VOTING FOR SAFE, EQUITABLE, SUSTAINABLE STREETS

Be it in Providence, or anywhere in Rhode Island or the New England area, I rely primarily on walking and public transportation. Even prior to the RIPTA cuts, there was much left to be desired of what the scheduling and stops looked like, and now this has been further hampered. If we want to reduce carbon emissions and traffic jams, it is paramount that we continue to fund services like RIPTA. Moreover, on the front of walking, I find the city to be incredibly walkable. However, sidewalks, especially on the east side, are in dire need of repair as it makes navigating them difficult especially for people with disabilities. I maintain that walkability and public transit are my ideal ways to get around Providence, and it is through capital improvement and maintenance that we achieve this reality.

My occupation requires driving to multiple locations throughout the day, but my wife and I each have 2 Ford Electric vehicles. When in the neighborhood, we walk.

I walk and ride my bike when I travel around my neighborhood–those are the modes of transportation that bring me the most joy. I usually drive when I leave my neighborhood, and I use RIPTA for trips from the East Side to downtown. I truly wish it were practical to use RIPTA to travel to work in Olneyville, but the trip is so time consuming that I usually choose to drive. My car is a plug-in hybrid, and using it for city travel means that we rarely need to use gasoline, which is nice, but not enough. To make this ideal a reality, we would need more routes that run more frequently. I also dream light rail…but let’s stick to making RIPTA work better for now.

I try to walk when I can (including the 1 mile from my home to my office). I also drive and occasionally use my e-bike. My wife and I share one car, which has worked for us for three years.

My husband and I are a single-car family by choice because we believe walking, biking, and public transit are central to urban living and thriving neighborhoods. Like many of our neighbors, we value the East Side’s proximity to downtown and the ability to enjoy Wayland Square, the Elmgrove business district, and Thayer Street on foot. That walkability is one of the best parts of living here, but it has been consistently under-prioritized. Every resident deserves safe, connected, and welcoming neighborhoods.

At the same time, Providence cannot thrive without robust, reliable public transit. RIPTA has been chronically underfunded for years, leaving riders uncertain about its future. Public transit is not just a service; it is an equity tool, an economic driver, and essential to our city’s growth. We need strong local leadership to push for serious state-level investment, governance reform, and a long-term vision that secures RIPTA’s future and expands opportunity.

That’s why Investing in Stronger Neighborhoods is a core pillar of the Opportunity Agenda to Build a Better Providence that I’m running on. This moment calls for leadership that treats infrastructure not just as maintenance, but as a foundation for equity, mobility, and economic growth.

2. A 2022 Providence Journal story reported that drivers have hit 3,000 people walking and biking in the city in the last decade. From 2023-2024, three people lost their lives walking on North Main Street, and several more in other parts of the city. If elected, what will you do to reduce traffic violence?

If elected, reducing traffic violence in Providence will require immediate investment in comprehensive street redesigns and safety measures, especially on corridors like North Main Street where deaths and injuries have been far too frequent and unaddressed. Steps that have been proven in other urban settings include adding physical barriers and improving crosswalks with better lighting and longer crossing times to slow down cars and prioritize people walking and biking. I will also hold regular public feedback sessions as new safety projects are designed and built and to hear safety concerns that constituents may have. Providence deserves streets where everyone can travel safely, no matter where they live or how they get around.

If elected, working with Councilmember Anderbois on the North Main St Task Force. In Ward 2, the establishment of more traffic calming measures, such as the Blackstone Gateway project.

I support and celebrate the work that Ward 3 Councilor Sue AnderBois is doing to make North Main Street safer, and I would build on the model of the North Main Street task force to work more comprehensively to address other highly dangerous areas for pedestrians and cyclists. As a City Councilor, I would work with Providence Streets Coalition’s aggregated street crash data to identify other highly dangerous areas and deploy both enforcement and redesign resources to improve safety and save lives. But as we do that, no matter how fast we act, people are still dying on our streets, including Lucas Garcia on Union Avenue last week. Mr. Garcia’s death compels us to do whatever we can as quickly as we can to address areas where people are most likely to get hurt or killed.

I’m impressed with the work that Sue AnderBois did with PSC to make North Main safer, and I would be happy to work with you to address similar issues in Ward 2.

Traffic violence is a public health crisis in Providence, and it demands urgent action. Too many of our streets are designed for cars first and people second — with deadly results.

I am a champion for Vision Zero: the commitment to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries. That means redesigning dangerous intersections, expanding protected bike lanes, improving crosswalk visibility, and prioritizing traffic calming on neighborhood streets. It also means stronger enforcement against reckless driving and speeding, in coordination with Providence Police, and ensuring accountability when drivers put others at risk.

As a City Councilor, I will fight to make traffic safety a true priority and push for Capital Improvement Plan dollars to fund safer streets. Providence can and should be a city where walking and biking are not just encouraged, but safe, reliable, and embraced as part of everyday life.

3. Providence is experiencing an affordability crisis. In addition to skyrocketing housing costs, owning a car costs an average of $11,557 per year. According to the U.S. Census, 17% of Providence households already do not own a single car –– 4.1% of owner-occupied households, and 25% of renter-occupied households. Will you support and prioritize meaningfully expanding public transportation, walking, and biking infrastructure as a way of reducing the cost of living in Providence?

[Optional] Add additional thoughts on the nexus of housing, transportation, and affordability:

Strongly support

Strongly support

We need to grow the population of Providence to 250,000 people by 2050. The population of Providence in 1950 was 250,000 – and there were far less cars here at that time. More housing, more density, and eliminate parking lots.

Strongly support

Implementation of affordable housing measures, including building more moderate and low income housing and introducing rent stabilization, is urgently needed to make it possible for Providence residents to stay here and for the city to grow in ways that are economically equitable. We need to pair these strategies with expanding public transportation and creating safer and centrally located walking and biking infrastructure. This would ease housing demand in densely populated areas and allow renters to access housing in areas where the city’s Comprehensive Plan encourages housing density. With this combination, for example, demand for housing in areas of the city that lack zoning or space for growth could be met by newly developed housing in the Valley and Olneyville neighborhoods, as long as there were safe and efficient ways to travel among our neighborhoods. Good transit helps unlock our housing challenges. We need to plan for a future in which we own fewer cars, and that demands expanding transit options of all sorts.

Somewhat support

I fully support expanding RIPTA and making it affordable – or free if possible. Transportation is a factor in our current housing/affordability crisis because without reliable public transportation, many people have no choice but to find housing close to their place of work. I also support repairing our sidewalks to make them safer for pedestrians – I consider this an accessibility issue, especially for older and disabled residents. I support expanding biking infrastructure (i.e. bike lanes) when we can do so without affecting the flow of vehicle traffic and street parking for small businesses.

Strongly support

The affordability crisis in Providence is about more than just housing costs. Transportation is the second-largest expense for families, and for many, car ownership is not a choice but a burden. Expanding affordable public transit, safe walking routes, and protected bike lanes reduces costs for households and creates more equitable access to jobs, schools, and services. That’s why I see housing policy and transportation policy as inseparable. If we want families to stay and thrive in Providence, we must invest in both affordable homes and the transit systems that connect people to opportunity.

4. In September 2024, the Providence Streets Coalition, along with 18 of our community partners, sent an open letter to the City Council and Smiley administration calling to abolish mandatory minimum parking requirements for new home construction, a policy that drives up the cost of housing and commit our communities to car-oriented design –– a reversal that has been made in more than 100 cities and towns across the country. The final Providence Comprehensive Plan that was approved in November 2024 recommends the City “reduce or eliminate parking minimums,” meaning the question of what Providence does with its parking minimums remains an open one. If elected, will you support the full elimination of mandatory parking minimums in Providence’s zoning code?

[Optional] Add additional thoughts on minimum parking requirements for new development.

Strongly support

Strongly support

I have been a member of the City Plan Commission for the past 2 years. We are approving projects regularly with no parking requirements.

Strongly support

I fully support abolishing minimum parking requirements. We can’t keep building for the past. We have to build for the future, and that future means that far fewer of us depend on cars for transportation. And as we commit to this future, we also need to embrace safer ways to walk and bike, and more comprehensive public transportation. As a City Council member, I will work to make sure we are promoting policies and practices that reduce automobile dependence. Eliminating parking minimums is key not only as a stimulant but also as necessary method of providing the urban trail network that’s needed–and along with that, expanding green space throughout the city.

Strongly oppose

We need to build more housing in Providence and eliminating mandatory parking minimums would increase community opposition to development and, in some cases, have an adverse impact on quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Strongly support

Mandatory parking minimums drive up housing costs, limit smart growth, and prioritize cars over people. Eliminating them improves affordability, sustainability, and neighborhood vitality.

5. In 2021, Councilwoman Anthony commissioned a fantastic report on the state of Providence’s sidewalks that highlighted the dire need for more capital funding for sidewalk repair in Ward 2 and throughout the city. But funds being spent are barely meeting the scale of the need. If elected, what will you do differently to approach the problem of inaccessible or nonexistent sidewalks in Providence?

To address the urgent problem of inaccessible or nonexistent sidewalks in Providence, a fundamentally different approach is needed that scales up investment and reforms how repairs are prioritized and delivered. The 2021 report commissioned by Councilwoman Anthony laid out the challenges: Ward 2 alone needs more than $12 million in repairs, and the city faces an estimated $140-170 million backlog, with nearly 80% of sidewalks needing some level of attention. As a council member, I would push to secure dedicated funds for sidewalk reconstruction, possibly through a targeted infrastructure bond or reallocating existing capital budgets, and ensure a specific line item for sidewalk repairs in every annual budget cycle. Sidewalks are basic public infrastructure and should be safe and accessible for every resident in Ward 2 and throughout Providence.

I have spoken with Helen Anthony multiple times about sidewalks and her study. We are forced to contend with many years of deferred maintenance, and this will take time. I view Senator Zurrier’s 2018 proposal favorably.

Because Councilor Anthony and other council members advocated for increased resources for sidewalk repair and other infrastructure challenges, we’re seeing real improvement through the efforts of the DPW sidewalk team. The Capital Improvement Plan allocates $3 million for sidewalk repair to address the gigantic backlog, which will keep the process moving–but it’s not enough, so we will need to raise additional options for expediting repairs. As this proceeds, I support developing systems that demand and deploy resources most equitably citywide. An example: Councilor Anthony’s report refers to Councilor Brian Principe’s resolution to allow sidewalk repairs to be deducted from property taxes. I would like to work more on the economics of such a proposal but on the face of it, it seems a more equitable approach to this huge issue.

I would prioritize sidewalk repair and construction whenever we can find the funds to do so.

Providence’s sidewalks are critical infrastructure that have been neglected for too long. Across the city, residents encounter cracked, inaccessible, or missing sidewalks every day, and the scale of investment hasn’t matched the scale of the problem.

As a City Councilor, I will make sidewalk repair and expansion a core priority of the city’s $500 million Capital Improvement Plan between now and 2030. That means prioritizing accountability and equity, with transparent project timelines, clear benchmarks, and making sure funding actually reaches the neighborhoods that need it most.

We also have to recognize how the Washington Bridge crisis has made things worse: diverted traffic, unsafe crossings, and pressure on small business corridors. I’ll fight for sustained city–state coordination to mitigate these impacts, prioritize urgent pedestrian safety measures, and ensure infrastructure investments directly support neighborhood needs.

Sidewalks, roads, and public spaces are the backbone of our city life. We can’t keep treating them as afterthoughts. They must be a top priority if we’re serious about building a stronger, more connected, and more sustainable Providence.

6. Do you support street redesigns that improve safety and equity for all road users, even if it means reallocating space for private vehicles (parking or travel lanes) or implementing traffic calming measures that slow driving speeds?

[optional] Add additional thoughts on the use of public streets as public space for all:

Strongly support

Strongly support

Strongly support

I strongly support street redesign that prioritizes all street users, not just personal automobiles. This redesign not only improves safety and accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and others who choose or require non-car transportation, but it also offers opportunity to install trees and other green infrastructure elements that address stormwater capture, urban heat island effects, and other measures that address sustainability in the face of a changing climate.

Strongly oppose

I believe we need to meet the need of residents and small businesses for traffic flow and street parking when that is their preference.

Strongly support

7. Reducing vehicle speeds can be the difference between life and death, but many Providence residents view the school zone speed cameras as a “speed trap” and a “money grab” because no one knows where the revenue is going. Right now, only 35% of the speed camera revenue is used to pay for traffic calming infrastructure. Do you support increasing that percentage so the City can afford the capital improvements that would permanently reduce speeding in school zones and eliminate the need for speed cameras?

[optional] Add additional thoughts on traffic enforcement: