by Council Staff | Dec 17, 2025 | Add Council Logo
Tonight, Providence City Council members convened for the swearing-in of Councilor Jill S. Davidson (Ward 2) as part of a special council meeting. Councilors also took the opportunity to hold the victims of the Brown University shooting this past weekend in their prayers.
Councilors honored the memories of Brown students Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, and acknowledged the others injured in the shooting, the first responders working tirelessly since Saturday, and everyone impacted by the past weekend’s tragedy.
“We come together tonight with heavy hearts… We ask for healing for those who were injured and peace for all who were shaken,” said Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1). “Providence has faced hardship before, and each time we’ve shown who we are. We are resilient. We look out for each other. We don’t turn away from pain, and we don’t allow fear to define us.”
“We have a profound obligation to our constituents to pursue the truth,” added Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13), encouraging her fellow councilors to help stop the spread of misinformation in support of the ongoing investigation. “Our office is here to serve you, to provide any information your constituents might need.”
Councilor Davidson won the Ward 2 special election on December 3rd. The election followed the September resignation of her predecessor, Councilwoman Helen Anthony. Ward 2 includes the College Hill, Wayland, and Blackstone neighborhoods, including much of Brown University’s campus. Councilor Davidson and her husband Kevin have lived in the Blackstone neighborhood in Providence for more than 20 years and are the proud parents of three adult sons.
“This has been an extraordinarily difficult week for Ward 2,” said Councilor Davidson. “I feel immensely grateful that I can be there for my neighbors at this time and look forward to continuing to serve my community in the new year.”
Councilor Davidson currently serves as Director of Development and Communications at the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council and serves on the boards of the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Rhode Island Chapter. She has held long-term leadership positions with multiple parent-teacher organizations in Providence, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School PTO, Nathan Bishop Middle School PTO, and the Classical High School Community Association.
Councilor Davidson received her A.B. from Brown University and her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Visit Davidson’s profile for more information.
Councilors also granted second and final passage to an ordinance supporting the Mile of History project, which authorizes financing for major infrastructure upgrades to Benefit Street, known as one of Providence’s most historic corridors. Benefit Street and its accompanying attractions see 300,000 tourists each year. Nearly 40% of the stretch of sidewalk has been determined to be difficult to traverse, while over 300 feet is considered impassable. The project will repair cracked sidewalks, replace missing bricks, restore tree wells, and ensure ADA accessibility.
“I am deeply grateful to all of the partners who made this possible, including Council President Miller, Chairwoman Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), Mayor Smiley and the administration, the Mile of History, and all of my colleagues who believed in the merits of this project,” said Councilman Goncalves. “This bond is not just for the East Side. It represents an economic investment in one of the most historically significant streets in our country, which truly benefits every neighborhood, every resident and every visitor to our great city. I look forward to working with my colleagues and advocating tooth-and-nail to ensure this is one of many meaningful infrastructure and sidewalk improvements in neighborhoods across Providence.”
The meeting also included appointments, reappointments, and elections to the Juvenile Hearing Board, Providence External Review Authority, Green and Complete Streets Advisory Council, Probate Court, and the Sustainability Commission.
The meeting adjourned with a moment of silence for Umurzokov and Cook.
The first regularly scheduled council meeting of 2026 will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
by Council Staff | Dec 16, 2025 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – On Wednesday, December 17 at 5 p.m., Providence City Council will convene for a special meeting in the Council Chamber on the third floor of City Hall. It will begin with the swearing-in ceremony of Councilor-elect Jill S. Davidson (Ward 2). Press and the public are invited to attend.
During the special meeting, councilors will also vote on second passage of the Mile of History project, which provides for infrastructure improvements along and adjacent to historic Benefit Street and consider end-of-year appointments to city boards and commissions.
by Council Staff | Dec 4, 2025 | Add Council Logo
At tonight’s City Council meeting, councilors unanimously voted to approve the City’s lease of the WaterFire Arts Center back to WaterFire Providence, and advanced an ordinance supporting the Mile of History project.
“This vote is about protecting the heartbeat of Providence, a cultural event that has become synonymous with the city itself,” Chairwoman Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) shared in a release after the November 5th Finance Committee meeting. “WaterFire is more than a world-renowned art installation, it’s an engine of economic activity, drawing in about $162 million of economic stimulus to Rhode Island annually. This agreement is a smart, forward-looking decision that will pay dividends for Providence residents, businesses, and visitors for years to come.”
Chairwoman Ryan also authored an op-ed published in The Providence Journal detailing the community and financial benefits of investing in WaterFire. Their programming not only brings roughly a million visitors to the city annually, it also supports local artists by offering workforce support and vending opportunities.
Councilors granted first passage to an ordinance supporting the Mile of History project, which authorizes financing for major infrastructure upgrades to Benefit Street, known as one of Providence’s most historic corridors. Benefit Street and its accompanying attractions see 300,000 tourists each year. Nearly 40% of the stretch of sidewalk has been determined to be difficult to traverse, while over 300 feet is considered impassable. The project, if passed for a second time, will repair cracked sidewalks, replace missing bricks, restore tree wells, and ensure ADA accessibility.
Following the final vote tally in the general election for the Ward 2 Council seat, the Council has tentatively scheduled a swearing-in ceremony for Jill Davidson on Wednesday, December 17th, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the third floor of City Hall.
Due to the New Year’s holiday, the next regularly scheduled council meeting will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
by Council Staff | Dec 4, 2025 | Add Council Logo
Today, December 4th, at 6 p.m., Providence City Council will convene for a full meeting in the Council Chamber on the third floor of City Hall. Press and the public are invited to attend.
After being voted out of the Committee on Finance with a recommendation to pass, councilors will hear the City’s lease of the WaterFire Arts Center back to WaterFire Providence and an ordinance supporting the Mile of History project, which authorizes financing for infrastructure improvements along and adjacent to the historic Benefit Street.
by Council Staff | Nov 20, 2025 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – At tonight’s regular City Council meeting, the body unveiled a series of technologies to improve accessibility in the chamber. Six monitors have been installed throughout the room: two on the walls flanking the Council President’s dais, two on rolling carts just inside the banisters, and two mounted in the gallery. The monitors display livestreamed video of the councilor speaking, along with live-captioned transcription. An electronic voting system now records votes, which are then displayed on the monitors in real time.
This modernization is part of a larger effort to respond to community concerns about sound and acoustics in the chamber. There have been considerable improvements in the past year, in addition to the new visuals. Two large rugs have been added for sound dampening, longer microphones now better capture councilors’ remarks when they stand, improved audio connections are available for TV reporters, and a contracted sound evaluation led to new speakers being installed and existing speakers being repositioned.
“Fixing problems that have existed since 1878 is no small task, but this Council doesn’t shy away from hard work,” said Chief of Staff June Rose. “For generations, residents have struggled to fully hear or follow what happens in this chamber. Thanks to this Council’s deep commitment to transparency and accessibility, we’re changing that. Better sound, clearer visuals, and real-time captions make the chamber more welcoming, allowing people to participate more fully in the work of their government.”
In response to concerns regarding the enforcement of the noise ordinance, councilors approved a resolution, introduced by Council President Rachel Miller, establishing a working group to review how ordinances related to nightlife are enforced. The working group’s members will be Council President Miller, Councilor Justin Roias, representatives from city departments, and appointees from the council and the mayor’s administration. Together, the working group will review the city’s current enforcement practices of nightlife regulations and share their findings and recommendations in a written report by April 1, 2026.
“I’m looking forward to bringing together a working group with a broad range of perspectives to review nightlife enforcement practices,” said Council President Rachel Miller. “As the Creative Capital, Providence is home to a vibrant nightlife landscape, with vast cultural and economic contributions to our city. City government can support that vibrancy, while finding the appropriate balance that considers daily quality of life for city residents. Our nightlife environment can be fostered to support economic and quality of life well-being that is greater than the sum of its parts, creating new opportunities for artists and occasions for residents and visitors to connect meaningfully.”
At this point Council no longer had quorum and adjourned the meeting.
