June 25 Ward & Campaign Update

Hello Neighbors and Supporters,

Welcome to summer in beautiful Providence! I will officially file my paperwork to run on Monday - and I am excited to spend the summer meeting with our neighbors across Ward 3. A theme that I am hearing is that our neighbors want regular updates on policies and programs relevant to Ward 3. I will begin using this newsletter as a way to do that - a practice I will expand and continue when I am elected as your City Councilwoman.

I also want to acknowledge the impact the recent Supreme Court decisions - including reversing Roe v. Wade - will have on residents of Ward 3. I woke up angry and determined this morning. While it is easy to despair, so much can be done at the local level to protect and expand our rights. As your City Councilwoman, I will continue to fight for justice for all people.

With Deep Gratitude,

Campaign Updates:

Fundraising Deadline: We are less than a week away from our Q2 fundraising deadline on June 30th and just a few hundred dollars away from our goal. Can you chip in just a few dollars to help us reach the voters of Ward 3?

As you know, Sue is a big supporter of small, locally-owned, and union businesses. Your donations help us not only reach voters, but support these types of businesses in our community. So far your donations have supported Regine Printing, Federal Hill Sign, Frog & Toad, Firebox Creative, Not Just Snacks, and Wildflour Bakery.

Volunteer Opportunities: Sue has been out knocking doors and talking with neighbors for months. In just the last month, she's walked nearly 30 miles -- winding up and down the sidewalks, front steps, and streets of Ward 3!

She would love you to join her! We will be holding several group canvasses throughout July. The first is July 9th -- please sign up here, and we will follow up details.

Yard Signs: They say "yard signs don't vote", but our signs sure do look great supporting Sue in yards across Ward 3! We would love to drop one off on your yard - please just sign up here, and we'll drop one off!

Ward 3 Updates:

Pension Obligation Bond Special Election: A big thank you to everyone who voted in the special election on June 7th - 70% of Providence voters approved the $515 Pension Obligation Bond. There are many guardrails in place to protect Providence taxpayers - including a provision that City officials can only float the bond if they can secure an interest rate below 4.9%. For more information, the City's Pension Working Group has archived presentations and reports about the bond and the other options that were discussed.

Providence Budget Approved: The City Council passed the FY 2023 budget on June 16. My friend and current Ward 2 Councilwoman Helen Anthony has an excellent summary of the budget and process in her June 23 ward letter. When I am elected as your Councilwoman, I hope to serve on the finance committee to take an eagle eye to the budget and improve the transparency of the process.

Free Public Transit: Starting September 1, the R Line on North Main Street will be free for one year. The State budget approved by the General Assembly this week included funding for a fare-free RIPTA pilot, starting with the R-Line. As we know, the R-Line runs right through Ward 3 and connects us to Pawtucket and downtown Providence. Big thank you to Senator Kallman and Representative Felix for championing this legislation.

North Main Street: The City's Planning and Development Department partnered with the City Council to create a vision for the future of North Main Street. They released a draft plan earlier this spring, which you can access here. When elected to City Council, Sue will be focused on ensuring that we not only produce great plans, but actually do the hard work of implementation. She has experience taking plans from development to action from her work as the State's first Director of Food Strategy. She is already talking with a group of residents who attended all of the community meetings about next steps and priorities.

Providence Municipal Reparations Commission: The City has allocated $10 million from the ARPA funds to advance the work of the Providence Municipal Reparations Commission. You can learn more about it and read the Matter of Truth report here. As you can read in the Matter of Truth report, hundreds of homes and many small businesses in the Mt. Hope neighborhood were razed in the 1950s and 60's to make way for the University Heights shopping center. Hundreds of mostly Black familes and businesses were displaced. Sue will be submitting comments to support a proposal to allocate funding from this pilot to the Mt. Hope Community Center to build services for new entrepreneurs in the Mt. Hope neighborhood and create several units of affordable housing.

You can also also submit comments saying that you support this effort here.

Bike Lane Pilot on Hope Street: As Sue has been out talking to neighbors, a lot of folks ask what's going on with the proposed bike lane on Hope Street. There will be a pilot with non-permanent infrastructure to test a new bike lane from October 1- 8. For more details, check out this information from our friends at the Providence Streets Coalition.

Seven Stars Bakery Unionizes: Congratulations to the workers at Seven Stars, who voted to unionize. Sue is a regular at Seven Stars and is so excited to support union workers.

Thank you all so much! Don't forget you can sign up to volunteer here, to donate here, to get a yard sign here, and to follow us on social media here! We couldn't do this without you!

With Deep Gratitude,

#TeamSue