Morales launched his campaign for mayor this week with a goal of bringing the same progressive energy Zohran Mamdani has brought to the New York City mayoral race, rolling out a platform that includes rent control, overhauling the property tax system, and making public transportation free for Providence residents.
There will be a time and place to debate the feasibility of Morales’ agenda, but he’s right to be placing a relentless focus on making Providence a more- affordable place to live. A new report from the City Council released this week noted that Providence has seen some of the highest rent increases in the country, and that there have been 24,000 evictions since 2020.
It’s not that Smiley needs to match Morales’ ambitious platform, but he should offer up plans for attacking some of the city’s most pressing challenges by the time he leaves office in 2030 – from housing to education to economic development.
Smiley has built a political brand similar to his former boss, Gina Raimondo, whose pragmatic approach as governor of Rhode Island landed her a job as US Commerce secretary under President Biden. But Raimondo also was among the first governors in the country to embrace free community college — a significant accomplishment that required expending plenty of political capital.
What kinds of things would go into a big bold plan that is exciting, achievable, and legacy-defining?
I’ve got a few ideas:
This has been discussed in the past, but the death earlier this year of owner David Sweetser coupled with continued uncertainty about public financial support should spark another conversation. The city’s tallest building has been vacant for too long, and it might be time for Smiley to force the issue and invest in transforming the former bank building into housing.
ProvPort is a genuine economic engine for the city of Providence, but the rest of the land along Allens Avenue is both an eyesore and unhealthy for city residents. I agree with former mayor Joe Paolino: the first thing you see off the highway when you enter Providence shouldn’t be a scrap yard that always seems to be on fire.
We still don’t know for sure when the state will return Providence schools to local control, but Smiley needs to do more than just be fiscally responsible. Why not get every college student and every big business in the city to commit to donating 1 percent of their time to mentoring a Providence school student? And, while he’s at it, he should commit to finding the money to pay teachers to extend the school day permanently by at least 30 minutes, if not an hour.
Hasbro may have always planned to leave Pawtucket for Boston, but Providence should have been front and center with Rhode Island’s pitch to the 101-year-old toy and entertainment company. Smiley allowed Governor Dan McKee and Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien to take the lead, and that was a mistake. In the second term, Smiley should take more of a hands-on approach to economic development in Providence the way Raimondo did for Rhode Island as governor.
It’s worth noting that Smiley has been exactly the mayor he promised to be when he ran in 2022. The city was coming off eight years of Democrat Jorge Elorza, whom I often criticized for being well-intentioned but totally unfocused (one day he was going to take over all of Providence’s abandoned properties, the next day he wanted washing machines in schools, and the next day he wanted universal basic income).
Smiley promised a back-to-basics strategy that focused on fixing potholes, plowing the roads, and running the city efficiently. He has largely accomplished those goals, so it’s time to think about what’s next.
To be sure, there are real challenges ahead. Providence is projecting a structural deficit to rise to $25 million by 2029, and the city isn’t expecting an infusion of state or federal aid anytime soon. That means Smiley can’t promise to spend recklessly for the next five years, but he could stand to be a little more creative.
In some ways, Morales’ energetic entry into the race should inspire Smiley to think bigger. He can still present himself as a grownup without saying no all the time.
In other words, it’s time for Smiley to prove that he can be a moderate without being milquetoast.