In celebration of International Women’s Day & National Women’s History month
Table of Contents PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ............................................................................................ 4 COUNCILWOMAN SABINA MATOS ........................................................................ 6 WARD 15 ........................................................................................................................ 6 COUNCIL PRESIDENT ....................................................................................................... 6 HER BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 6 EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ............................................................................. 7 COUNCIL COMMITTEES .................................................................................................................. 7 COUNCILWOMAN HELEN ANTHONY .................................................................... 8 WARD 2 ........................................................................................................................... 8 EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE .............................................................. 8 CIVIC INTERESTS AND LEADERSHIP ............................................................................................ 8 COUNCIL COMMITTEES .................................................................................................................. 9 COUNCILWOMAN NIRVA LAFORTUNE ............................................................. 10 WARD 3 ........................................................................................................................ 10 BACKGROUND, EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ..................................... 10 PERSONAL INTERESTS ................................................................................................................ 11 COUNCIL COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................... 11 COUNCILWOMAN JO-ANN RYAN ......................................................................... 12 MAJORITY LEADER ....................................................................................................... 12 WARD 5 ........................................................................................................................ 12 INTERESTS & LEADERSHIP .......................................................................................... 12 SOME OF HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE: ......................................................................... 12 EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE .......................................................................... 13 PERSONAL INTERESTS ................................................................................................................ 14 COUNCIL COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................... 14 COUNCILWOMAN CARMEN CASTILLO .............................................................. 15 2
WARD 9 ........................................................................................................................ 15 CIVIC INTERESTS & LEADERSHIP ............................................................................................. 15 PERSONAL INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 16 COUNCIL COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................... 16 COUNCILWOMAN MARY KAY HARRIS .............................................................. 17 DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER ........................................................................................ 17 WARD 11 ..................................................................................................................... 17 EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ............................................................... 17 PERSONAL INTERESTS ................................................................................................. 18 ACCOLADES & AWARDS ............................................................................................................. 18 COUNCIL COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................... 18 COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE KERWIN .......................................................... 19 WARD 12 ..................................................................................................................... 19 BACKGROUND, EDUCATION + PROFESSION ................................................................ 19 COUNCIL COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................... 19 COUNCILWOMAN RACHEL MILLER ................................................................... 20 WARD13: FEDERAL HILL AND THE WEST ................................................................. 20 BIO COMING SOON ...................................................................................................................... 20 THE PROVIDENCE CITY COUNCIL 2018 - 2022 ............................................. 22 THE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL CONSISTS OF: ............................................................... 22 SOURCES .................................................................................................................... 23 PROVIDENCE CITY COUNCIL MEET THE COUNCIL MEMBERS BY WARD ................... 23 PRESIDENT SABINA MATOS JANUARY 14, 2019 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ............... 23
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President’s Message Source: President Sabina Matos January 14, 2019 Weekly Newsletter
Happy New Year! On Monday, I was sworn in for my third and final term as your city councilor. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve my fellow residents of Ward 15, and I look forward to the next four years being productive, transparent and beneficial to all residents of our city. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all once again for trusting me with your vote in November and for electing me to serve you once again. The same day, my fellow city councilors voted to elect me to serve as City Council President; a position that I am honored to accept and excited to embark on. Before Monday, I was serving as Council President Pro Tempore. I had also served as Acting Council President from May 2017 until December 2017. As president, I am looking forward to making sure that every councilor and every ward they represent has an equal and strong voice and that the process of dealing with the city council remains a fair, open and honest one. My colleagues and I have a great deal of work to do to tackle the issues of our time, but I have complete faith that we can come together and continue to make Providence an even greater place to live, work and play than it already is. While I will lead on issues affecting the entire city as council president, as your elected city councilor I will continue to focus on the issues uniquely affecting Olneyville, Silver Lake and Valley. We have come a long way, but I know there is a long way to go in our neighborhoods. Besides my election as president of the council, the new leadership positions on the council include Michael Correia of Ward Six as President Pro Tempore, Jo-Ann Ryan of Ward Five as Majority Leader, John Igliozzi of Ward Seven as Majority Whip, Nicholas Narducci of Ward Four as Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Mary Kay Harris of Ward 11 as Deputy Majority Leader.
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This leadership team, along with the rest of the council, is ready to work on our city’s pension issue, prioritize the creation of affordable housing and repair and improve our public schools while remaining personally accountable to each of our ward constituents. In addition to my serving as the first Latina to serve as Council President, the current city council is a council of firsts, with Kat Kerwin being the youngest person ever elected to the council; Rachel Miller being the first open member of the LGBTQ+ community elected to the council; Nirva LaFortune being the first Haitian-American woman elected to any office in the state and the first formerly undocumented person to serve on the council. The current city council is also the first woman-majority city council ever. Now, more than ever before, the city council reflects what our community truly looks like.
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Councilwoman Sabina Matos Ward 15 Council President https://council.providenceri.gov/sabina-matos-full-bio/ Sabina Matos was elected City Council President in January 2019, the first Latina to hold the position in the city’s history. She was first elected to the Providence City Council in 2010 as Councilwoman for Ward 15, which covers Olneyville as well as parts of the Silver Lake and Valley neighborhoods. In 2015, Matos became the first Latina elected as Council President Pro Tempore in Providence’s history and served in that role until her election as Council President.
Her Background Matos was born in the province of Barahona in the Dominican Republic. In April 1994, she moved to the United States, first arriving in New York City, where she lived for a short time before moving to Providence with her family.
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Education & Professional Experience Matos graduated from Rhode Island College in May of 2001 with a BA in Communications and Public Relations. She is also a graduate of the Latina Leadership Institute and Leadership for a Future. Councilwoman Matos is a past President of the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee. She has served on many boards including the Olneyville Housing Corporation, the United Way of Rhode Island and ECAS Theater. In addition, she has been involved in many other community organizations. Councilwoman Matos lives in Olneyville with her husband, Patrick Ward, and their two children, Diego and Annemarie. Council Committees Committee on Finance Committee on Municipal Operations and Oversight Rules Committee Committee on Women and Healthy Communities Committee on State Legislative Affair Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning
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Councilwoman Helen Anthony Ward 2 Councilwoman Helen Anthony represents Ward 2 of Providence, which consists of the Blackstone, College Hill and Wayland neighborhoods. She serves on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits. Councilwoman Anthony currently works as a land use attorney at Handy Law, LLC and was sworn into the City Council in 2019.
Education and Professional Experience A Connecticut native, Councilwoman Anthony lived in Missouri for ten years prior to moving to Rhode Island, where she served on the City Council in Columbia as well as the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College and a Juris Doctor degree from New England Law School and is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Missouri and Rhode Island. Civic Interests and Leadership Councilwoman Anthony has a long track record of public service. In Missouri, she served on the Board of Trustees for the Mid-Missouri Planned Parenthood. Since moving to Providence Councilwoman Anthony has been involved in a myriad of community activities as a Member of the Providence Zoning Board of Appeals; Hotline Volunteer at the Crossroads 8
Domestic Violence Shelter; Volunteer Lawyer at the Free Legal Clinic for the Homeless and a Governor at the Miriam Hospital. Anthony has also been a volunteer on many campaigns working to elect progressive women to various levels of government office. As a member of the City Council, Councilwoman Anthony recognizes the importance of consensus building, and of maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders so that the City’s most pressing issues can be solved efficiently and fairly.
Council Committees
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Finance Claims and Pending Suits Charles V. Chapin Memorial Award
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Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune Ward 3 Councilwoman Nirva R. LaFortune is a Providence City Council Member representing the city’s third ward and is the first Haitian American to hold elected office in the state of Rhode Island. Since joining the council following a special election in August 2017, Councilwoman LaFortune has served as the Vice Chair of the Special Committee on Education during the last term.
Background, Education & Professional Experience Councilwoman LaFortune was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She migrated to Providence, Rhode Island at the age of three and was raised in the Southside and later Washington Park neighborhoods, where her parents still live. Councilwoman LaFortune is the Assistant Director of The Scholars Programs and Diversity Initiatives in the Office of the Dean of the College at Brown University. Prior to returning to Providence, Councilwoman LaFortune was the Assistant Director for the Centers for Public Policy & Science Technology & Society at Drexel University. She attended the Providence Public Schools, Pleasant View Elementary, Nathanael Greene Middle School and graduated from Mount Pleasant High School. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Temple 10
University and is completing an M.A in Urban Education Policy at Brown University in the spring of 2019. Personal Interests Councilwoman LaFortune has also championed affordable housing, support for minority and women-owned businesses, community development, prudent financial planning, and increasing transparency and community engagement in municipal affairs. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sophia Academy and We the Village, as well as serving on the Advisory Committees for the Eastside YMCA and East Side Community Alliance. Councilwoman LaFortune lives in Hope Village (Summit) with her two children, Messiah and Nyree-Simone and is an avid runner; she can often be seen running the streets of her Ward. Council Committees Committee on Claims and Pending Suits Committee on Charles V. Chapin Memorial Award
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Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan Majority Leader Ward 5 Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan was elected to the City Council in 2014. She currently serves as Majority Leader and represents the residents of Ward 5, which includes the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Mt. Pleasant and Manton. Councilwoman Ryan serves as Chair of the Committee on Ordinances and as the ViceChairwoman of the Committee on Finance.
Interests & Leadership Councilwoman Ryan’s legislative focus has been on promoting fiscal responsibility, economic development, and tax reform. She is a strong advocate for environmental protection issues. In addition, she addresses quality of life issues for residents through community policing, public education, parks, recreation, traffic control programs, and community engagement projects.
Some of her accomplishments include:
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Established the Armand E. Batastini Jr. Recreation Center to provide quality safe after-school programming for area youth
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Establishing the Mt. Pleasant High School baseball field and facility improvements
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Revitalizing Viscolosi Park, Mount Pleasant Park, Pleasant Valley Parkway and Mt. Pleasant Library
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Supporting the development of the Mt. Pleasant High School music program
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Established citywide nuisance and traffic control program
Councilwoman Ryan coordinates numerous community activities with Friends of Pleasant Valley Parkway, Friends of Viscolosi Park, Friends of Trinity Parkway, Providence College Urban Action to enhance community green space. She regularly participates in the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program. She is a team sponsor for the Elmhurst and Mt. Pleasant Little Leagues and was instrumental in establishing several new businesses and supporting existing businesses in Ward 5. She was the past Chairwoman of the Providence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. She served as vice chair of the City Planning Commission prior to her election as Councilwoman.
Education & Professional Experience Councilwoman Ryan brings over 30 years experience in the Rhode Island financial industry and a MBA to her Council role. Currently, she is Vice President, Residential Mortgage Lending at Customers Bank. She previously served in senior management roles in program compliance, corporate communication and asset product management at Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, Old Stone Bank and Rhode Island Hospital Trust National Bank. Her programs designed to help working families buy and keep affordable homes and her initiatives promoting management innovation have won national industry best practice awards.
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Personal Interests
Councilwoman Ryan and her husband, Attorney Thomas J. Ryan are active members of their community. They are members of St. Pius V Church. They are the proud parents of two adult children, Attorney Brendan F. Ryan and Megan F. Ryan, MBA, TCRG.
Council Committees Committee on Ordinances, Chairwoman Committee on Finance, Vice-Chairwoman Committee on State Legislative Affairs Rules Committee
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Councilwoman Carmen Castillo Ward 9 Councilwoman Carmen Castillo has been a member of City Council since 2010. She represents the constituents of Ward 9 which includes the neighborhoods of Elmwood and South Elmwood. She is Chairwoman of the Committee on City Property, and ViceChairwoman of the Committee on Ordinances. Her Background Councilwoman Castillo was born in Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic, and emigrated with her three daughters to the United States nearly 20 years ago. After arriving in Rhode Island, she settled in Ward 9, where she has lived ever since. Councilwoman Castillo was employed at the Westin Hotel (now the Omni) for 19 years. While working at the hotel, Castillo organized her fellow workers and helped form a union to garner higher wages, more respect, and to secure a better future for service employees and their families. Currently, she is a union steward, and member of the Executive Board for UNITE HERE, Local 217. Civic Interests & Leadership Councilwoman Castillo has been active in her community for many years. She has advocated for the rights of immigrants, workers, and women. She has also advocated for improvements to the Providence public school 15
system by promoting neighborhood schools and fighting school closings. She is focused on improving City services and bringing more resources to Ward 9 that will address abandoned properties, trash on the streets, excessive noise, neighborhood safety, and ensuring residents have a voice in addressing crime and delinquency. Councilwoman Castillo supports initiatives to prevent foreclosures and to help keep families in their homes. She is dedicated to enforcing the First Source ordinance, which gives Providence residents the opportunity to receive good jobs with fair wages. Personal Information Councilwoman Castillo lives in the Elmwood neighborhood with her three daughters, Angela, Karla and Sahymi, and step-daughter Aliyah.
Council Committees Committee on City Property, Chairwoman Committee on Ordinances, Vice-Chairwoman Committee on Finance Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal, and Planning.
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Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris Deputy Majority Leader Ward 11 Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris has been on the City Council since 2014, and is the Deputy Majority Leader. She currently serves as the ViceChairwoman of both the Committee on Public Works and the Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning. She represents constituents in the Upper South Providence and West End neighborhoods.
Education & Professional Experience
Although she was born in Shelby, North Carolina, Councilwoman Harris was raised in South Providence, and is a graduate of Central High School. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Science from the Community College of Rhode Island. For 15 years, Councilwoman Harris worked as the Lead Community Organizer for Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), building grassroots support for local projects promoting economic and social justice. She has been actively involved with a number of community groups including: The Providence Youth Student Movement Rhode Island People’s Assembly 17
Rosa Parks Human Rights Committee Women of All Colors Assembly
Personal Interests For over 30 years, Councilwoman Harris has lived in the Upper South Providence and West End neighborhoods. She is the proud mother of four grown children, and she has eleven grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren. She is also an active member of the King’s Cathedral church in Providence. Accolades & Awards Councilwoman Harris has been the recipient of awards that acknowledge her dedication to the community. These awards include: 2001 Ministers’ Alliance of RI Martin Luther King Jr. Direct Action Award 2012 Jobs with Justice Solidarity Award Council Committees Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning, ViceChairwoman Committee on Public Works, Vice-Chairwoman Committee on Ordinances Committee on State Legislative Affairs Special Committee on Public Safety
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Councilwoman Katherine Kerwin Ward 12 Councilwoman Kat (Katherine) Kerwin was elected to the City Council in 2018. She represents Ward 12 which includes the majority of the Smith Hill neighborhood, downtown, and parts of the East Side, Elmhurst, and Valley.
Background, Education + Profession Councilwoman Kerwin is a Providence native, growing up in Ward 3 behind Gregg’s Restaurant and was educated at La Salle Academy. Kat studied Political Science and Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was recognized as a political organizer advocating for student speech and opposing campus carry legislation. Kat returned home to Providence after just three years at school to accept a position as the Director of Communications for the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. Kat plans to use her organizing background as she advocates for affordable housing, sustainable solutions to the City’s pension crisis, a cleaner Providence, small business growth and investment on Smith Hill and across Ward 12. Council Committees Committee on City Property Committee on Public Works Committee on Charles V. Chapin Memorial Awards
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Councilwoman Rachel Miller Ward13: Federal Hill and the West Bio Coming Soon
Ward 13: Federal Hill and the West End Centrally located, just West of downtown, and up the hill from I-95. This ward includes all of Federal Hill and portions of the West End. Federal 20
Hill received its name in 1788 to commemorate the ratification of the Constitution by 9 of the 13 states. It has long been the home of a large Italian American community and is renowned for the restaurants that line its main thoroughfare, Atwells Avenue. Tourist and locales alike flock to eat in the many excellent restaurants found here, or to listen to music in DePasquale Square in the Summer. The entire ward has become one of the more popular areas to sample great food in the City. And every September, the Federal Hill Commerce Association throws the annual Columbus Day Parade.
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The Providence City Council 2018 - 2022 The Providence City Council is the fifteen-member legislative body of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The two major responsibilities of the council are enacting ordinances necessary to ensure the welfare and good order of the city and adopting the city's annual budget. Providence uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The members of the Providence City Council are elected by residents of the fifteen wards of Providence. City Council members are elected to fouryear terms and are limited, by City Charter, to serving a maximum of three consecutive full terms (excluding any partial term of less than two years previously served). Council members represent the concerns, needs, and issues of their constituents, and work to improve the city's neighborhoods.
The current City Council consists of: Ward 1: Councilman Seth Yurdin Ward 2: Councilwoman Helen Anthony Ward 3: Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune Ward 4: Councilman Nicholas J. Narducci, Jr. Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ward 5: Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, Majority Leader Ward 6: Councilman Michael Correia, Council President Pro Tempore Ward 7: Councilman John Igliozzi , Majority Whip Ward 8: Councilman James Taylor Ward 9: Councilwoman Carmen Castillo Ward 10: Councilman Luis A. Aponte, Ward 11: Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris, Deputy Majority Leader Ward 12: Councilwoman Katherine Kerwin Ward 13: Councilman Rachel Miller Ward 14: Councilman David Salvatore Ward 15: Councilwoman Sabina Matos, Council President All fifteen members of the council are members of the Democratic Party. 22
Sources Providence City Council Meet the Council Members by Ward https://council.providenceri.gov/councilors/ President Sabina Matos January 14, 2019 Weekly Newsletter
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