distribution of food packaging to which PFAS have been added.
“These initiatives in our General Assembly and State Senate are significant steps in the effort to improve food and water safety in Rhode Island. PFAS are persistent chemicals that are known to cause harm to humans and the environment. It is time for the Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Management to take action to set standards and testing protocols to protect the health and safety of Rhode Islanders. I know that my colleagues in government trust science and believe that we should do everything we can to protect and care for the health and safety of Rhode Islanders and our environment. PFAS have been linked to cancer, developmental issues in children, problems with fertility and pregnancy, and a host of other serious health problems. That is why we must act now to reduce these harmful chemicals from our food and water,” stated Councilor Rachel Miller.
PFAS are highly persistent chemicals that have been widely used in consumer products since the 1948. They are often used in food packaging to prevent grease and other fats from sticking to the paper packaging. However, PFAS are released during production processes and remain in the environment for long periods, entering the air and bodies of water. Because of this widespread contamination, PFAS can often be found in the blood of both humans and wildlife. Over the years, concern has grown regarding the health consequences of frequent exposure to PFAS.
“One of the most precious resources we have in the State of Rhode Island is the Narragansett Bay, and we must do whatever we can to protect this natural resource. Further, PFAS that end up in our water inevitably end up in our sea life. As a state with a robust seafood industry, we have to protect and preserve the catch’s quality. Doing so will protect jobs and this important economic generator. I applaud Councilor Miller for working to ensure that we are supporting important green and healthy initiatives at the General Assembly, and I too add my voice to the chorus of my colleagues who want to see these bills pass and enacted,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan.
The resolutions passed, and copies will be sent to the Rhode Island General Assembly and the Providence Delegation.
by Abigail Appel | Mar 4, 2021 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-3, Ward-5, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
Tonight, the Providence City Council members voted to pass a resolution urging the United States Senate to pass the Equality Act. The resolution was sponsored by Councilor Rachel Miller (Ward 13). It was Co-sponsored by Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15), Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi, Esq. (Ward 7), and Councilors Helen Anthony, Esq. (Ward 2), Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), John Goncalves (Ward 1), Kat Kerwin (Ward 12), Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), Councilman James Taylor (Ward 8), and Councilman Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3)
The Equality Act was introduced to the House of Representatives by Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline and in the Senate by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021. It was finally passed by the United States House of Representatives in 2019 and 2021 but has died in the United States Senate committee. After the United States Supreme Court’s June 2020 ruling in the Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, which upheld protections for gay and transgender individuals in employment matters under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent amendments, now there is more support in the Senate for passage. The City Council members are urging the body to take this bold and meaningful action to codify the rights of every person living in the United States.
“First, I want to thank our Federal Delegation, especially Congressman Cicilline, who has worked doggedly on this act for the past seven years. Even as it languished in the House and Senate, he still believed that the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community were worth the battle. I am proud that he represents Rhode Island and am grateful for his leadership. The Equality Act will codify and protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, which has been missing from the Civil Rights Act for decades. The Equality Act wil also protect against discrimination in the workplace, in housing, in health care, and even in financial lending,” stated Councilor Rachel Miller.
The Equality Act will amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Jury Selection and Services Act, and several other federal laws around employment and discrimination in public spaces, services, and federally funded programs.
“Former United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once stated, ‘We should not be held back from pursuing our full talents, from contributing what we could contribute to society, because we fit into a certain mold, because we belong to a group that historically has been the object of discrimination.’ With that statement, she was referring to what women have endured for generations. It is equally true for LGBTQIA+ communities that face higher rates of suicide, bullying, and the alarming rates of murder amongst transgender women. The Senate must pass the Equality Act, and I know that our Rhode Island Delegation is supportive, and I hope that we can all agree that discrimination of any kind needs to be removed from our legal system,” stated Council President Sabina Matos.
Many studies have shown that members of the LGBTQIA+ community face high levels of discrimination in housing. The bias is noted to come in many different ways: being denied housing, charged higher rents, or being removed from housing once a landlord realizes the orientation or the gender expression of the renters. Additionally, the Equality Act will add protections to LGBTQIA+ individuals living in 27 states which do not have state-wide LGBTQIA+ anti-discrimination laws.
“There are currently 27 states where, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, my right to be free from discrimination in employment, housing, and other civil protections is not protected by law. I am proud to be a member of this body that tonight took a stance for equality for all,” concluded Councilor Miller.
Copies of the resolution will be sent to the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation. The City Council members hope that the United States Senate will pass Senate Bill 393 – The Equality Act.
