Providence City Council President Sabina Matos has appointed Erlin Rogel, J.D. as the Council’s Chief of Staff effective Monday, March 25, 2019.
“Since my election as Council President in January I have worked to build-out the Council office so that we can offer our constituents the highest level of service and Erlin is the capstone,” stated Council President Sabina Matos. “I have known Erlin for many years through his different community roles, and believe that his experience and skill set make him an excellent choice to fill this very important role. I look forward to working with him.”
Rogel was born and raised in Providence’s South Side. He is a graduate of Classical High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Roger Williams University and a Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law. During Law School, Rogel interned for the City’s Solicitor’s Office for two years where he researched and drafted the City’s Body Works Ordinance which regulated illegal brothels operating as massage parlors in the City, and which was later signed into State law by Governor Gina Raimondo. For the past four years he has worked as an English teacher in the Providence Public Schools.
“I’m thrilled to be joining a dynamic team, and to serve the members of the City Council as their Chief of Staff,” stated Erlin Rogel. “I look forward to working with old and new colleagues bringing stability and strategic leadership to help propel the City forward.”
Rogel has worked as a political campaign consultant for numerous campaigns. He is also a co-founder of Millennial RI and a founding member of the Rhode Island Hispanic Bar Association. He is also Board Chair of the Gentlemen’s Academy; a mentorship program for young men of color across Rhode Island.
Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia said, “First, on behalf of the Council President and the members of the Council, I want to thank James Lombardi III for his leadership and help during this transitional period. Jim not only continued his work as the City Treasurer and as the Special Adviser to the City Council, but he also stepped in to lead our office and made significant changes in very little time to shore-up efficiencies and to make our team work better and faster as the Interim Chief of Staff. Second, I want to welcome Erlin and I look forward to working with him.”
Rogel is a Providence native living in the Elmhurst neighborhood and has extensive experience in public policy and local politics.
Statement from City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan:
As an Irish-American, I am proud to co-sponsor with my colleague, Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi, an ordinance to recognize March as Irish-American and Italian-American Heritage month in perpetuity.
Providence is home to a diverse population and in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day, both of which are important cultural holidays that fall in March, I am very pleased to bring this ordinance forward and honored to have it passed by my colleagues.
To read the full ordinance visit the Open Meetings Portal here:
I am proud to announce that tonight the Council’s Committee on Finance passed the Retail Plastic Bag Reduction Act that I introduced last year. This initiative is a thoughtful and measured approach to reducing the number of carryout plastic bags distributed and our dependence on them in our communities, and the adverse effects they have on our environment.
Over the past several months I have visited every corner of the city, met with various groups including the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, Zero Waste Providence, and other community stakeholders to ensure that we get this right. This updated legislation requires an implementation plan within 60 days of passage, along with quarterly progress reports from the City‘s director of the Office of Sustainability, no fee at point of purchase for consumers, and will involve a myriad of community partners to help with implementation, outreach and education.
The ordinance will be sent to the full Council for vote and passage.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2019 a group of seventh graders from Providence’s Community Preparatory School visited City Hall to view the Black History Month exhibit titled “South Side: Where Providence Begins.” A curated tour was led by City Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris and City Archivist Caleb Horton, who spoke with students about the South Side’s long history of diversity.
Community Preparatory School teachers Cauley Greene and Yajaida DeJesùs were happy to see the students engaged in the exhibit. Greene acknowledged that this year’s exhibit featured “recent and recognizable” history that the students found relatable. Greene was pleased that the seventh graders at Community Preparatory School were exposed to both modern and local history so they could see the progress that has been made in recent years.
Seventh graders William and Nate enjoyed the exhibit’s focus on the South Side as the place where Providence began, and appreciated seeing the history behind the neighborhood where they grew up. After the tour students were able to walk around and look more closely at the exhibits. Edwin, another Community Preparatory School student was fascinated by the wide array of immigrant groups who have called the South Side home.
Deputy Majority Leader Harris engaged with the students asking them if they recognized various people and places featured in the exhibit such as famous baseball player, Davey Lopes. As the Chairwoman of the Black History Committee, Harris recognizes the importance of keeping young people involved in learning about Providence’s history as a cultural melting pot.
“South Side: Where Providence Begins” will remain open until April 12, 2019. Curated tours will be every Thursday starting at noon on the third floor of City Hall. Tours will also be available upon request by calling the Providence City Council Office at (401) 521-7477.
Hope and Change for Haiti held their second annual International Women Day Celebration at the Rhode Island State House on Friday. The event was emceed by Pearl Farquharson. United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, Rhode Island) attended, as did Rhode Island State Treasurer Seth Magaziner.
Hope and Change for Haiti advocates for women and immigrant rights and to promote cultural awareness. The group was founded by Aniece Germain and Dr Norly Germain.
Caroline Jackson Morgan received a citation award from Senator Whitehouse for her volunteer political and social justice advocacy work.
Below is all the video from the event.
“Women’s rights must be a guarantee for all,” said Aniece Germain. “This struggle, to end all forms of discrimination against women, is real.”
“We still have some fights ahead of us in Washington,” said Senator Whitehouse. “We are still fighting for equal pay for equal work. We are pushing back hard against the efforts to degrade women’s health.”
“Part of achieving balance, not just as individuals but as activists and for the movement, is to know that we’re not just one individual or one organization,” said Dr Hilary Levey Friedman, President of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization for Women (RI NOW). “Together we can find a balance and represent everybody.”
“This is a time that many of us have found troubling and disturbing at a national level,” said Treasurer Magaziner. It is “a time when we feel that all of the progress that has been made towards equality and justice over the centuries and the decades is being threatened… Here in Rhode ISland we have push back against that trend…”
Singer/songwriter Alison Rose performed he song, Hope.
“Although we have made significant strides in improving healthcare throughout the country,” said Providence City Councilor Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3). “Black and immigrant women are still at risk for poor health and economic outcomes.”
“We in the House are about to count 27 women among our 75 members,” said Representative Teresa Tanzi (Democrat, District 34, Narragansett, South Kingstown), to applause. “And there’s 16 [women] in the 38 member Senate. Both chambers are at a record high for female representation. That’s something we should all be proud of.”
Quatia Osorio CCHW, CLC is a certified perinatal community health worker, certified lactation counselor and community birth and postpartum doula. She is studying to become a midwife.
“Challenges in maternal health are challenges for all of us,” said Osario. “We need to ask ourselves as a community: Do you know someone who has recently given birth? Have you checked on them?”
“It was a really big moment when the House passed the Reproductive Privacy Act,” said Jordan Hevenor, co-director of The Womxn Project, referring to the passage of a bill the night before that codified the protections of Roe v Wade into Rhode Island State Law. “For us, this issue is not a political issue it is a personal one. It is about each of us having the right and ability to make our own decisions. It is about honoring the agency of women. It is about women being able to decide how to build our families and our relationships.”
Tiara Mack is an educator and activist and a boardmember of Women’s Health and Education Fund (WHEF).
“Women [are] broadly defined in this new age to include so many into the fold – Black, Brown, Trans, gender nonconforming and a host of other identities – unify us into a shared fight for power. Women have come to challenge and confront issues with ferocious grace and determination through countless obstacles and systems meant to ensure our failure.”
Dr Norly Germain, Executive Director of Hope and Change for Haiti provided the closing words.
Reposted with permission by Steve Ahlquist of UpriseRI.
