by Abigail Appel | Jul 2, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
At tonight’s City Council meeting Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) will introduce two resolutions calling for the City Council to endorse the Rhode Island Foundation’s Chart a Course Stay the Course Report, and the second calls for the Rhode Island General Assembly to pass both House Bill H-7575 and Senate Bill S-2711. These complimentary bills calls for a state referendum, allowing voters to vote to change the state constitution in order to enshrine public education as a fundamental right.
“I want to thank President and CEO Neil Steinberg of the Rhode Island Foundation for his efforts on rethinking education in the State of Rhode Island,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “Bringing together educators, policymakers, leaders from both the non-profit and private sectors, the Rhode Island Foundation has done a great service for our city and state. They have laid out a plan and path for our state’s students to achieve the public education they need and deserve.”
The Chart a Course Stay the Course report was created by the Rhode Island Foundation’s Long Term Education Planning Committee. In December of 2019, they held a public brainstorming session, and their final report was released in February 2020 and included input from more than 300 parents, students, educators, policymakers, and community leaders.
Majority Leader Ryan continued, “The report sets out a clear plan for how our state can fundamentally change the public education system. It is incumbent on all elected officials within our state to review and commit to the roadmap laid out in the Rhode Island Foundation’s comprehensive report. Our children deserve nothing less.”
The Chart A Course Stay the Course report provides a 10-year plan to increase education outcomes in public schools in Rhode Island.
In addition, Majority Leader Ryan will be introducing a resolution supporting and urging passage of House Bill H-7575 and Senate Bill S-2711. These bills would create a referendum to allow Rhode Islanders to vote on amending the state constitution to establish a fundamental right to adequate and meaningful education for all Rhode Islanders.
“In every city and town across the State of Rhode Island, elected officials are tasked with ensuring that precious tax dollars are being spent in ways that are meaningful and have the most impact on our residents. Quality education is not only promised, but it is the very foundation for each of us to reach our full potentials. I urge the members of the General Assembly to take this bold step to make education a fundamental right for all of us.”
by Abigail Appel | Jul 2, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11
Ricky Bernard and Marcia Ricketts, owners of The Island House Restaurant at 242 Broad St have been in the restaurant business for over 15 years. They opened their first restaurant in Pawtucket in 1997. They owned a restaurant on Lonsdale Ave for three years, where they held their now 13 year old son’s baby shower. The couple became full owners of The Island House in 2019 after four years in business.
The Island House feeds the homeless on Broad St from the back of their restaurant, and keeps a swear jar inside to prevent any foul language! Their restaurant is located in close proximity to 3 high schools, so they have are very popular among students. They are proud to share Jamaican and American food with their community.
On Mother’s Day of 2019, a car crashed into the restaurant, forcing Island House to close for two months. After overcoming this struggle, the Island House now faces the same struggle that many local businesses are facing; trying to keep their business going through COVID-19. With schools being closed, Island House has lost many of their student customers.
In an effort to help small businesses like Island House get back on their feet through the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Providence City Council and the Providence Revolving Fund created a Micro-Business Loan Program. This program provides loans to small businesses in Providence’s commercial corridors. Island House, in Ward 11, represented by Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris was awarded one of these loans. With their loan, Ricky and Marcia plan to get outdoor seating for their restaurant, an app for faster takeout to better cater to their student customers, plexi-glass sheilds and other social distancing measures to keep their employees safe and healthy.
Be sure to stop by The Island House restaurant to try out some great Jamaican and American food and support local business! Congratulations on behalf of Councilwoman Harris and the City Council to Ricky, Marcia and the rest of the Island House staff!
by Abigail Appel | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11
Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) joined Kobe Dennis, the YMCA of Greater Providence, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging and her neighbors at Wiggin Village to kick off a new food and fitness program.
“The health and wellbeing of our neighbors is always a top priority, especially in times of a global pandemic. As a community, we must work to adapt to these changing times while staying at our best mentally and physically,” stated Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
Nearly 100 older adults will be receiving twice-weekly meals from now until August, along with exercise bands, fitness instruction, and nutrition tips. Wiggin Village is located in the West End neighborhood of Providence, an area that has one of the largest COVID-19 positive cases in the City.
‘I am so grateful to the YMCA, the Office of Healthy Aging, and the local restaurants who have all worked together to create healthy outcomes for residents in our neighborhood,” added Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
The goal of this program is to encourage a healthy lifestyle among residents throughout the changes that come with social distancing. Currently, the pilot program is prepared to run through August, but may be extended if there is a need and if additional funding is available.
by Abigail Appel | Jun 22, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
In an email sent out by the President of the Providence Police Union in encouragement of this no-confidence vote he implores officers to ‘all stick together.’
I find it disappointing that my public support of a firefighter who felt racially profiled by our police department would warrant this type of response by union leaders.
How is any community member supposed to feel comfortable coming forward with their own stories if the union responds in this manner to a black elected official simply for speaking out against racial profiling?
‘Sticking together’ is precisely one of the root causes of the problem. It’s one of the main reasons people are marching in the streets all over this country. It’s this same fraternal attitude that intimidates good officers from coming forward and reporting incidents of abuse by peers or superiors. ‘Sticking together’ is the type of mantra that would cause an officer not to intervene.
I welcome constructive dialogue with President Imondi and his leadership team and hope that their visceral response to my statement against racial profiling will not stand in the way of collaborative solutions.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
by Abigail Appel | Jun 19, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
Mayor Jorge O. Elorza and Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan joined Providence Public Safety Officials today to announce a collaboration across City Departments to crack down on local prohibited firework use and sales. The City will now require all firework vendors to hold a firework sales permit. Vendors must submit a separate application for each location where fireworks will be sold. Each permit will cost $50 and is valid for one year.
“The health and well-being of our residents is our top priority,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “We encourage residents to please be mindful of their neighbors’ safety and to not use dangerous fireworks or explosives, particularly in our densely-packed neighborhoods.”
Under Rhode Island law, only ground and hand-held sparkling devices (“sparklers”) are legal for use by the general public. Any firecrackers, rockets, mortars, or any other device that launches a projectile and/or makes a “bang” are illegal. Studies have shown the dangers of unpermitted use of these fireworks. U.S. hospitals saw 12,900 firework-related injuries in 2017 alone and yearly about 19,500 fires are started by fireworks.
“Every neighborhood in our City has been plagued by the illegal use of fireworks, and that’s partly because many residents don’t realize that the only legal firework in Rhode Island is sparklers,” stated City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “For the past several weeks I have heard from constituents and colleagues about the large scale use of fireworks in our community. The fact is, neighbors don’t want to call the police on each other, but those who would have a total disregard for their neighbors need to understand the impacts their behavior is having on the community. A week ago, I immediately began to investigate what I could do as a City Councilor to protect the quality of life of my neighbors. Working together with Mayor Elorza and his staff we realized that we needed to have a holistic approach to this very serious quality of life issue.”
Majority Leader Ryan continued, “I convened members of my staff, members from the Mayor’s staff, Commissioner Steven Paré and Chief Hugh Clements and their teams to discuss a coordinated outreach effort. What became apparent was the need to educate our residents about the laws surrounding fireworks, and the negative impacts they have on our community members. All too often, we forget that fireworks can have an adverse effect on many of our neighbors – from the elderly, to families with small children, to veterans and others suffering from PTSD, and is harmful to companion animals. Along with the education of our residents, we also must focus our efforts on regulating the illegal sale of fireworks in our city. In addition to this meeting, last night I also introduced a resolution requesting that the City Council, the Chief of Police, the City’s Fire Marshall, and the Director of the Board of Licenses coordinate our efforts to better mitigate the discharge of illegal fireworks with the City. With this plan in place, I believe we can mitigate this issue in a coordinated and calculated manner.”
To file a complaint or report the use of illegal fireworks, residents are encouraged to please contact the Providence Police Department non-emergency line (401) 272-3121 or to use the Online Police Reporting System. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 to report fireworks.
Over the next few weeks the Providence City Council will work with Mayor Elorza’s Administration , the Providence Police Department, the Providence Fire Department and community members to remind residents to practice safe celebrations and to remember to keep neighbors in mind who may be sensitive to noise, especially at night.
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and I understand and support that residents would like to find ways to safely celebrate within our neighborhoods,” said Commissioner of Public Safety Steven M. Paré. “I ask residents to please consider their neighbors, some of whom may be first responders working long hours to protect our community, and refrain from engaging in activities that could put anyone unnecessarily in harm’s way.”
