Tagged: mayoral race
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.
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.
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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