Kicking off 2026!

Hello Friends & Neighbors,

Happy 2026! I hope that this first newsletter of the year finds you well-rested, with hope and some optimism for the year to come.  I tried to catch up on some reading during the quieter week between Christmas and New Years -- and read "Life After Cars" and "On Tyranny" -- and am mid-way through Jane Jacobs' "Dark Age Ahead".  What are you reading -- and what should be on my list for 2026?

As always, there's a lot going on - so I'll just jump right in!

Upcoming Meetings & Community Events:

• Christmas Tree Pick up!  Is your tree getting dry? Christmas tree pick up is provided by the City starting this week's trash cycle. Remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc from your tree -- and place it on your curb next to your trash for pick up.

• January Council Meetings: The full City Council will me at 6pm on Thursday the 8th and Thursday the 22nd this month. (Usually it's the 1rst and 3rd Thursday of the month, but was updated because of New Years Day).

• Indivisible January 6th Vigil, 5:30 at the Statehouse: Our friends at Indivisible have organized a pro-democracy vigil to remember and reflect on the insurrection that happened on January 6, 2021. I have been invited to share a few remarks on the impact of January 6th and reflect on where are & where we are headed.

  

• Save RIPTA Rally and Press Conference, Thursday January 8th at 3pm - State House Library:  I know many Ward 3 residents are concerned about the service cuts to RIPTA. Check out the Save RIPTA rally and press conference this Thursday to learn more and get involved this legislative session. If you haven't been to the State House before - the library is on the second floor -- you can walk right up the center staircase to access it. 

• The Alcove Grand Opening - Saturday, January 10th 12-4: Congratulations to The Alcove (formerly Gather RI) on their Grand Opening this coming weekend - and to our ward 3 neighbor Anne on spearheading this effort! The Alcove was created to foster "community for women and gender expansive people through public programs and a member Haven - a space blending portraits, stories, and gathering areas designed for renewal, connection, and shared momentum." See more about the opening here.

Additional Updates:

• Stormwater Management:  The City's Director of Sustainability Priscilla De La Cruz led a year-long Stormwater Task Force in 2024 (I was on this Task Force.).  The Task Force released a report and memo in 2025.  I asked Director De La Cruz to present the Task Force's report to my Special Committee on the Environment and Resilience late last year -- the report and the presentation are both available on the City's Open Meetings Portal here. I will be working with my colleagues this year on an ordinance to address some of the concerns raised in the report.

• Rent Stabilization: There was inaccurate reporting that a proposal for rent stabilization will be on our January 8th Council agenda. However, keeping rents down is a topic that is important to me and many of my colleagues -- and I know many of you! -- and there will likely be a proposal introduced sometime this winter.  I will share a link to it and the ways to testify and engage when that has been introduced. Thank you to the many folks who have reached out to me already with their thoughts and opinions!

• North Main Street - New Lights: Our lighting projects on North Main are finally fully energized! In the last year, I led a $500,000 project to address lighting concerns identified by the North Main Street Task Force - and we had now added pedestrian-level lighting near University Heights Marketplace, overhead lighting in the corridor near North Burial Ground, and additional lighting in the business corridor north of 3rd St. Like all things on North Main, this required coordination with many entities -- RIDOT, the City's Forester, RI Energy, the Public Property Department, our contractor Prism, and of course the Council's amazing project director Kyle Delgado.  When you bring folks together, you can get done things! Nothing ever moves as quickly as I would like -- but I was thrilled to see the final lights turned on this weekend -- and walked parts of the corridor to check it out! (No one has ever been so giddy about street lights as I was!)

• Social Media: I post regular updates about events, notices, and things I'm up to on social media -- which is a great way to keep in the loop between newsletters! You can follow me on BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. (I was briefly back on Twitter/X, but it truly does not seem like a place  to actually engage/share information and was not a productive use of limited time).  

• 
  

Campaign for Lt. Governor Updates!

• We are hiring! As we've built out our team this fall, we are now looking for a passionate and energetic campaign manager to join the team! Is this you? Or someone you know? See this link for the full description!

• Kick off Friend & Fundraiser - January 15th at 6 - 8pm at Moniker Brewing: Come kick off the year and raise a glass to our amazing state while helping to elect Sue to be our next LG!  Can't attend, but would like to donate anyway? Link here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sueforlg or checks can be sent to Friends of Sue AnderBois at 166 5th St, Providence 02906

Gratitude: As we kick off 2026, I am so grateful to serve you as your City Councilor.  Government service is an honor I take seriously. And while I am so upset every day by the actions of our federal government right now -- I am grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate that government can and should care and work hard every day for our communities and the people in them! Please reach out any time by replying to this email if I can be helpful in any way.

With Gratitude,

Councilor Sue AnderBois

Sue AnderBois

Candidate, RI Lt. Governor

Ward 3, Providence City Council

Sign up for our newsletter at: SueAnderBois.com

Support our Campaign! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sueforlg

401-400-1014