For Mayor: Jorge Elorza

Over the past four years, the City of Providence, under the leadership of Mayor Taveras, was able to change a disastrous march towards bankruptcy that had begun with the reckless mismanagement of the previous administrations going back for decades.  This was hardly inevitable; in fact, I think the Taveras administration’s achievements were barely possible, given the serious challenges the City faced.  In a similar way, our City’s return to prosperity and strength is neither foreordained or inevitable; instead, we could easily slide back into the desperation we faced in 2011-12.  In my opinion, Judge Elorza has the integrity and talent to keep us on a successful path, while his opponent could easily throw us off the path by restoring the reckless policies he followed as Providence’s Mayor in previous years.  We will all need to pitch in to help the City succeed, and I am worried that three major City unions (fire, police and teachers) have endorsed Buddy Cianci, suggesting a tacit understanding that he will place their members’ immediate interests above those of the Ciyt as a whole.  In contrast, Judge Elorza has the character and integrity to lead every sector of the City in a balanced, fair and responsible way, which we very much need in these difficult times.