Democratic socialism is likely coming to Providence. And we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what that will mean in practice.
Fresh off his stunning win over Brett Smiley last week, Democratic mayoral nominee David Morales sat down Friday with Tim White and me for a wide-ranging interview on this week’s Newsmakers. The Brown-educated state rep, who turned 28 this week, entered the studio with a spring in his step as he gets national attention for his 52%-48% victory. He’s had congratulatory calls from the likes of AOC, Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders.
Recalling primary night, Morales said, “I was surprised by the margin. I really did think it was going to be neck to neck, to the point that we would not know until close to midnight.”
While Smiley hasn’t endorsed Morales, Providence voters haven’t elected a Republican mayor in nearly 50 years — and the last one was Buddy Cianci, who left the GOP a few years later. This year’s Republican nominee, Dave Talan, is the longest of long shots in a city where Donald Trump got only 23% of the vote.
Thus the conversation has already shifted to what Morales will do in City Hall. Rent control, a defining contrast between Morales and Smiley, is a question of when not if. Morales is promising to act fast but not rush, saying he wants an ordinance enacted in his first 100 days and a 4% cap on annual rent hikes in effect as soon as next fall.
“We want to be conscientious,” he said.
On the budget, Morales will face the same cash crunch that has bedeviled his predecessors. The math is stark: Providence’s tax levy will rise by $15.8 million this year, but $5.4 million of that increase has to go straight into the city pension fund — leaving only about $10 million to cover inflation, employee raises, increased school aid, and anything else anybody wants to do.
“We have limited discretionary funding, without question,” Morales said. Like other mayors, he wants to look for additional sources of revenue — renegotiating (again) PILOT agreements with the city’s colleges, increasing commercial tax rates around the Port of Providence, and getting more money from owners of vacant buildings.
Public safety could be a flashpoint. Morales said he’s asked Police Col. Oscar Perez to stay, but he also wants “someone with the background around restorative justice” to serve as public safety commissioner. He remains adamant that Flock cameras have to go. He wants to stick with the current force of roughly 460 officers, not go to the full 494 authorized. And he downplayed concerns about a wave of retirements by rank-and-file cops whose union tried to defeat him.
“It’s completely fine that the union did not support me during the campaign,” Morales said. “Now it’s the time to govern.”
Relationships are also something to watch. Morales lit up at a mention of Helena Foulkes, saying he’d had “a very cordial conversation” with “our soon-to-be-governor” and predicting “a very strong partnership” if they’re both elected. Watch for both to prioritize an overhaul of the K-12 funding formula along the lines David Cicilline has been advocating.
The congressional delegation could be a more delicate balance. Morales said he’s met with most of the four, and wants to work together on securing federal money for Providence. But he reiterated that he won’t shy away from speaking out on foreign policy when he thinks it’s necessary, including on aid to Israel.
“There will be moments where important votes will be casted, and I want to make sure that I have that sense of confidence, to be able to call up our federal delegation and share with them what it is that I’m hearing on the ground from our neighbors in Providence,” he said.
Believe it or not, early voting for the November election starts in less than four weeks. And that means the pressure is on for independent Ken Block and Republican Aaron Guckian to break through with voters — quickly.
Last month’s 12 News/Emerson College poll showed Democrat Helena Foulkes with a double-digit initial lead over Block, 45% to 21%, and the GOP nominee a close third. The political winds are likely to be at Foulkes’ back, with the latest NYT/Siena poll suggesting the midterms could be a “blue wave” given President Trump’s unpopularity.
Foulkes held no press conferences this week, though she was out and about at local events. Job one for Foulkes has been replenishing her depleted campaign coffers after she spent over $5 million to defeat Dan McKee. But she may not need as much money as once thought: Block and Guckian are both ineligible for public matching dollars to help fund their campaigns.
Block is upping his media profile, giving interviews and releasing a steady stream of press releases. The meatiest was a five-point “Cost of Living Relief Plan” that includes several ideas for tax and fee reductions, as well as a pilot program to make RIPTA free for one year.
Guckian had to wait almost a week to officially become the GOP nominee, with the Board of Elections certifying him Tuesday following a recount. Like Block, he is talking up affordability, announcing on Friday he wants a one-month suspension of the 41-cent gas tax.
P.S. Taxes are a hot topic for all the Republican candidates.
John Loughlin, the GOP nominee against Democratic Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, called for replacement of the new millionaires tax with a set of policies he says would attract more millionaires to the state, yielding even more revenue. And U.S. Senate nominee Ray McKay is calling for the suspension of not only the state gas tax but also the 18.4-cent federal one.
Special guest: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected in Providence on Sunday for a high-dollar fundraiser to benefit House Democrats’ campaign arm, as well as other events with the Rhode Island delegation.
Capitol Hill: Finishing his second term, Congressman Magaziner notched a milestone by passing his first standalone bill — the Department of Homeland Security Intelligence and Analysis Training Act. … Senator Whitehouse said a permitting deal is closer than ever. … Congressman Auchincloss was the lone local supporter of a bill targeting schools that boycott Israel, while Congressman Amo was the lone dissenter on a Russia sanctions bill (named for Lindsey Graham) that both senators had pushed. … Congressman Keating made headlines for an investigation into administration policy on the Balkans.
Cost of living: The median price of a single-family home in Rhode Island was $544,000 in August, a 7% increase from a year ago, the Realtors announced Thursday; the same day, a new United Way report showed a family of four needs to make roughly $111,000 a year to get by in the state.
Inspector general: The commission tasked with finding Rhode Island’s first IG will interview their six finalists at a meeting on Thursday, keeping them on track to send names to Governor McKee within the 90-day deadline set by Speaker Blazejewski.
Courthouse: The U.S. Department of Justice’s battle with Secretary Amore and his colleagues in other states continued this week, with a new letter demanding that they preserve records from the 2024 election.
Hush hush: The deputy director of Providence’s Department of Public Works has been on paid leave for months, and the city won’t say why, my colleagues Alexandra Leslie and Eli Sherman scooped Tuesday; a day later, the City Council approved a settlement with her.
Money trouble: Another year, another round of K-12 funding woes for districts in Rhode Island. The East Providence School Committee just passed a budget with a nearly $3.8 million deficit, blamed on utility, transportation and special education costs.
Nothing to see here: Rhode Island’s online transparency portal, launched with fanfare by Governor Chafee in 2013, is a key resource for reporters and others tracking state government. Rhode Island Current’s Alex Castro discovered it’s also 11 months out of date due to problems with the new state IT system.
Media: Uprise RI is arguably the best-known brand name in Rhode Island progressive media other than its former Steve Ahlquist himself. The Globe’s Aidan Ryan discovered it’s also now entirely made up of AI chatbot writing.
Spindle City: Commonwealth Beacon’s Hallie Claflin found a fierce debate over what kind of housing should go on Fall River’s waterfront. … GOP secretary of state candidate Anne Brensley visited the city to propose offering Massachusetts voters Portuguese-language ballots.
Name change: Cox Communications is now officially Spectrum following the $21.9 billion merger of Cox with its parent company, Charter. The company is pledging to bring all of Cox’s customer-service functions back to the U.S., and is also starting to cover stories in Rhode Island after Spectrum’s acquisition of New England Cable News.
Congratulations: To my colleague Will Gilbert and former colleague Les Breault on their inductions into the Rhode Island Radio & TV Hall of Fame, along with this year’s other honorees — Heather Gersten, Jim Hummel, Art “Spencer” Soares, Sara Wye, and the late Bill Rappleye.
Condolences: To the family and friends of Suzanne Magaziner, mother of Congressman Seth Magaziner and wife of Ira Magaziner, who died this week at age 74 after living with glioblastoma for several years. She was one of Rhode Island’s most dedicated and respected philanthropists, lending her time and money to a host of nonprofit boards.
The Rhode Island press corps has many distinguished alums. But none wields more influence than A.G. Sulzberger, once a Projo cub reporter and now publisher of The New York Times.
Sulzberger, who trained with Tracy Breton at Brown, has emerged as one of the most eloquent voices defending the importance of traditional journalism in the American political system. His essay marking The Times’ 175th anniversary is well worth a read.
“The mounting pressure on the free press makes this an especially opportune time to remind ourselves that our country depends on trustworthy sources of information, context and accountability as much as it ever has,” Sulzberger writes. “Indeed perhaps more so, as the remaining news outlets committed to original, independent reporting in the public interest are overtaken by the surge of social media influencers, partisan propagandists and A.I. bots peddling fear, outrage and misinformation.”
Hear, hear!
Ted Nesi (tnesi@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi’s Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Original Source: WPRI.com
