by Billy Kepner | Jan 7, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Providence City Councilwoman Sabina Matos, Ward 15, was elected City Council President after today’s installation of the 2019-2022 City Councilors. She has the distinction of being the first Latina to hold this seat.
Council President Matos began her first term as the Councilwoman for the fifteenth ward in January 2011. During her tenure on the Council, she has served as Council President Pro Tempore from January 2015 until her election as President. She also served as Acting Council President from May 2017 until December 2017. During her tenure she has served on the Councils’ Committee on Finance, Committee on Municipal Operations and Oversight, Rules Committee, Committee on Women and Healthy Communities, Committee on State Legislative Affairs, and serves as Chairwoman of the Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal, and Planning.
“When my family emigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1994, we did so for better opportunities, and as an immigrant, I understand the unique challenges that the majority of today’s Providence population faces,” stated Council President Sabina Matos. “Today, women and minorities are not only the majority of the city’s population, but we now make up the majority of the Providence City Council. Now, more than ever before, the Council’s leadership reflects what our community truly looks like. Today the City of Providence has made history by swearing in a majority women-led Council. Women have not always had seats at the table, but one-by-one Councilwoman Carolyn Brassil, Councilwoman Josephine Diruzzo, Councilwoman Carol Romano, Councilwoman and former Acting Council President Balbina Young, Councilwoman Patricia K. Nolan, Councilwoman Rita Williams, Councilwoman and former Council President Eveylyn Fargnoli chipped away at that glass ceiling, and today our City Council represents those that have elected us to serve.”
Matos continued, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of Ward 15, and I look forward to the next four years of serving all residents of our great city. I believe that my colleagues and I have a great deal of work to tackle the issues of our time. But, I have complete faith that we can come together and continue to make Providence an even greater place to live, work and play than it already is.”
Council President Matos’ election comes after the majority of the Democratic members of the City Council held a caucus in November of last year, to seat new leadership. The positions are as follows:
- Michael Correia – Ward Six, President Pro Tempore
- Jo-Ann Ryan – Ward Five, Majority Leader
- John J. Igliozzi – Ward Seven, Majority Whip
- Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. – Ward Four, Senior Deputy Majority Leader
- Mary Kay Harris – Ward 11, Deputy Majority Leader
The Council’s newly seated leadership teams’ legislative goals for this term will focus on housing affordability, economic development (especially in support of local small businesses), and a continued focus on the city’s financial health. They will also continue to address the quality of life issues that face every neighborhood, which will include public safety, infrastructure, improved city services, and finally working towards making Providence one of the cleanest cities in America.
Sabina Matos was born in the province of Barahona in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in April 1994. She is a graduate of Rhode Island College with a BA in Communications and Public Relations. She is also a graduate of the Latina Leadership Institute and Leadership for a Future.
In 2014, Sabina Matos was named to the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership program as one of two dozen emerging bipartisan leaders from across the country.
The Aspen Institute is a nonpartisan forum for values-based leadership and the exchange of ideas. Its Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership program seeks to enhance democracy by identifying and bringing together the nation’s most promising young political leaders who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse.
Council President Matos is also the past President of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee and has served on numerous community-based boards including the Olneyville Housing Corporation, the United Way of Rhode Island and ECAS Theater. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, most recently she was honored by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council with their first annual “Fred Lippit Award.”
Council President Matos lives in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence with her husband Patrick, and their two children, Diego and Annemarie.
by Billy Kepner | Jan 5, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-6
Since the early hours of this morning, I have heard from multiple neighbors regarding their concerns for their safety and that of their families after a man was shot and killed outside of the Steam Tap bar on Andem Street. Unfortunately, this is not the first violent incident that has occurred in relation to this location.
Rest assured that I am working with the Providence Police Department, the Providence Board of Licenses and community members to ensure that the Steam Tap is closed until a full hearing can be had by the Board of Licenses.
The safety of the residents in my community is paramount, and I will work to protect our quality of life at all costs.
Please keep an eye on the City Council website at www.council.providenceri.gov for more information as it becomes available.
—
Michael Correia, Councilman, Ward Six
by Billy Kepner | Jan 2, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15, Ward-5
Sabina Matos, Ward 15, the putative incoming City Council President has requested that the January 3, 2019 meeting, which would be the last meeting for the current term be canceled. The new council will be sworn-in on Monday, January 7, 2019 at noon.
It is somewhat unprecedented to hold a January meeting on the eve of ushering in a new class of City Councilors. Matos stated, “Out of deference to the four new members being sworn-in on January 7, 2019, precedent compels the Council to defer taking up new business just days before they are to be sworn-in. The January 3, 2019 agenda includes ratification of long-term multi-year contracts affecting thousands of city employees, and appointments that should be fully vetted. To convene beforehand, would be uncharacteristic, given past practice, to have an outgoing Council deliberate on such important matters.”
The full Providence City Council regularly meets the first and third Thursdays of the month.
Jo-Ann Ryan, Majority Whip, Ward 5 said, “With the swearing-in of the new Council scheduled for Monday, January 7, 2019, a majority of the Council thought it best to wait these few short days, to allow the new members to be seated, before voting on these important matters.”
Ryan continued, “Since the current charter was adopted in 1980, early January meetings being held within a week of a new Council being sworn-in are a rarity. The last time a first Thursday arrived before the first Monday swearing-in was 16 years ago in 2003 and the Council did not meet. Prior to that, it was 1991 and the Council did meet, but it was for a special occasion. Former Mayor Joseph R. Paolino, Jr., who had also served as Council President lost in the Democratic primary for governor the previous September and delivered a farewell address to the body.”
by Billy Kepner | Dec 23, 2018 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-4
Councilman Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. is excited to announce that the upgrades to the Prete-Metcalf Field Playground are complete.
He extends his thanks to the dedicated employees of the Providence Parks Department, volunteers, and community members who helped to make this project a reality.
An official ribbon cutting will be scheduled in early spring.
by Billy Kepner | Dec 21, 2018 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-3
Over the past year there have been several incidents of racist and white nationalist propaganda being shared in our community, and today I have learned of another incident in my neighborhood.
These messages are sometimes opaque and not easily recognizable. They may otherwise seem harmless, but they will not go unnoticed by my neighbors, who I was elected to represent, or by me. Our community is diverse, open, and welcoming, and this rhetoric is not and will not be tolerated. Simply put: there is no place for hate here in Providence.
I won’t share the image and I won’t say where it was, but I will say as soon as it was brought to my attention, my colleagues in government reacted swiftly to remove this vile message from our community. I will never stand in the way of free speech, but I will gladly stand up and speak out against hate speech, even when it’s not always recognizable.
To those who would share this vitriolic message in our community, I pray for you. I pray that during this special holiday season, which is meant to be filled with family, love, and brotherhood, that your hatred melts away, and that acceptance and love for your neighbors fill that part of your hearts.
— Nirva R. LaFortune, Councilwoman – Ward Three
by Billy Kepner | Dec 18, 2018 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-5
Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris was joined by Councilwoman-Elect Rachel Miller at the Building Futures – Rhode Island graduation.
Building Futures – Rhode Island helps prepare low-income urban Rhode Islanders for successful careers in the building trades.
They assess the work readiness of their applicants, provide training and other forms of services and supports to help address barriers to employment, and assist successful graduates in gaining a career through employment as registered apprentices.
Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, who was unable to be there, made sure that she and Councilwoman Harris gave each of the graduates an official citation from the City Council commemorating this occasion.
For more information, visit them on the web: Building Futures RI
For more information on the upcoming Building Futures Orientation check out their Facebook event: BFRI Orientation
