by Billy Kepner | Sep 9, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Last Thursday, the City Council approved a resolution sponsored by Majority Leader Ryan to engage a consultant to provide an updated evaluation of the Board of Licenses. Last Thursday I also announced the creation of a Night Life Working Group to assess the numerous issues affecting the City’s night-time businesses, identify tools to preserve public safety and residential peace, and to ensure the enjoyment of the City’s nighttime arts and entertainment options. These are just a couple of options my leadership team is exploring to help curb the night-time violence in our City.
The working group will be comprised of stakeholders that include public safety officials, members from the Board of Licenses, the City Council, business owners, and community members. It is important that we understand the needs of our business owners and neighbors before we make any substantive changes moving forward.
The one thing that is clear, however, is that we can’t afford to wait any longer. We can’t sit idly by while our City suffers night after night and families wake up to headline after headline about a random stabbing or shooting. No price tag, time commitment, or effort is ever enough to provide our families the peace of mind they expect and deserve from their local government.
That said, I am happy to hear how engaged my colleagues have been in this discussion, but I think we are putting the cart before the horse. We need to fully understand the scope and overriding issues around nightlife culture before we move forward with any major initiatives.
by Billy Kepner | Sep 5, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15, Ward-5
The City Council tonight announced initiatives to review the processes and procedures to review the Board of Licenses, and to also set up a working group to address the issues surrounding nightlife that we are facing in Providence.
This Council will be engaging the services of a local law firm to look at the processes and procedures of the Board of Licensees from the top down. In 2016 the Council engaged former Attorney General Jeffrey Pine to do a comprehensive overview, and this is a continuation of that process. In addition, the Council is also pulling together a working group of nightlife business owners, public safety officials, and elected officers to come together to discuss best practices.
The Pine Report, as it has been called, was compiled to assess the Board of Licenses’ adjudication process and to equip the board members with tools for best practices.
Council President Sabina Matos stated, “We must provide a framework for our nightlife businesses to operate with the know-how of how to handle and deescalate issues that might arise at their establishments. Working with Anthony Santurri, a pioneer in Providence’s nightlife scene, the Council believes that we can find solutions to the challenges that our City is currently facing. I commend my colleagues for making real and quantifiable change in our City.”
“As a freshman Councilor I advocated for a balance of opportunities for business owners and the quality of life of our residents,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “The Council initiated a complete review of the Board of Licenses and it is apparent to me that we need to do more. With the recent uptick in violence associated around clubs in our City I believe we are ready to revisit these issues. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make changes that benefit businesses and the community alike.”
The Council has been outspoken on its desire to promote a healthy business environment throughout the City, and one that serves the needs of neighborhood residents. More and more there are neighborhood restaurants that are also operating as entertainment venues at night, and the result has been an onslaught of issues affecting the quality of life for residents.
The working group to review nightlife best practices will come together in the coming weeks. It is the Council’s hope to engage as many constituencies as possible.
by Billy Kepner | Sep 5, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-5
The Providence City Council voted tonight to authorize the Mayor and the City’s Office of Sustainability to develop and implement an aggregation plan to allow the residents of Providence to have more control over their electric bills.
According to the EPA, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), also known as municipal aggregation, are programs that allow local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents. CCAs provide communities that want more local control over their electricity sources, more green power than is offered by the default utility, and lower electricity prices.
“With National Grid slated to raise our electricity rates by 8% this fall we need to offer our residents a way to lessen the burden and I believe community aggregation is a step in the right direction,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5). “Residents across the City saw tax increases on their properties, and even on their income taxes, and an 8% increase on our electricity bills adds up. Allowing the City to buy power in bulk, and buy alternate forms of power is not only the right thing to do, it’s the green thing to do. This is one more step in making Providence a carbon-neutral city by 2050!”
Under Rhode Island state law, CCA programs provide the opportunity to bring the benefits of competitive choice of electric supplier, longer-term price stability and more renewable energy options to the residents and businesses of the City of Providence and other municipalities in Rhode Island. The City Council is in full support of this program and the potential monetary and environmental benefits to our community.
Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) stated, “My neighbors are worried, they are worried about how are they going to pay their electric bill and keep food on the table. An increase of 8% will harm my neighbors, especially my elderly neighbors who are on a fixed income, and young families. I love the idea that residents will have a choice of a provider and not forced into using one source for their electricity.”
With tonight’s resolution the City Council authorizes the Mayor to engage a consultant with experience in developing and administering CCA programs to assist the City in the creation and operation of an aggregation plan and CCA program provided that the City shall not be required to draw upon the General Fund to compensate such consultant.
“I am very happy to be a co-sponsor of this important piece of legislation,” stated Councilwoman Helen Anthony (Ward 2). “No matter where you live you should be able to have a choice regarding your electric service provider. Many residents want an option to buy electricity that is greener – such as solar or wind generated power – and they should have that option. This is a great step forward in embracing the green economy.”
The Office of Sustainability will provide regular updates to the full City Council regarding the development and implementation of the aggregation plan and CCA program.
by Billy Kepner | Sep 4, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Today, I sent a letter to Commissioner Infante-Green expressing that the City Council would not be issuing any “Show-Cause Materials,” and have instead provided a Notice of Non-Opposition.
Below is a copy of that letter:
September 4, 2019
Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner
Rhode Island Department of Education
255 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
RE: Notice of Non-Opposition
Dear Commissioner Infante-Green,
I’d like to start off by commending you for the attention you’ve brought our City’s public-school system this summer. As the Commissioner of Education for the entire state, you’ve made our schools a priority and my City Council colleagues and I appreciate that.
This entire process started a few months ago with the devastating John Hopkins report that among other things, detailed the horrific conditions our students and teachers sometimes have to endure in our schools. While it is true that the academic underperformance and the aging condition of our facilities shouldn’t have come to a surprise to anyone, the reported bullying, abuse, lack of supports, and hopelessness shared by staff and students did cause a shock. The school culture across our city is broken and because of this our students and teachers suffer.
This summer I sat in all but one RIDE Community Forum and listened to parent after parent share stories about students getting bullied, students not receiving proper special education services, or that they sat in empty classrooms with no permanent teachers. A lot of these parents shared these experiences with tears streaming down their faces; relieved that this forum finally allowed them a venue to be listened to. I also heard teacher after teacher share their frustrations about an everchanging curriculum, being forced into roles with little professional development, enduring building conditions that are making them sick, and not being supported with the most challenging students in their classrooms.
The raw emotion and pain in all of their voices is indicative of a school system desperately crying out for help. This isn’t a school system that can afford to begrudgingly accept intervention, is one that needs to embrace it fully if it’s going to succeed.
Commissioner, I’m reminded of a quote you kept referring to in all of these meetings: that everyone wants change until change comes. What’s happening in our school system amounts to an emergency or a crisis and we don’t have the luxury of stalling the first responders who are knocking on our door.
I share most of the same concerns as some of my colleagues who have gone on record asking for community input, transparency, and accountability. I also have questions of my own: like who’s on the hook if the district goes over budget? Who’s responsible for raising revenue? Who’s liable in legal matters? Who makes the call for a snow day?
Yet, I’m reminded that this transition won’t be easy and that your office won’t be able to do it all alone. This letter isn’t a letter of objection, but a letter offering the extension of support. How can we as the Council leverage our institutional knowledge and community networks to help this intervention succeed? Do you need help identifying relevant stakeholders? Can we help you develop a metric system that measures success beyond just test scores?
The City Council is determined not to sit on the sidelines throughout this process. This is far too important and these unanswered questions are ones we can help find answers to.
I look forward to our continued dialogue and I am hopeful that by working collaboratively we’ll create a better school system deserving of our students and their families.
Sincerely,
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
by Billy Kepner | Sep 4, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
I am devastated to learn that a 15-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in Donigian Park last night. Our city parks are meant to be refuges from city living, and a place of safety and comfort for kids and adults alike. Assault of any kind can have long-standing and devastating impacts on victims, and this is why every April I introduce a Resolution recognizing April as” Sexual Assault Awareness Month”.
I have been informed by the Providence Police Department that the victim and her family are being assisted by counselors from Day One and I am grateful to them, and for all they do to help victims of sexual assault. It is especially important for young people to seek help after an assault, as the silence only serves to do more harm than good. For reference, I would lead you to a compelling article from The New Yorker entitled “The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma” by Junot Díaz.
I along with my colleagues am keeping this brave young woman in our prayers, and I am thankful that her brother and friends acted so quickly and that the police were on the scene so quickly.
Sexual assault is pervasive in the United States and the statistics from Day One are startling:
- Every two minutes, somewhere in our country, some is sexually assaulted.
- 44% of rape victims are under the age of 18, and 80% are under the age of 30.
- 59% of sexual assaults go unreported.
- One in five women will experience an attempted or completed rape while in college.
Sexual assault in Rhode Island:
- One in eight women have been sexually assaulted during their lifetime.
- Close to 9% of high school students reported that they had experienced sexual violence by someone they were dating or going out with in the last 12 months.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault there are services that can help:
Day One: Sexual Assault and Trauma Resource Center
401-421-4100
Hasbro Child Protection Program
401-444-3996
RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence
1-800-494-8100
Sojourner House
401-765-3232
Women’s Center of Rhode Island
401-867-2760
Woman & Infants Center for Women’s Medicine Follow-Up Clinic
401-453-7950
by Billy Kepner | Aug 31, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Waking up to the news of more violence in our City is disheartening. As the Council President, I am committed to working with my colleagues on the Council, the Board of Licenses, public safety officials, and the Administration to work collaboratively to find ways to mitigate these acts of violence.
One of the greatest things about Providence is our amazing restaurants and vibrant nightlife. Violent incidents like the ones that have been occurring over the past several weeks not only affect the quality of life for our residents, but also is harmful to our business community and their patrons.
As many of us gather to celebrate the Labor Day holiday, let us do so safely.
