Tagged: Elorza
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.
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.
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