The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island held a Providence Mayoral forum Monday evening on Providence's East Side featuring the three candidates, all Democrats, running for office. Attending were Providence City Councilmember Nirva LaFortune, former gubernatorial Chief of Staff Brett Smiley and former Deputy Secretary of State Gonzalo Cuervo.
"With the critical mayoral election just a few weeks away, we thought it was really important to host the candidates for mayor so we can hear from them about their vision for Providence so that members of the Jewish community and the larger Providence community can make informed decisions," said Adam Greenman, President and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
Early voting is happening right now, the primary election date is Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
In her questions, moderator Steph Machado, an investigative reporter for WPRI Channel 12, tried not to repeat questions asked during the August 23 WPRI televised mayoral date, which can be seen here. As a result, some of the questions felt very new.
Following the Uprise RI format, each question is written out as asked by the moderator, followed by video of each respondent’s answer.
Question 1: 101 classrooms in Providence today id not have a full-time teacher certified teacher in place due to the teacher shortage. What is something you would do to solve this problem?
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Question 2: Mayor Elorza has been implementing the Great Streets Program which will build a series of bike lanes that are intended to connect the city. The program has drawn the ire of some businesses and residents because sometimes the bike lanes cut into parking spaces and businesses argue that the city has done a poor job at communicating with them. One group of businesses on Hope Street is asking Mayor Elorza to halt the trial of the bike path there. Should the city pump the brakes on this project or continue on?
Brett Smiley:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Nirva LaFortune:
Question 3: Providence Police Colonel Hugh Clements will tell you that guns on the streets is one of the biggest threats to public safety in Providence. The state recently passed a law banning high capacity magazines. Is there anything the mayor can do on the city level, like an ordinance, to limit the access to guns in the city?
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley:
Question 4: All of you have mentioned cracking down on the ATV problem, so I don't need you to repeat why that is an issue. Can you tell me a specific proposal that you think would improve the ATV situation beyond what police are doing now?
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Question 5: According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault are on the rise nationwide. The ADL reported 17 anti-Semitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2021, that was an increase from 11 incidents in 2020. What is something you can do as mayor to try and reverse a growing culture of hate?
Brett Smiley:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Nirva LaFortune:
Question 6: Do you support or oppose the expansion of charter schools in Providence?
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley:
Question 7: What is your favorite city park?
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Audience Questions:
Question 8: What would you do to give a better slice of education to the high schools, the public schools?
Brett Smiley:
Nirva LaFortune:
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Question 9: I hear a lot about your ideas. I am interested in execution. What is the largest organization you've ever run, do you have experience being the "buck stops here" person rather than giving advice and counsel to those that are? How are you going to take your experience and put it to work in a do it, rather than talk about it, kind of way?
Gonzalo Cuervo:
Nirva LaFortune:
Brett Smiley: