Category: RI
Providence Arts and Culture Scene
For the smallest state in the United States, there is rich history and a thriving arts scene here in Rhode Island. Providence is home to one of the most prominent design schools, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and the RISD museum of art, which is home to more than 80,000 works of art.
Every Saturday from May to early October, the city has a free art event called WaterFire, which takes place on three rivers in Providence. There are hundreds of breathtaking small bonfires that are set ablaze on the rivers
Local restaurants crowd the event, selling finger foods and delicious treats. Romance is definitely in the air at WaterFire, with the ambient music and beautiful glow over the river really setting the tone. You can even take a gondola ride around the city.
Not interested in romance? There’s still plenty more opportunities to engage in the arts, such as the by participating in gallery night. On the first Thursday of every month from March to November, more than 22 galleries stay open past 9 p.m. offering free lectures, live music, special tours, and crafts.
The Providence Performing Arts Center is the hub of the entertainment and arts district in the city, hosting many live entertainment events and broadway shows. It is the second largest theater of its kind in all of New England. It is a world-class facility that features all types of performances.
In this capital city, there really is something for everyone.
Picture obtained via Juli on Flickr
Jorge Elorza’s Journey to City Hall.
Mayor-elect Jorge Elorza fought a close race against former mayor “Buddy” Cianci, before he was elected mayor of Providence.
Elorza was born and raised in inner city Providence, and grew up in impoverished streets. His parents were undocumented immigrants who illegally escaped Guatemala during the civil war. Elorza struggled through high school, and barely got into college. He overcame adversity and eventually made his way to Harvard Law.
Curtis Pouliot-Alvarez was a law student of Elorza’s and also volunteered with his campaign.
“Jorge’s got a great story. In Providence he’s got a common story. At least the beginning of his life, as a child of Guatemalan immigrants, raised in poor family, with two working parents working full time jobs,” said Pouliot Alvarez.
“Both of his parents really resigned to a life of hard work so that he would have a future,” said Pouliot-Alvarez. “Kids can look at Jorge as a role model. Somebody who came from the same streets that they’re growing up on and faced the same temptations, to maybe be mayor of Providence one day, or a lawyer giving back to their community.”
This mayoral race gained national attention due to the possibility that Cianci could have been reelected. Cianci’s past played a huge role in this. He held office for over twenty years and was forced to resign on two different occasions due to multiple felony charges.
Many residents of Providence believe Cianci brought prosperity to Providence, while others have a problem with his corruption in City Hall.
Resident of Providence, David Brown, supports Cianci due to his past experience as mayor.
“As far as lack of political experience, I highly doubt [Elorza] is gonna get the job done that Buddy could have executed,” said Brown.
Though he does not have any prior experience in political office, Elorza has proved that he has what it takes to lead the city. He has overcome a lot of challenges in his life and hopes to continue his success story with the rest of Providence.
Elorza won more than just the East Side
This map of Providence shows exactly how each neighborhood voted. This proves a common misconception, that mayor-elect Jorge Elorza only won because of the East Side. This map shows that, though the strong presence in the East Side did help his victory, Elorza had a good distribution of votes throughout the city.
This also shows there are some neighborhoods that were very strongly for Buddy Cianci, while others were very strongly for Elorza. The political divide is very clearly down the middle of the city. This exemplifies the need for unity in Providence, something Elorza persisted during his campaign, coining the slogan “One Providence”.
In this map it looks very evenly split between Elorza and Cianci. Interestingly, without the East Side in the equation, Cianci led Elorza by 1,582 votes.
Cianci did get a lot of criticism for his criminal record, which was discussed in debates and throughout the campaign. Cianci was a large threat to Elorza, since Cianci had never lost a mayoral election, and Elorza had no previous political experience.
Cianci is also the longest-serving mayor of Providence, having held office for over 21 years. He was forced to resign from office on two different occasions due to multiple felony convictions.
Cianci became eligible to run for political office again in 2012, three years after his parole ended, thanks to a Rhode Island constitutional amendment that was created in 1986 and became known as the “Buddy amendment.”
Vital to his victory, Elorza was able to sway the South side. In his victory speech he thanked Michael Solomon, the city council president, and other Democratic politicians in Rhode Island. Solomon showed his support for Elorza at a Unity Event in Providence, geared to get the South Side voters, who backed Solomon in the primary, on board with Elorza.
Election Results: Jorge Elorza to Take on Providence
Democrat Jorge Elorza was named Mayor of Providence after a hard fought race against opponent and two-time convicted felon Vincent “Buddy” Cianci. The results of this election were announced Tuesday night to a crowd of lively supporters of all Democrats running for office in Rhode Island this cycle.
The Rhode Island Democratic Party hosted the event at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence. Hundreds of friends, family and supporters cheered as the resulted announced that Elorza was in fact Providence’s next mayor.
“Sí se puede,” the boisterous crowd cheered in Spanish as the victory was announced. This means “yes he can,” which very accurately sums up the tone of this election victory for the Latinos and supporters of Elorza.
For any candidate, Buddy Cianci is not the guy to go against. Cianci is a celebrity in Providence and is known for his charismatic nature.
Cianci has changed his political affiliation over the years and now ran as an Independent. He served as mayor for over a decade and had never lost a mayoral election. His fame in Providence gave him a huge advantage in the earlier phase of this campaign.
On election day, the Republican candidate for mayor, Dan Harrop, announced that he was voting for Elorza. This was a very interesting and rare case where a Republican endorsed and voted for his Democratic opponent. In this case, Harrop acknowledged that he was not favored to win this election, and keeping Cianci out of office was more important than their political differences.
For the biggest city in the smallest state, this election was a big deal for Rhode Island, and even gained national attention when President Barack Obama endorsed Elorza.
Having no prior political office experience, Elorza will face a transition period where he will learn what he can do to uphold his promise and move the city forward toward his ideal and campaign slogan of “One Providence“.
Elorza vs. Cianci: Who Will Claim Providence?
The stakes are very high for residents of Providence. Days away until the people will decide who they want to run their city. Democrat Jorge Elorza is focusing on building community schools, a concept that has not been initiated in New England yet. He is running against Independent Buddy Cianci, a two-time convicted felon and former Providence mayor, who talks about expanding the waterfront. Hawk the Vote will be covering all of election night to broadcast live coverage and stay updated on this controversial race to city hall.
Hawk The Vote Presents Science Controversies and the 2014 Midterm Election
BRISTOL, R.I._ Hawk the Vote is a campaign media lab that is very closely following the 2014 midterm elections. The Society of Professional Journalists and WQRI teamed up with Hawk the Vote to broadcast a panel of experts discussing science controversies and it’s role in this election.
Panelists included Dr. Abigail Anthony, Dr. Avelina Espinosa, Mr. Max Green, and Dr. June Speakman, who spoke on issues regarding energy alternatives, health education, sustainability, and women’s reproductive rights, respectively.
Dr. Anthony is the director of the Rhode Island Office Environment Northeast (ENE) and spoke about energy alternatives across the state of Rhode Island.
“Rhode Island was ranked third in the nation for our energy efficiency programs,” said Dr. Anthony.
However, though R.I. may be at the top of the list for overall energy efficiency, there are still some exceptions, “Rhode Island is behind in electric vehicle adoption,” said Dr. Anthony.
Dr. Speakman is a professor of Political Science at RWU and serves as town council president for Barrington, R.I. She discussed issues of women’s reproductive rights.
“Men’s contraception is never on the table, but that’s a different story,” said Speakman.
She acknowledged that abortion laws usually take place at a national level, however Rhode Island has generally been supportive of pro-choice.
“Rhode Island is ahead of the national curve, at least as long as I’ve been studying Rhode Island politics,” said Dr. Speakman.
She also recognized where the setbacks occur.
“Rhode Island suffers from a lack of resources more than anything else,” said Dr. Speakman.
Mr. Green works as a staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and believes that improved sustainability laws could be the key to environmental stability.
“Small changes to improve our understanding of environmental problems can have big impacts,” said Mr. Green.
Two weeks left until Nov. 4 election night, where voters will decide which controversies matter to them, and how that is going to effect their decision on the ballot.
Recent Poll Shows R.I. Gubernatorial Race is a Close One
BRISTOL, R.I._Three weeks left until the midterm elections decide who will become the governor of Rhode Island. The recent WPRI/Providence Journal poll shows that Democrat Gina Raimondo has a 6 percent lead over her rival, Republican Allan Fung.
Raimondo is the choice of 41.8 percent of the voters surveyed, while Fung is close behind with 35.6 percent. Moderate Robert Healy is taking away some votes with a slim 8 percent. The 12.1 percentage of voters that are unsure will be a major deciding factor in this election.
The results of this poll, which are based on a sampling of 505 likely voters, does not just show who the people will be voting for on election day, but also shows candidate favorability.
This gubernatorial race just may come down to a battle of the sexes. The poll shows that 46.8 percent of the females prefer Raimondo and 30 percent prefer Fung. However, 41.7 percent of males surveyed preferred Fung to the 36.4 percent who favor Raimondo.
This Tuesday, the candidates will square off in a debate at the Providence Performing Arts Center, followed by another debate a week later at Roger Williams University.
This is an extremely pivotal election for Rhode Island, because Raimondo could become the first female governor, or Fung could be the first Asian-American governor.
President Barack Obama has endorsed Raimondo, while former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney has visited the Ocean State to endorse Fung.
But will these endorsements be enough to sway the 12 percent of undecided voters? This race will remain a close one all the way until election night on Nov. 4.
In a short three week period, the candidates have to get their message out there and prove that they are the best candidate to lead Rhode Island. The undecided voters have the power to make or break it for either of these candidates.
Hawk the Vote Debate: College Democrats vs College Republicans
BRISTOL, R.I.__The Roger Williams University chapter of Society of Professional Journalists and the Hawk the Vote campaign media lab cosponsored a political debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans.
This debate was regarding local Rhode Island politics and the gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Gina Raimondo and Republican Allan Fung. Each political party backed their respective candidates and discussed their take on the most important issues.
The first question was about the job market in Rhode Island and the lack of college students staying in the state after they graduate.
Dylan Kelly, of the college Republicans made an interesting remark about this issue, commonly referred to as the brain drain.
“Rhode Island’s biggest export is college students,” said Kelly.
Though the first few questions did not spark much controversy, the ethical question about Raimondo’s high school, La Salle Academy, which removed Raimondo’s photo from the wall of notable alumni, got things heated up.
The Democrats stated that they are pro-choice and think that it was completely wrong of the school, when they should be proud to have a prominent woman like Raimondo as an alumni.
The Republican’s stance was less clear as they first stated that as a private Catholic institution, La Salle Academy has the right to remove any photos that go against the school’s beliefs, which are very strongly pro-life.
However, then Republicans said if they were the principle of La Salle Academy, they would handle the situation differently and not remove the picture.
Overall, the debate was riveting and after each side made closing statements, the RWU journalism reporters asked the parties more specific questions geared toward their beats.
“I think Jorge Elorza is a great person to succeed Angel Taveras, they have a lot of the great same policies,” said Democrat Dylan VanDrimlen. “Angel was very successful in moving the city forward, and I believe Jorge has some new and fresh ideas that can not only improve upon that, but can push the city to a better, more economic standpoint.”
Unity Event with Jorge Elorza and Michael Solomon
PROVIDENCE, R.I. __ The city of Providence has one month to decide its fate. Will Independent Vincent “Buddy” Cianci reclaim Providence due to his recognition and fame? Or will they go with change and vote Democrat Jorge Elorza?
Providence is known as one of the most corrupt cities in the country, and with two-time convicted felon Cianci back in the race, the voters will have the choice to breakaway from that corruption, or stick to what they know.
Saturday September 26th, Elorza supporters went to Club Juan Pablo Duarte to hear from Democrat Michael Solomon and why he decided to endorse Elorza. The event was called the Unity event and offered the undecided voters an opportunity to hear Elorza’s plan to bring Providence together.
Kyla Pecchia is the Executive Vice President of the Student Bar Association at the Roger Williams University Law School and is very enthusiastic about the possibility of Elorza becoming mayor.
Pecchia is a native of Rhode Island, and though she can not vote in this election, she has very strong opinions on the issues.
“I think that a lot of the neighborhoods could use unification and I feel like some of them are feeling like they have been abandoned by their city,” said Pecchia.
A recent poll shows that Cianci currently has a slight lead over Elorza, with Republican Daniel Harrop far behind. Cianci holds a lot of power in the city of Providence and has never lost a mayoral election in his life.
“I understand that (Cianci) has done wonderful and positive things for the city of Providence, before some things happened to him, but I think its time for him to relinquish some of his control and give it to someone else,” said Pecchia.
Ken Block Loses the Republican Primary for Rhode Island Governor
Ken Block fell short in the Republican primary to Allan Fung. Fung will go on to face Democrat Gina Raimondo for governor of Rhode Island.
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