We faced yet another violent weekend in our City, and it’s time for my City Council colleagues and I, along with Mayor Elorza, to provide the support that our police department needs to serve and protect.
More importantly, we need a mayor and a commissioner that is going to support the enforcement of laws and start making our City safe again. I have stated several times that we need to remove the handcuffs from our police and let them do their job.
Residents and city taxpayers should feel safe where they live and deserve to have a police force that serves and upholds our community’s quality of life.
Our City went from a having a low-crime status just months ago, to now having a crime rate that appears to be spiraling out of control. There have been shootings, kidnapping, and other serious crimes just in the past two weeks.
We need to ensure that our hardworking residents and taxpayers live in a safe community. They deserve nothing less.
Nicholas J. Narducci Jr., Senior Deputy Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 4
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4) today was on site where work is nearing completion on the Hawkins Street Bridge Restoration Project.
Hawkins Street Bridge was closed to traffic in October of 2017 after the Rhode Island Department of Transportation found significant deterioration on several of the support beams.
Councilman Narducci has been monitoring the process and has been in contact with RIDT regarding the final phase of the restoration. “Today marks another step closer to restoring this bridge so that the community is no longer divided. When the bridge is opened you can expect a ribbon-cutting, our neighborhood deserves it,” stated Councilman Nicholas J. Narducci Jr.
A completion date has not yet been set, but the engineers and contractors from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation believe it to be in the very near future.
Today Councilman John J. Igliozzi, Esq. honored the life and legacy of former Councilman Philip A. Almagno, also known as Sharkey to his close friends and family, alongside Council President Sabina Matos, Councilor David A. Salvatore, Senator Frank Ciccone III, the Almagno family, and numerous longtime family friends at a ceremony in a small piazza across from Councilman Almagno’s family home.
Councilman Almagno passed away at age 90 on January 12, 2018, a lifelong resident of Silver Lake, and lived on Pocasset Avenue for most of his adult life. The piazza where his memorial is located at the intersection of Pocasset Avenue and Sophia Street directly adjacent to his family home.
Councilman Almagno served two terms as the Councilman representing Ward 7 from 1975 until 1982.
He was the Chief of Weights and Measures for the City of Providence from 1982 – 2003 after which he became a private contractor for the State of Rhode Island: Dept. of Weights and Measures until retiring in 2012.
He also owned and operated Sharkey’s Wholesale Fruit and Produce.
He was also a U.S. Navy Veteran and a Member of the Public employees’ Local 1033. He was an avid gardener and New York Yankee fan. He was known to rally both Yankee and Red Sox fans from Silver Lake for annual trips to see the two teams play in New York City.
Councilman Almagno was very active in the community and was a member of the St. Bartholomew Holy Name Society, Sons of Italy, Piava Lodge, President of the Rosario Society, Past President of the Holy Name Society, and the Seventh Ward Democratic Committee.
In addition, he belonged to the RI Bocce League, United Commercial Travelers, Hope Council Knights of Columbus, Olneyville Little League, Pontecorvo Reunion Committee, Silver Lake Annex Board, and the Providence Fraternal Order of Police.
He was married to Lucy and was the father of Sandra, Cathy, John, Nancy, and the late Ann Marie. He was the grandfather of Melissa, Laurie, Nicholas, John Jr., Kimberly Stephen; and the great grandfather of Mason, Dylan, Lincoln, and Guiliana; he was the brother of Connie Martinelli and uncle to many nieces and nephews.
He was honored at a mass this morning by the Rosario Society and it was a beautiful morning to remember the contributions he made over his decades-long life of service to the Silver Lake neighborhood and to Providence.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4) today was on site where work was completed on the Hopkins Field Restoration Project.
“Today, I joined Superintendent of Parks Wendy Nilsson, Deputy Superintendent of Parks Brian Byrnes, Supervisor Joe Salem, and several members of the Parks Department to see the completion of the Hopkins Field Restoration project ” stated Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. “Our Parks Department is second to none, and they worked very hard to make sure that Hopkins Field was restored and will soon be available for our neighborhood athletes, young and old.”
The work performed today for the turf renovation at Hopkins Field included thatching, aerating, slice seeding, top dressing, and over-seeding the entire area. Eight members of the Parks Department worked for more than eight hours to complete this renovation.
Materials included 800 lbs. of seed and 20 yards of screened loam. In addition, tractors were used to aerate, thatch, and over-seed the field. Careful care and concept were used in this operation to ensure that the field will start to germinate in five to seven days. Please note that sprinklers are scheduled to run three times per day to keep the area moist which is necessary for seed germination.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Narducci continued, “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Wendy, Brian, Joe, and all the members of the Parks Department for their hard work and dedication to making sure that our neighborhood parks and green spaces are so expertly cared for. We are lucky to have such dedicated individuals who are willing to give up their Saturday to make Ward 4 shine. Thank you to one and all.”
As a member of the City Council’s Committee on Finance, I am uniquely aware of the complexities and the precarious state of Providence’s finances. I am disappointed that the administration has contracted with a firm that is not local or not using current staff to do the audit.
I hope that the intention is to look at the full scope of our public safety division, and not just our police department. Further, I have several questions regarding the public safety division’s budget.
First, we have not had a Fire Chief in nearly six years, the entire term of this Mayor. That position is listed in the City’s budget at $175,000 per year, yet, that money is never leftover – year over year. So, where is that money going? Second, when so many individuals are out of work and the City has put our staff on a furlough program, why is there a request for a $40,000 increase in the Commissioner’s salary? Finally, the Commissioner is the City’s acting Fire Chief and has no experience as a firefighter. The administration is in violation of the Home Rule Charter of the City of Providence as we are improperly paying individuals without the requisite expertise and paying out of classification for more than 90 days!
Under Mayor Cicilline we did not have a Public Safety Commissioner. The police and fire chief reported directly to the Mayor. By reverting to this model, we would save significant dollars that could be reinvested in the social service programs that the City is already contracted with, and have stated repeatedly that they could do more if funding allowed.
I hope that any resources cut from the budget are not these very important social service collaborators. The Committee on Finance has met and learned about the great work these organizations are doing in our City and in conjunction with public safety every day.
James E. Taylor
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 8
