Mayoral Candidates Defend Records in Government – Or Lack of One

Mayoral Candidates Defend Records in Government – Or Lack of One

Two Democratic mayoral candidates—John Lombardi and Steven Costantino—defended their long records in government while a third candidate, Angel Taveras, said his lack of experience in running a business or city government was not relevant to whether he was qualified to be mayor at a debate hosted by the College Hill Neighborhood Association last night.

Lombardi has repeatedly said the city of Providence is broken and he promises to fix it. But he has served as a city councilman since the mid-1980s. In an interview with GoLocalProv after the debate he didn’t take any responsibility for the problems the city is facing.

“I’ve spoken out on all the issues. I take them on a case by case basis,” Lombardi said. He said the city council needs more power. “There needs to be a co-equal branch of government. It’s not unilateral. It’s not just the executive branch.”

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He pointed to one instance when the city council stood up to the executive branch and voted against the tax levy, resulting in no tax increases in 1993 and 1994. “Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to send a message ... ‘Stop. It’s not the way to do it,’” Lombardi sad. “So how do we collaborate, how do we consolidate, how do we communicate? We need to improve that. Certainly now more than ever.”

Costantino: ‘I have dealt with the most difficult budgets’

Critics have blamed Costantino, as the House Finance Chairman, for passing a budget with a deficit from the get-go—due to a loss of federal funding—and cutting state aid to cities and towns. But Costantino defended his record, saying his experience in dealing with budgets was just what Providence needs.

“I have dealt with the most difficult budgets in the most difficult recession—the second greatest recession since the Great Depression. They’ve been hard. They’ve been tough,” Costantino told GoLocalProv, adding that his latest budget did not have broad-based tax increases. “I’ve made some very difficult choices and I did that because I did not want to go to the taxpayers.”

He said cities like Providence should deal with the loss in state aid by cutting spending, rather than raising taxes, specifically the car tax. “Substituting one tax for another tax is not responsible. The city was able to absorb the car tax issue by not passing it onto its residents,” Costantino said. “It also forced them to start looking at … pensions, retirees’ health care, and the spending side of the budget.”

Costantino also noted that he successfully pushed for an education funding formula that will bring an estimated total of $30 million to Providence public schools over the next seven years.

Taveras Says Having a Vision Is Most Important

As an attorney and a former housing court judge, Taveras does not have experience managing large staffs—but he said that is not relevant to whether he is qualified to be mayor.

“I don’t think it’s relevant. I think the most important thing is what is your vision for the city,” Taveras said. “I’ve shared my vision and that’s creating jobs in our city, making sure that we have a better education system - and that we improve that - and making sure that we have safe streets,” he said.

If elected mayor, he said he would surround yourself with good people who can carry out his vision.

As an attorney, he said he had dealt with a number of complex issues and had represented everyone from the largest employer in the city—Lifespan—to individuals who had lost loved ones.

Debate Covers Familiar Territory

During the debate itself—which also included controversial Democratic candidate Chris Young and independent Jonathan Scott—the candidates covered familiar territory on such issues as the city’s unfunded pension liability, whether they would fire police Chief Dean Esserman, and merit-based pay for teachers.

Speaking before an audience at The Wheeler School, the candidates also addressed some issues specific to College Hill. All the candidates said students should be able to vote.

The candidates also discussed how vacant space on North Main Street could be developed. Costantino said it could ease congestion on College Hill and Scott said the street was one of the few places in the city that would be good for box stores. Lombardi said his proposal for a business loan program, known as the Main Street Business Exchange, would help develop North Main. Taveras said the area had potential to be a commercial corridor.

The candidates also tackled the issue of whether hospitals and nonprofits like Brown University should have to pay taxes. Only Young came out explicitly in favor of taxing Brown. Taveras and Costantino said colleges and universities have to contribute more to the cost of city services while Scott said city needs to build partnerships with them—without revoking their tax-exempt status.

Voters Still Undecided

It was the second debate in just one week but many voters said they still haven’t made up their minds. “I honestly can’t decide,” said Sara Bradford. She said she liked Taveras because he would bring new ideas and a fresh approach, but, by the same token, she said she also appreciates the experience of Costantino and Lombardi.

She said most of her neighbors and friends hadn’t picked favorites yet either. “I think they’re probably still waffling,” she said.

Ronald Dwight, who is an independent candidate for the Ward 2 seat on the city council, had a favorable view of all three major Democratic candidates. “I think the most eloquent was Angel. He’s the most educated,” he said. He said he liked Lombardi because he believes he’s the most honest. If the primary election were held today, he said he would go with Lombardi.

Yvonne Shilling said she was most impressed with how Lombardi did in the debate. “I was a little more impressed with him than I have been in the past,” she said. “He is calm and collected.” But she said she also has a favorable view of Taveras. “I think he is an up and coming young man—very intelligent,” she said.

Like Bradford, she said most of her neighbors and friends on College Hill remain undecided.