Good evening.

Well, everyone, please uh quiet down so we can begin our meeting.

Good evening, and welcome to the Providence City Council.

On this Thursday, April 2nd.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Present.

Present.

Present.

Majority has come.

Present.

Present.

Present.

Present.

Present.

Council President Chardo?

Present.

Council Arroyas.

Present.

Councilwoman Ryan.

Present.

Majority Whip Sanchez.

Present.

Councilman Taylor.

Present.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas.

Present.

Councilman Oscar Vargas.

Present.

You have 15 present.

You have a quorum.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

This evening the invocation will be given by Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris.

Will everyone including our guests, please rise.

Father God, as we enter this week and continue this week a holy week, I want to offer a prayer of hope and encouragement.

I want to offer a prayer of us really that everything that we are going through is already being considered.

Being considered by a man that took today, took a cross one day, went to the cross, died on the cross, and then rose again.

We understand there is a lot of hurt and uncertainty in this world today.

We understand that we may be facing a war.

We understand that we may not even have the necessary means, the things that the basic needs.

Any discussion?

Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please open the vote.

The vote is open.

Madam Clerk, I'm having problems.

It's not working.

Okay, thank you.

Councilwoman Vargas.

No.

Meeting Judarius.

And the vote is now closed.

That is 15 ayes.

The motion carries the minutes are approved.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Item four.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

What should the way the reader of item four through ten?

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on items four through ten.

Hearing none.

All in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam Clerk, please note four as received.

Five, refer to the committee on finance.

Six through ten as received.

So noted.

And thank you as always for all of the uh residents who are stepping up to serve.

Item eleven.

Madam President.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Before we take over item eleven, I'm gonna ask uh Pro Tempi Chardo to take the chair.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Item 11.

Mr.

Motion Sanchez.

Waive the reading of items 11 through 17.

Is there a second?

Second.

There is a second.

Any discussion?

Discussion.

Councilwoman.

Sue on the wall.

I'm looking at you.

Thank you so much, Chairman.

Clerk, I'm wondering if we could please read item 14 into the record.

Madam Clerk.

Please read whereas Essence Tyler Kristal was born on April 2nd, 1990, and is remembered as a beloved daughter of Diana Garlington and the late Randolph Cooper, and a devoted sister to Kiana Lamar and Siobhan.

And whereas Essence was known for her vibrant personality and confidence, which brought warmth to all those around her.

And whereas in her community, she was known as a talented hairstylist, sharing her skills with others and working toward a future in which she would own her own salon.

And whereas she carried that goal with determination, seeking to build a stable and hopeful future for herself and her family.

And whereas, above all, Essence was a loving and devoted mother to her son Dwayne, who was the center of her life and a constant source of pride and joy.

And whereas Essence Tyler Cristal was tragically taken by gun violence on November 26, 2011, at the age of 21, leaving behind a family and community who continue to carry her memory.

And whereas her life, though brief, was filled with love and connection, and her memory lives on through her son and all those who knew her.

And whereas it is fitting that the City of Providence honor her life in a lasting way, ensuring that her name remains present in the community she called home and that her story is remembered with dignity.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Providence City Council hereby honors the life and memory of Essence Tyler Cristal, and be it further resolved that the City Council authorizes the installation of a commemorative plaque that shall read Essence Tyler Cristal Memorial Square at the intersection of Houston Street and Broad Street along the east side of Broad Street and marks its introduction on April 2nd in recognition of her birthday and her place in the life of this community.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I rise also to recognize Essence's mother Diana, who has joined us today, um, who not only um is Essence's mother, but has been a has become a tireless advocate, not just for essence, but for to work to prevent all families from having to suffer the same fate um that that Essence and her family have.

Um she has become such a light in our community, and charity was, but has worked so tirelessly on behalf of so many folks, and it is so fitting that we honor Essence's birthday today with finally recognizing um her with this Memorial Square.

I also want to acknowledge Gloria, my constituent who raised this with me that um the city had gone for far too long without acknowledging um in a formal way essence's passing and the work that Diana has done to keep her memory alive and her case open um and fight so tirelessly on behalf of of all others who've been um who've experienced gun violence.

So thank you for joining us, Diana.

And um I'm I'm not glad we're doing this because it's uh awful, but um, I'm glad we're finally able to memorialize on your daughter in a permanent way.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Councilman uh Major Leader Pedro Spinal.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh this happened to be in my ward at the corner of Houston and Broad.

So I'm extremely uh grateful to uh my co-sponsor that brought it up.

Um it is a way to honor a young dynamic lady and such an abortive family.

Uh we stand tall with her tonight as we dedicate this.

Uh it will be referred to the committee uh uh to the Europe committee, and we will all have an opportunity to really speak about your family, how well deserved it is quite an honor to me.

Thank you.

It's great having you here.

Thank you.

And welcome Diane and Gloria.

Appreciate it.

Further discussion.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I rise on Article 12.

Um, and then it's is an ordinance amend in chapter 21, and I quote a con um code of ordinance of the city of Providence.

And it's still it's called the Providence Bill Act.

This is a very important piece of legislation, and I hope my colleagues consider this.

We have done an amazing job of preparing and getting um people ready for the opportunities to bill and bill more.

But what I'm finding, and what we're finding, and I want to thank Council President for also identifying this as well.

What we're finding is that a lot of our builders, especially in affordable housing, are finding it a strain on them once they start to bill.

What happens is they get a large tax bill from the city.

And with that bill, um, a lot of times they haven't even prepared for um renters to be able to rent in uh in be able to rent.

So a lot of times these bills come in, they haven't been prepared to rent the the units that they have prepared for the city.

So right here, this bill will be able to prohibit a large tax bill.

We will be able to for two years to be able to allow them to extend this bill for two years, uh a tax bill without uh the damage of them not being able to follow their projects or do their projects well.

Um this bill lack uh this Providence Bill Act will also allow us to give opportunities for more opportunities for building and the exempt of two years of exemption from tax will allow more building, I believe, in the city of Providence.

So I asked my colleagues to please support this, and I appreciate uh you listening.

Mr.

Thank you.

Any further discussion on number 12?

Mr.

President.

Any other discussion?

Mr.

President President Miller.

Thank you.

Uh I just want to thank Councilwoman Harris uh for her work on this item and also the entire council, this comes as a next step in the hard work that the council has been doing to promote many issues of affordability and housing development.

I saw a little bit of confusion online uh as I was taking a nap due to this, whatever I have going on.

Um so just to be clear, it is a tax stabilization agreement because that is the one tool that municipal government or the city of Providence has given to us by the state to uh attack this situation.

So, what happens is a nonprofit developer or a for-profit developer who is doing income restricted low-income low and moderate housing, um, once the housing is occupied, they uh can take advantage of eight law.

As eight law was that's the thing that says that uh your tax bill is equal to eight percent of the rental income.

Uh that's the as the state law was envisioned, that is a great thing.

But you don't have that when it's empty, when it's an unbuilt lot, or when you're doing substantial rehabilitation.

So all of a sudden, uh you've got a problem with your financial stack to actually build the thing.

You've got a tax bill that you have to like come in front of us and figure out a process that's a little opaque for.

Um, and so what this does is just it just removes a barrier.

It just streamside a thing, and councilwan Harris um and I have both had a lot of projects that have faced this issue in our neighborhoods.

Um, and I think that's been shared by other counselors, but I know councilman Harris has been uh for the last three years advocating in each each occasion, and so we're gonna do something structural, we're gonna do something all at once.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Councilman John Gonkoffs.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I just wanted to share that I deeply appreciate Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris for putting this proposal forward and thank you, Council President, for joining her in this effort.

Yes, this is an issue that we're experiencing all across our city, and the more that we can build low-income affordable housing, deeply low-income affordable housing, we should be supporting that at every turn.

So again, I want to thank you for your leadership.

And finally, I just want to thank Diana and Gloria for being here, and thank you for your leadership, especially uh along the gun advocacy front.

Um, as a member of ERP, I look forward to working with all of you and the chairwoman to advance this, and I just want to say my deepest condolences to you and your family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Councilman Sanchez.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I don't want to keep going back and forth between items, but since my colleague uh mentioned item 14, I just wanted to throw my uh couple words in there.

Um Diana is actually the the co-chair of uh committee here in the city of Providence that works uh to uh keep uh ending and and legislating it in a way that is uh safer for for all of Providence, um and that's the uh committee on ending uh gun violence.

Um not only is Diana very involved um at the state house uh year after year.

Um she's also very involved here on a on a local uh level.

Um so something we've been chatting about as a as a committee uh over the past few months is uh luckily the the city of Providence is is moving in the right direction when it comes to ending gun violence.

Uh but one uh gun uh death is is too much on an annual basis.

Um so there's a lot of resources is out there, uh there's a lot of legislation that will help us to keep moving in the right direction.

Uh but what we need uh truthfully as a city our size is a dedicated office here in the city of Providence uh that's committed uh 24-7 all year round uh to do this work.

Uh so that's something that I've been exploring.

Um there's not a huge uh financial uh uplifting uh to to start such office because the the really uh positive thing is that there's a lot of federal dollars, a lot of grants out there, um, but we really just need someone doing all the logistical uh work um all year round uh here in Providence.

So that's something that hopefully you know we're we're able to do um this upcoming budget season.

Um that's something that I have have been very uh passionate uh about as as a younger person.

I I see it on a daily basis on a weekly basis, uh the guns in our communities.

Um we we've all seen uh kids are getting access to to guns at a much earlier age.

So anything that we can do uh to prevent that, to keep uplifting uh the youth and young people and and all adults, um I'm fully committed.

Uh but I just want to take a second to to make sure that uh Diana uh Garlington got that uh public recognition.

I I know she doesn't do it for for any recognition, uh, but once uh we we or while we have someone uh doing that that work uh on a day-to-day basis, I think it's important to acknowledge and uplift that work.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Any further uh discussion?

Uh Councilwoman Graves.

I too want to say something about um Miss Gallington.

Diane um child died vi terribly.

I lost a child to gun.

Not they were playing with a gun, but a loss of life because of a gun is a loss of life.

So I have to applaud her because she has fiercely been out there for decades fighting hard to get these guns off the street.

And it sometimes it just takes tragedy to get us to see and get us to make everybody else see what's going on.

And she just hasn't given up.

She has not stopped.

She's still fighting.

And I just think that we need to.

This is not a hand clapping time because it's a wonderful thing, it's a hand clapping time because it takes a lot to continue to fight.

It takes a lot to keep telling your story.

And I think we need to applaud her for the job that she's doing, not just for her child, but for all these other children that have lost their lives because of guns.

So could we just stand and give her applause thank you, Consulwoman Graves.

Any further discussion?

Consulwoman Peterson.

Thank you.

I just want to echo all of the sentiments that were um presented here with regards to essence the essence's square, the memorial square that's coming, but also in regards to uh Diana, I had the pleasure of being able to get to know Diana when we ran for office four years ago.

Um and one of the things that I think highlighted how exceptional of a person she is in general, is not just her advocacy, but her con her consistency in doing all of that.

She does it um, she goes above and beyond in ways that most of us don't ever even notice.

Um, and I'm not sure if everybody knows here, but uh she's also a published author, and um goes into detail about just how much um how meaningful all of this is and everything that she's done, and um not only f uh you know discussing her daughter's story but also a published children's author, and I just want to recognize um the when we when we sit here and we recognize so many of our constituents and and and fellow Providence residents, one of the things I think we not maybe necessarily forget but just not acknowledge is all of the extras that people do without ever even noticing.

And one of the things I think that has struck me so much about Diana is um it's all the time, whether she's an author, which by the way, there's a copy of the book at Wandscook Library available on display.

I don't even know if you know that, Diana, but we made sure that we did that as a Ward 14 resident.

Um she's also done, she does a bowling fundraiser annually, and she's also she does a lot for arms, and she does there's so many, and she's mom's on demand, and she's a part of the advocacy there, and it's just those quiet things that often don't necessarily go noticed, but they're so important and so impactful in the in the everyday work that needs to go and be recognized.

So I just want to highlight some of those small things, but they're not small, they're actually very big and very significant, very meaningful to me.

Um, so thank you, Diana, from all of us here.

You we we've praised your graces, but but your but it's so it's it's so warranted, and and I appreciate you so much.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris.

I also I also want to add to all the beautiful stuff that's been said about Diana.

I actually was um Diana was in my youth program back at Dare back in the day, and I seen Diana years and years ago as a leader.

I said to her, you are leader, and today, as I listen to everyone speak about her and your experience with her and everything that I've heard about her, uh it just makes me feel like I'm a proud mom, you know, and my my kid just graduated from college or whatever, but it feels good to see leaders really grow up in our neighborhood and really take things serious and care about people.

Diana have always reflected all of that.

It all came out of all of you guys who have met her, by the way.

But this is in 2000 when I first met the years of 2000 that I met Diana, and just knowing that who she is today is just amazing.

She's she's for real, she's a real thing.

So I just had to say that because it would have been boiling in my stomach.

Thank you.

Thank you.

She is for real.

Uh, any further discussion on my items 11 through 17.

Uh Consulwoman Graves.

Oh, I'm sorry.

No.

Uh seeing none.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

The age have it.

Um I refer item 11 to Committee on City Property.

Item 12, refer to Committee on Finance.

Item 13, referred to committee, special committee on hope.

Item 14, refer to Committee on ERP.

Item 15.

Refer to special committee on hope.

Item 16, refer to special committee on hope.

And uh item 17 referred to committee on finance.

So noted.

Thank you very much.

At this time, we'll call back uh council president Rachel Miller.

In the meantime, also see in the audience uh former representative uh Carmen Castillo, Representative Siegel, and also Representative uh Enrique and Sánchez, welcome to today's hearing.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Protam Pitardo.

Uh and allowing me to speak on those issues.

Item 18, please.

Madam President, majority leader.

What should the way the writer writer 18 and 19 and pass on a voice vote?

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Uh Madam Clerk, will you please read items 18 and 19?

18 for sure.

So a request to read item 19.

Okay.

Yes, could that be read, please?

Thank you.

Item 18, whereas the residents of the state of Rhode Island of Taino Heritage represent a diverse cultural community in our state, including in the city of Providence.

And whereas the Tayino are the indigenous people of Borican and other Caribbean islands with a rich cultural heritage, language, and traditions.

And whereas members of several Taino tribal communities, including the Cebuco, Bayamon, Taino tribe, the Baramaya, Guayana, Yuka Yaki, and the Baito Maguwa Yake Taino reside in and contribute to communities in Providence and across the state of Rhode Island through cultural preservation, education, and community engagement.

And whereas the Taino people contributed historically and culturally to the rich and vibrant history of Rhode Island, and whereas Tayino identifying residents of Providence are part of a broader Taino diaspora and contribute to the cultural diversity of the state through education, community engagement, and cultural preservation.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Providence City Council hereby acknowledges the presence and partnership of the Rhode Island American Indian Heritage Commission and the Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas, whose members represent the continued survival and resurgence of Taino heritage in the region.

Be it further resolved that the Providence City Council furthermore recognizes Taino Heritage and acknowledges the presence and contributions of Taino descended residents within the state, ensuring that their heritage is recognized and preserved for future generations while fostering a greater understanding of their historical and ongoing contributions to the City of Providence and the state of Rhode Island.

Be it further resolved that upon passage, copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Taino community representatives in Providence and in Rhode Island generally.

Item number 19, whereas every community depends on people who step forward to serve and guide the next generation.

Whereas Carla Manj is one of those individuals, a medical student with roots in community service, who has shown a clear commitment to mentorship and to expanding access to careers in medicine for students who have lacked opportunity.

And whereas, through her leadership in the Latino Medical Student Association, and her work with the Pathways to Medicine Program, she has helped connect local students with mentors and real opportunities, offering guidance that feels personal and within reach.

And whereas her work has strengthened the relationship between the medical school and the surrounding neighborhoods of Providence, helping young people see a future for themselves in health care and giving them the confidence to pursue it.

And whereas those who know her describe someone who shows up consistently and makes sure others feel supported along the way.

And whereas her commitment to advancing equity in medicine is reflected in her research on underserved communities in Providence and in her work to expand language access through a bilingual certification pathway for medical students developed in partnership with Rhode Island Hospital.

And whereas her example shows that progress in a city depends on individuals who choose to serve and support those around them.

And whereas her efforts contribute to a health care system that better reflects and serves the people of Providence.

Now therefore, be it resolved that the Providence City Council hereby expresses its sincere appreciation and recognition of Carla Manj for her contributions to the community and her leadership in opening pathways into medicine, and be it further resolved that the members of the City Council commend her service and extend their best wishes for continued success with confidence that her work will continue to shape the next generation of health care leaders in Providence.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Uh Pro Temputana, would you like to speak on 18?

Yes, uh just wanted to highlight that as we in the City of Providence and also the state recognizing the indigenous community, not just only in the United States, but also in the Caribbean, and uh as we continue to cherish the our ancestors that we in the Caribbean and the Antillas, along with Latin America have these rich history based on the Taino community, whether they're based in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, or Jamaica or in other places, that today we honor them, but also their leadership.

Wanted to call out and give credit where credit is due that has been doing uh tremendous research uh in the community um and a leader in in the state of Rhode Island, Joel Rosario uh Tapia and also uh Violeta Cruz del Valle.

Two individuals and many more who have partnered with many indigenous groups, the city province, state of Rhode Island and all throughout New England uh to ensure that their voices and our voices are heard.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councilman Ryan.

Thank you, Madam President.

I rise um simply on item nineteen, simply to recognize a lovely lady, uh resident of the fifth ward, uh caller mange the uh resolution that uh Miguel Young's uh drafted, one of his uh his special works of art, um expresses her wonderful um accomplishments to date.

She's a young lady, she's already accomplished so much, um, has a wonderful family.

Her mom actually works for the uh administration here right here at City Hall and is a dear friend.

Um it's exciting to see a young lady of this caliber emerge.

She's very engaged in in my community, our community, um, and uh it's just exciting to see our youth uh emerge with these talents.

Her future is bright.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Further discussion on items 18 or 19.

Uh majority leader Espinal.

Yes, thank you.

Um item 18.

I so honored to uh co-sponsor Protem uh resolution in regards to the Tainos.

And also on it uh nineteen, I rise uh to honor this young lady from the fifth ward that's done amazing work at the same time our last our clerk uh to read her resolution into the record if we could.

Thank you.

We did it together.

Yes, it was wonderful.

That's what happened.

Thank you, attorney leader for the item 18 and 19.

Hearing Madam Clerk, please open the vote.

The vote is open.

The vote is now closed.

That is fifteen eyes for items eighteen and nineteen, and they pass on an electronic voice vote.

Thank you, Madam Kirk.

Item 20.

Madam President, majority leader.

What should the way the reader of better 20 and 21?

Second, madam president.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on item 20 and 21.

Councilwoman Vargas.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Uh to be put in the resolution is because my people for my words weren't doing the parking lot.

So it has some problem last time for the snow and everything, so the the car was in the other side, and if we see so the ticket for 250 dollars, that's the reason I put in that resolution can be, you know, can park anywhere, because right now it has several um area can you can park in when you do in the uh parking lot overnight.

So that's the resource I put in that because people receive because that can move the car, we see the tickets.

So I hope as my colleagues uh can help me out to pass that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

I am any further discussion on 20 and 21.

Councilman Vargas.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

I rise on 21.

The reason I'm putting this one is because I've been gonna got on phone calls with a new reevaluation that we have on the properties.

We walk or the administration work the anti-lads.

The anti lats price before was 30,000 from 20,000 to 40,000 mats.

Now it's 160,000 a price for an empty lot.

That means these people are paying the full amount of taxes.

And some people are using this lot to garden to help tomatoes.

That we will need very soon with this economy that we have.

And some people use it for parking.

So the idea is to see we can get permission from the legislators at the State House to have them to qualify for homestead if the lot is a joint with the house where they live.

It's a little bit little bit relief that we can do for them.

Because it's how much more we can take out of the taxpayers.

That's the reason I'm putting this one.

And I will ask for support.

If you have any questions, please talk to me.

I got answers.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor.

Further discussion.

2021.

Hearing none, all in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam Clerk, please refer 20 to the committee on public works and 21 to the committee on finance.

So noted.

Item 22.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Second.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second discussion.

Councilman.

22.

22 is because we everybody is screaming for housing.

Housing here, housing there.

Oh my god, we need housing.

Housing, housing.

House in affordable housing.

That's it.

We have a beautiful mall.

It's come is coming down the pipe very soon.

The way is look into if we can have affordable housing or housing in their apartments.

Have the first floor, solid commercial, and the rest of the floor, residential.

It's something to explore.

But we need to explore anything we have in this city because we really need housing.

That's what we're looking for.

Housing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor.

Further discussion on 22.

Councilman Graves.

I agree.

We need housing.

We also need a mall.

People go down there to shop.

That's in my area, yes, they do.

Um I think we can have a mixture, but I can't see us just having one floor of a mall and the rest all housing.

So I think that, but I think the bit is they are already going out.

There is a bid in, and I think then that once that goes through, then the city can work with whoever that person is on that.

So I really this is really kind of a non starter.

We have to really wait until the big comes in.

But thank you very much, my colleague.

Thank you, Councillor.

Uh further discussion.

Hearing none, uh, Madam Clerk, please open the vote.

The vote is open.

The vote is now closed.

We have 15 ayes.

The motion carries the matter is approved on an electronic voice vote.

Madam Clerk, item 23, please.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Pro Tempiciardo.

Thank you very much, uh, President Miller.

Um proudly uh stand here as chairman of the special committee on health opportunity, prosperity, and education.

This uh bill before us is the Providence Rentabilization Ordinance or Act, something an ordinance that is very needed in the city of Providence for the past several years.

This conversation has taken place in the community and countless hours here in our chambers and throughout our wards.

As we all know, and we can acknowledge the fact that uh we have a housing crisis, and we've tried to continue bring up more policies, more programs to try to mitigate the situation that we have for our residents.

This resolution, I mean this act before us.

We know that the situation in housing continues to be challenging for many residents in our wards.

This for us as a council and as chairman.

We took it seriously, in essence, that everything we do here is serious, especially when it comes to when it affects our bottom line in our homes, in our city, and throughout the workforce.

This has been carefully vetted since January when it was introduced.

We had several public hearings with a not so perfect piece of legislation that continued to evolve because we heard feedback from our constituents, tenants, homeowners, business owners, landlords, and others of our elected official.

The ordinance is fair to everyone, I believe, and we believe this act was voted unanimously by the committee after hearing uh testimony from various people in our state in our city.

A lot of people also came that are uh landlords, but we also heard from Larry Mancini, from Tan Seguros, from Trum Hong, the senior policy uh associate from uh Policy Link, which said at the end for all of us that rent stabilization brings stability for renters through supportive services.

And so at this time, I'll stop here to let my other colleagues uh say a few words, but I also before I do that, I wanted to thank the entire city clerk's office for uh lasting with us the many hours that we took to hear from the public.

We were here to at one point to 11 p.m.

So thank you very much for all your work, to Aaron, the uh deputy chief of staff and the deputy and the senior policy uh research, Miguel, Youngs, June, Rose, and to all the uh communication team that helped us try to educate and inform our resident in the city of Providence.

And so, with that said, I'll leave it to my colleagues uh that serve in the committee.

I do want to also thank the committee members for uh showing up every time, asking the right questions, making sure that if they had any concerns and the feedback that we were receiving from each and every constituent that we have, whether it's in our ward, whether it's outside of the city of Providence, but also just bringing it up to me and to others to ensure that we can we could we could have addressed those issues.

Thank you, and I'll probably rise up again.

Thank you, Premier Tab.

Further discussion, Councilman Rayas.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh tonight we take up the first passage of rent stabilization, and uh before I continue, I also want to thank uh folks who made this happen, uh, my fellow colleagues, our um this council's leadership, uh, our our policy staff, the clerks, everyone who's been cooking in the kitchen to produce something that arguably has received uh the most amount of civic engagement and participation in any single piece of legislation in the city, and we should be so proud of that.

We've had public hearings after public hearings, we've had listening sessions, community meetings, neighborhood meetings on this, and I am proud of what we produced.

Um I also just want to be honest about how we've gotten here.

Um, as many of you know, 10 years ago, I was knocking on doors with Dare's tenant and homeowner association, uh, talking talking, uh talking to neighbors about rent stabilization.

Back then we weren't even allowed to have this conversation in this chamber.

We had to try to force it onto the docket through the city charter because this body 10 years ago wouldn't even entertain it.

And so when we put this on the docket a few months ago, that was historic, and today is arguably more historic, and I'm just so proud of this moment we are in.

And in those 10 years, this city, our residents, unfortunately though, paid the price.

So before anything else, I just want to say thank you to the organizers who refused to let us die, to the tenants who kept speaking up when it was easier to ignore them, to the people who did the work long before it was politically convenient.

To the people who did the work long before it was politically convenient.

I stand on your shoulders.

And I am proud, truly proud to be here casting what will be in a historic first vote.

And while I am proud, I don't pretend this to be abstract.

Right now, families are watching us, not as spectators, but as people whose lives depend on what we do tonight.

People are not asking for perfection.

This is not going to solve all of the housing crisis.

But what this will do is provide predictability.

Shelters, and even in in some cases, cars, and then expected to show up ready to learn neck the next morning.

And some of us here right now are still questioning whether we should act.

And that's what I want to say to my colleagues, especially those who will vote no tonight.

I've heard that we should remove emotion from this.

But let me say this plainly.

Because what you're really asking us to do is strip away urgency to turn a human crisis into an academic exercise.

I've heard this, I've heard this issue be framed as a supply-side issue.

And yes, everyone here believes we need to build more housing.

We need subsidies, we need investment.

But here's a question I keep asking, and I am still waiting for an answer.

What do we do in the meantime?

What do you tell the family whose rent is going up next month?

What do you tell the tenant who's one increase away from eviction?

What do you tell them?

Do you tell them wait?

Do you tell them be patient?

Do you tell them to trust the market?

Because the market is not patient with them.

And let's so let's stop dancing around something everyone in this room truly understands.

There is pressure here, pressure from development interest, pressure from donors, pressure from people who are doing just fine under the current system.

And leadership means being able to look that pressure in the face and say no.

Because the people most affected by this crisis are not the ones running checks.

They're the ones running rent checks they can't afford.

So, yes, we need the three S's.

We need to increase supply, and we're doing that right now.

We need to offer subsidies, and we are doing that right now.

But rejecting stabilization because it doesn't solve everything.

That is not a policy that is avoyance.

That's how you do nothing while sounding reasonable.

And after ten years, quote, not yet, is not a serious answer.

That is an abdication.

So tonight I want to be clear about the choice.

You can vote to protect a system that is pushing people out every single day, or you could vote to interrupt it, even just a little.

I know where I stand.

I stand with the people who have been waiting a decade just to be heard.

I stand with the families who cannot wait another year, another month, another rent increase.

And so I am proud to vote for this historic passage, Madam President.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Uh before we continue, I just want to say uh one thing, two things really.

Uh the participation of residents across the city has made both the ordinance better and um the process better.

Uh, we do need to hear each other here in this chamber, so I will um intervene if it is becoming uh the situation is becoming such that we can't hear each other.

But again, I appreciate everyone being here.

Councilman Taylor.

So I won't get any applause for this, but I have no uh no fear on uh history.

History has shown that uh rent stabilization has not worked.

I'm 63.

I'm six I'm sixty I'm sixty-three years old.

I've lived in the city for thirty-six years.

When I first came on the fire department, when I first came on the fire department to protect all your people out there.

Protect all of you.

Point of the case.

What happened was in 1988.

Okay, I'm sorry, Councilman Taylor, we can't hear the counselor speak.

Uh they don't want to hear the truth.

Heckling, not okay.

I will enforce that.

Uh we're gonna have our conversation, we're gonna have the debate that we were elected to have, um, and we're gonna have it respectfully.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

In 1987, when I came on the fire department, if people remember 36 years ago, a lot of people, colleagues, uh, my colleagues and people here didn't live in Providence or weren't even born at that time.

But if they can remember all the vacant houses that were in this city, they were selling houses on Adelaide Avenue, those nice Victorian houses for like 35,000, they couldn't give them away because they were vacant.

And we used to have all these fires would be like on the third floor back then they had the insurance.

If it burned through the third floor, they'd knock it down and build a new house.

But what happened is in the 70s this did not work.

History's proved itself, it has not worked in San Francisco, it has not worked in Michigan.

Even Mora Healy, the governor of Massachusetts doesn't even want to put it in to have people to do this.

So what's gonna happen is not now, maybe five to ten years down the road, we're gonna end up with vacant houses like the mall.

The mall is gonna be vacant in five to ten years.

I guarantee it, unless we do something about it.

But that takes a back step to what we're trying to do here.

This was on the fast track.

I don't understand the same thing as the eight law was on the fast track.

We get a we get something in our mind and we uh just say move it right along.

We don't know the fiscal impact to it.

We have no real solid figure.

Um personally, I have a hard time with some council people voting on this that have rental property because is it a uh ethical violation that they're gonna um benefit from it?

As well as the I mean we did the the uh the which call it the ordinance, and then we did amendments, which I thought the amendments were even worse.

Um but what happens what happens with uh uh the the again I I think it's an ethical violation for certain people to vote for apprentices.

Some people on the council work for um a business that uh will monitor those apprentices.

And I think that's wrong.

And I think that's helps those people out.

Again, I'd also like to ask the solicitor on the vote of why are we voting for this when there is a um open meetings act violation uh during the Hope Committee.

Uh can we vote on this or what happens?

I know there's an open I know it went to the Attorney General's office and it came back to the uh uh Mr.

Khaleesi on your staff.

So what happens?

Can we vote on this?

What happens on this?

Okay.

So Councilman, as you know, um when an OMA violation is or an OMA complaint is made against um the council or a city body, is my office is responsibility to defend the council um in respond to the complaint.

So I don't know that it's appropriate for me to get into the weeds of um how to respond to the complaint, but I think what I can do, which will hopefully be helpful, um I suppose is uh give an understanding of what happens when a complaint is filed under OMA.

Um I don't really think I can do any better than that in responding to your question.

So my question is can we vote for it with this uh allegation, true or false, I don't know.

Um can we actually vote on the So at this point it's just a complaint?

So there's nothing prohibiting you from voting now.

It's a complaint alleging a violation of the open meetings act by the committee that vetted this.

Um so what happens next is uh the city we have ten days to respond to that complaint.

Uh the complainant will have five days after that to respond to our answer.

And then the attorney general will will issue an opinion.

Um if the attorney general determines that there was an OMA violation, the the AG may um proceed with uh an action against the council in Superior Court.

Um, regardless of the Attorney General's opinion in an OMA in evaluating an OMA complaint, the com a complainant may nevertheless file uh an action in Superior Court against the city.

If the Superior Court were to find that the city did violate OMA, there are a number of things that the court could do in that ruling.

They could issue an injunction against further action.

Um they could issue a fine.

Uh they could um void action taken by the body.

So in this case, it would not be action taken by the full council, but rather by that committee.

But at this point in time, all we have is a complaint that was just filed that we will respond to.

So it at this point there's nothing prohibiting this this body, the city council, from from voting.

Thank you for clarifying that.

So just back to the other thing, like I said, it's not gonna work, it hasn't worked, it showed it hasn't worked in Europe and hasn't worked anywhere in the United States.

There's plenty of history.

Please Google uh rent stabilization, look at all the different things.

Uh I personally was very upset and ashamed the way the whole this process went because it was all one-sided propaganda.

That's all it was.

Every time, every time you turned on, every time I turned on my computer, every time I turned on my computer, there was the Providence City Council page, which is not is supposed to be not biased, you're supposed to be neutral, but we were not neutral on this.

Uh the people, I didn't get a chance to say what I thought, nobody asked me, I didn't offer it, and I didn't want to do it.

But unfortunately, what happened is this is a propaganda.

It was almost like an election.

It was almost like we were embarrassed that we were we were threatening people.

Actually, we are threatening people, because I saw a posting today from my colleague threatening another colleague, saying because he came out on his Facebook, his own Facebook page, not the city council Facebook page, and he said that uh he was against it and he explained why.

So we're now as we've gone to the point where we're airing out all our discrepancies, we're airing out our discrepancies as a council on Facebook, which is wrong, number one.

Number two, I felt there was back deal door backdoor deals, obviously, because that's what happened with the uh uh open meetings act.

Nothing was by everything was one way.

The guy Tom Segoras, he wrote about this years ago about rent stabilization.

We hired him.

We hired him because he was on our side.

That's what happened.

We didn't get we don't know the uh the fiscal impact of this.

We don't even know if we can afford it.

We don't know, we're bringing politics now into landlords and renters.

The first when I I didn't come to the meeting, but I saw the first person, the first listen, listen, the first person that came up and spoke at that meeting.

You can go go on YouTube, they said verbatim almost.

I've lived in the apartment for six months, and my rent went up a six years.

I'm sorry, we're not in my apartment for six years, and my rent went up 11 percent.

That's crazy.

Well, let's figure easy math here.

Six years, because if I'm a landlord, I'm going up four percent of a year, because I don't know if the city council or the mayor and them are gonna vote my taxes to go up or whatever else I gotta do fix the place.

So six times four, I'm just doing it, and you gotta compound it.

Six times four is twenty-four percent.

So, renters, your rent is going up.

And where is it gonna be eventually it's gonna come back to the uh single family homeowners that gonna put you can say no all the time, shake your head, do everything.

Look at the history.

I'm not telling I'm not making this stuff up.

I'm not making stuff up.

It's all right there.

Is is it I like to ask, I'm not I'm not great in math, but I think six times four is twenty-four, not eleven percent.

So what I'm saying is this is a bad bill, the amendments are worse, it was all propaganda.

People were almost like threatening people to I had people call me threatening me.

I uh you know what?

I really don't care because I I I will look you straight in the face and I will look you straight in the face five to ten years from now if this passes, and when all the houses are vacant and your rent has gone up and say, what's going on?

What happened?

Jeez, what happened?

Because what we should be addressing, we should be addressing this city co.

Let me let me bring you a quick thing.

Two years ago, we addressed, I'm gonna go off track a little bit.

Two years ago, we addressed home address homelessness, the coal people there.

Oh my god, they're sleeping in here, we gotta do that.

This was a worse winter, and we did nothing.

We had more snow and more everything, and as a council, we we got the we got the press the year before.

Let's go for something else for press.

What we should be addressing is the unfunded liability pension that's gonna send the city into bankruptcy.

What we should be addressing is the Providence Place Mall that's gonna be vacant like Silver City leaking's on its way out.

All these walls are gonna go out.

What we should be addressing is the high cost of electric and gas that's killing the people.

That's killing the people.

That's killing the people more than your rent.

And you have to have electricity and gas.

So it's ridiculous.

So we need to stop the propaganda, and I will be voting no, and I urge my council colleagues to vote no because this is not gonna work.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Graves.

Councilwoman Greaves.

I gotta stand for this one.

Let's go back to history.

You said you've been here since what?

36 years.

Uh, councilwoman.

No, okay, please address me.

You're gonna just tell me about it.

Excuse me.

That's all right.

I've been here since 1960s.

What you were talking about, what was said before is an outright lie.

When the people were empty, let me finish.

Those empty houses that were referred to, that was white flight.

Black people were minorities, was moving in and people were moving out.

They were setting their houses on fire because they didn't want white black neighbors.

That's what that was all about.

Now you want to know history, talk to the one that knows about the history.

Number one, number two.

I talk to the people that are now, right now, not we're not gonna have to go back for history, that have had their rent raised every three to six months, and it's not no one percent or ten percent or whatever.

They keep they keep raising it and raising it and raising it.

I sit in the office, volunteering my time to speak to people.

You know what they come and tell me?

I don't have a place to go.

I get I I get into an apartment.

I know I'm not gonna be able to stay there, but I need a place to stay.

They get in an apartment, and as soon as they get into that apartment, because nobody wants to give them no yearly, no uh lease, it's a month to month.

Four months, three months later, four months later, six months later, they raise the rent.

And nine times out of ten, it is not no four percent.

So let's be let's be truthful.

You told go out and talk to the people.

Don't make no hot no um guesses, talk to the people that are out there living in those streets.

Don't talk to these landlords.

I am one.

Don't talk to us, talk to the people that are renting.

I am fed up with this.

I am fed up with this argument, like we are trying our best to fight.

If there wasn't no war to fight, I wouldn't be out here fighting it.

This is a war, and it's a war because against the haves and the have nots.

We're tired, tired, or fighting the same war.

There's more and more people going on that homeless list.

There's more and more people trying to stay with a family member because they don't have a place to stay.

These are people that work, these are people that have children that go into school.

These are people that are trying to live their life, so do not belittle them.

Do not make fun of them, do not make it seem like we are all making this up in our minds because it's it's not true.

It is not true, and I will fight to the end.

I'm on this mountain, and I'm gonna fight on this mountain.

We need to see about them.

This should be about the city of Providence residents.

This should not have to do about your ward or my ward.

This should be about the city.

The majority of people that live in our city, rent.

The majority of the people that we got letters from were landowners.

They were the ones say, oh, no, this is a bad idea.

And all those people that keep telling us about the 4% every year, that's a may.

That's not you have to.

This is you can you, you don't have to raise the rent.

You raise the rent if you want to, or you raise the rent if your utilities go up, but you don't have to.

I have not raised my rent.

And I am a landlord.

So we need to stop with this fear mongering.

Because that's all this area is fear mongering.

We need to worry about the people that have to live in this city that don't own a home.

We need to worry about the people that live in this city that don't make over $60,000 a year.

$60,000 a year.

We gotta worry about these families that just trying to get by day to day.

We have to worry about them.

That's what our jobs are.

Those are the ones that elected us.

It's not our friends.

We need to start thinking about our city and what's good for the everybody.

If we have a healthy city, if we the majority of the people can live comfortably, they're not asking for luxuries, they're asking for a roof over their heads.

That's all they want.

They want to be able to afford that.

And then you talk about, oh, the gas, yeah, the gas and electric is going up all the time.

What are we doing about it?

We're trying to practice, we're trying to find more money to pay more rent.

That's what we're doing.

So I'ma tell you all.

You got me up here, he got me excited, because I don't usually raise my voice.

But Lord knows I can.

And I'm gonna tell you, you can sit here on your little high horses, and you can say, oh, I'm doing it, I'm indignant, but you need before you start quoting things, you need to know your history.

And I'm gonna tell you, coming from that era, and the people, the area you're talking about.

I know exactly what happened.

So don't don't don't quote the history of me.

Do not quote to me.

I'm the wrong one.

The other thing.

If we don't, if we don't start caring about each other.

This city that I love.

I love my city.

Half of you don't even live in my city that talking.

I love my city.

Go back to your city.

But in my city, you're gonna respect it.

And that's all I gotta say.

Everyone who's spoken so far, I spoke to our uh observers, audience, residents, participants tonight.

I also want to speak to each other, our body.

There are a few rules of the council that I will enforce.

One of them is uh you cannot, as you know, councilman interject in conversation, as you know, councilman address.

I'm so sorry.

Um that's a great example of what can't happen.

And also, uh, councilwoman, to your point also, everyone should be addressing me.

I won't let folks make personal attacks, I won't let folks talk about people's day jobs that they do or don't know anything about.

Uh we're gonna have a debate on the issue in front of us.

We're not gonna fall into this 2026 moment of personal attacks that get us absolutely nowhere.

So speak to me as the chair, and let's keep going.

Uh, majority leader has thank you, Madam President, and and thank you uh so much for clarifying certain points that that we must stay focused and stay on the subject and not the item that is ahead.

There should be no personal attacks.

Look, uh, none of this is worth anything if we lose uh respect for one another.

After all, we all mean well, we want what's best for our city.

We just have different ways of different views and uh different strategy to get us there.

That's why we got elected, that's why we're here, and that's why we have an opportunity under our democracy to uh debate this issue.

Uh, like I can say, well, my colleague made uh reference that this is about Providence.

I don't know if anybody here that does not love Providence.

I actually certainly love Providence, and also made reference to uh that this is a majority renters uh city.

I can attest to that.

Um, but also don't forget that there is no renter without an owner, without a landlord.

It is a collective effort that needs to coexist that they go together.

There is no there is no landlord without a tenant, because the landlord will not be able to survive because they need to have a rent thing in order to meet end me, right?

And there is no tenants without a landlord because they are the ones that are provided housing.

And speaking of landlord, let's do a little math.

We have a budget of $624 million.

Well, two-thirds of that, which is just over 400 million dollars, comes from taxpayers, from housing providers, from landlords, property owners.

That's where the money comes from.

It doesn't just come out of nowhere.

I mean, we get portions from this from the federal government and portion from the state.

But two-thirds of our dollars come from property owners.

And let me tell you.

And let's not forget, let's not forget what our function is.

Let's not forget the structure of government.

We're here to balance the budget.

Now, within that budget, we make laws, we make ordinance, we do this, we do that.

Uh, we go here and there.

There's a lot of things that we do.

But at the end of the day, the city needs to run.

And for that, you need a budget.

Because if you don't have the money, what are you gonna do?

Close down the city.

Well, you can go to file bankruptcy, you can bankrupt the city.

So that is why every time we make a decision, we need to let those emotions aside and think clearly with a pen and pencil, and does it make sense?

What is it going to cost?

Is anyone are we gonna have the resources to pay for this?

So I can tell you.

Look, I um I've been I've been in this country, I've been in this country for 48 years, since 1978, right?

So I've been a tenant, I know what it's like.

I'm also an owner, I'm also a landlord, I know what it's like.

I'm a legislator, like I said before.

So I can look at this all different angles, but with one purpose to try to make it better today, tomorrow, and into the future.

So that and this has a very profound impact, as I've stated before, and I continue to do that.

It has a financial impact that has not been disclosed, that has not been addressed, that has not been presented.

There was bias in the report that we saw, and I think that we're all adults.

Uh we we can see that clearly.

Um, which is why I I introduced a resolution uh two weeks ago at our last meeting uh calling for an independent uh study from an outside.

And that, you know councilman, that's so uh that did not councilman did not councilman.

We're also gonna talk about the ordinance in front of us, not other legislation.

Well, I I uh you know I'm stating the points as to where this is all coming from, and that's so I understand and you understand uh how important this steps that we take are.

You know, so that did not go well.

There was a couple of other uh resolutions tonight that were introduced that was in also the committee.

Point of order.

But I just want to highlight that this is critically important.

I'm not going into the uh content of the resolution, uh, but uh just just highlighting how uh a number of counselors have felt that that this areas are very, very uh important.

Look, where I come from, World 10, which is White City Park and Lower South Providence.

Okay, so uh predominantly minority.

We don't have the white collar jobs, we don't have the maybe the associate degrees, uh, the bachelor's degree, the master's degree, the PhD, the doctoral degree.

Maybe that's not our area.

Maybe maybe you know we fall short on education, right?

But let me tell you, what people in my ward can do, they work like horses.

They work very hard, they save money, they save money, and you know, you know what I do?

They get into business.

And one of the business that they have gotten into, it's actually being able to acquire the first home so that they can provide for their families.

And if they do well, they go on and acquire a second home, a third home.

Now we just throwing that out the window.

That's their dream.

That that's the business plan, and that's how they're able to move forward.

This legislation is.

I'm sorry, hold one second, please, folks.

Do not uh speak while the counselor is speaking.

Thank you very much.

I I I think we need we're all gonna have an opportunity to be heard, and well, we all have a right to be heard.

Everyone here was heard during testimony, so let's just be respected to one another.

Again, we all mean well, we want to get us there.

Um, you know, because I I I've been around, I I chair many neighborhood groups, many uh committees, and uh and and I feel the pain because I've been out there.

I was the chairman of there 2000, 2001, 2003.

I know the struggle.

I've been now in the forefront.

But but then going back to what I was saying here, uh, you know, there is a financial impact that we just got a memo the couple of nights ago that's asking a ton of questions that we have not provided answers to.

I I I hate to just vote on something, pass an ordinance just for the sake of passing to be we being able to say I did something about the housing crisis, but then we created even bigger problem, which is the financial issue.

Look, we have we have a responsibility of 624 million dollars.

Next year, which will begin July 1st, we're gonna have a responsibility of that plus 10 to 12 additional million dollars.

Because you see, Council President, our budget grows by 10 to 12 million dollars every year, and uh hopefully we won't have to raise taxes.

We're working so that we won't have to raise taxes, but but you just never know because this is an amount of money that we need to come up with in order to have a balanced budget.

At this point, we just don't know.

So every decision that we make here, every financial decision that we make here has an impact.

So I am uh legislatively responsible and mature enough to think with my pen, put my emotions on the side and say, can we afford this?

Can we all collectively agree that this will have a financial impact?

The only problem I think we can, but the only problem here is that we don't know what that's gonna be.

So I am now ready to vote on a legislation that puts a strain on the city, well intended, but to me, in my view, it's just not ready for passage.

So I'll be voting no.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Okay.

Further discussion on item 23.

Councilman Anaba.

I turned off my microphone, sorry.

Um, I'm gonna stay seated.

Um I will be voting yes on rent stabilization tonight, and I just want to start by first giving a shout out to DARE.

A lot of folks are saying that this is being rushed, but one of the very first meetings I was um requested to take right after being elected was with DARE leadership.

And they said, Hey, we would like you to come over, we'd like to talk about rent stabilization with you, and that was in 2023.

Um they've been working on this.

I mean, Justin has a much longer history, working on this for years and years and years, and they've been doing the work of reaching out to us for a long time for those of us who would take the meetings to like ask questions, educate, and have us do our own homework as well.

So I first want to just thank them.

They've been in this fight for so long, and they've been working with us for a long time asking for this.

Um I also just wanted to address that this isn't a sudden conversation.

Um in relation to that, but also this particular version was introduced earlier this year in January.

Um, but we've been in conversation about this for a long time.

It surprises no one that this is up this year.

Um and we've all listened to on the Hope Committee and in our neighborhoods tens and tens of hours of public comment.

We've received thousands of written materials.

Many of us have read as many as possible, though many of them were duplicative, so we didn't always read all the duplicative ones because they're the same thing over and over again.

Um but we've gone to listening sessions, we've read thousands of public comments, I've done one-on-one meetings with developers, which with neighbors, with landlords, with renters.

I know many of my colleagues have done the same.

I'm not doing anything other folks have not, I'm sure.

Is this perfect?

Probably not.

Nothing is.

None of our legislation is ever gonna be perfect.

We'll probably come back and make some changes in the future.

But it's a start.

And while this isn't sudden, this is urgent.

Our neighbors can't wait to ten to twenty years.

And this council has been working on those longer term strategies.

We just passed a comp plan under the leadership of Councilman Espinal and in the ordinance committee.

Thank you, Councilman Espinall, that increases density across the city.

We're asking folks to build, we are creating the enabling conditions to build, we're passing TSAs, we're doing the things that developers are asking from us to develop, because we know we need to build our way out of this.

But in the meantime, we're losing providence.

We're losing the artists, we're losing the teachers, we're losing the parts of what make this city so amazing.

We're losing our diversity because folks can't afford to stay, and we can't afford to wait.

And I've never ever heard anyone accuse the city of moving too fast.

No one is ever like, I wish my government would move more slowly to address urgent issues.

Um, but this isn't that fast.

This is many months in the making for this particular piece, many, many hours of public comment, of of folks engaging in conversation, of hard work in conversations, um, lots of discussions with policy link, with policy experts across the country.

We've hired a national expert in Tom Segoros.

I know he happens to be a Rhode Islander, which we're very lucky, but I have friends in other parts of the country who are like, oh my god, you guys got to work with Tom.

Like he is a national expert and a treasurer who happens to work at Brown and live in North Kingstown, and we're lucky he's here.

Um, and so we have hired independent folks.

He is who other places hire as their independent person to evaluate these types of things.

He's an expert in municipal finance.

We are lucky he's in in Rhode Island.

So I just wanted to share some of these thoughts.

We are trying to do all the things.

The housing crisis is a real crisis, and there's no silver bullet.

There's no one policy we're gonna pass that's gonna be done, we're done, excellent, move on.

It's complicated, but people are suffering now.

I've been a renter, now I'm a homeowner.

I feel very lucky to be a homeowner.

If I were trying to buy my home today, I could not afford my home today.

Zero percent could have buy in Ward 3 today.

There's not a single home in my ward that I could afford in this moment in time if I were buying today.

So, like, I've been a renter, I'm lucky to be a homeowner right now, and I want that opportunity for more people, and I don't want people being pushed out of our city.

So I will be voting yes.

It's imperfect, and I acknowledge that, but it's something and it's a step.

So I just thank thank the folks who've engaged and got us to this point, and I thank my colleagues who will be voting yes.

I also thank my colleagues who are engaging honestly, even if they're voting no.

Thank you, counselor.

Councilman Peterson.

Thank you, Council President.

Um I appreciate the feedback from everybody so far.

It's actually been very um enlightening in in certain ways, but also at the same time um we forget so much of what's at stake here.

And I um I know that I come into this as one of the people that was very much thinking of the pros and the cons and not really focused in on what the actual impact was as much as I am now.

So I want to start by acknowledging um that we've have had robust and at times very difficult conversation about rent stabilization.

It's a serious conversation that requires research, understanding, and from a variety of views.

Um I knew from the beginning that as written, this ordinance would have a real impact on our ward on Ward 14, and I I didn't take that lightly, and I stand by my decision from day one of making sure that I weighted it out and understood all of the things.

Um over the past two months, I've met with economists.

I talked to people from URI and Brown, um, I talked to landlords, I talked to real estate professionals, I talked to rentsters, I talked to advocacy groups.

I actually took the time and I went to almost every single listening session.

The one that I didn't attend was because I had a meeting in my community.

Um, and I listened very carefully to every single perspective.

Um I was upfront about my concerns from for both tenant and small landlords.

Um and I I reviewed all the data provided, the articles that were sent, the reports from URI, the polls conducted, and the truth is there are there are very valid points on both sides, and um none of them, none of them should be dismissed.

But I also took the time to research jurisdictions that were similar to ours, and they implemented some sort of rent regulation.

What I did was I took the opportunity that was given to me to learn more about what it is that we were trying to do.

And there are over 150 other jurisdictions that have something in place already.

I took two cities, very similar to ours, both in Patterson, New Jersey, and in Yonkers, one that had a population that was slightly low smaller than ours, and one that had a population that was larger than ours.

And they have generally the same demographics and similar population sizes, and what I found was actually really relevant.

In these cities, there's no conclusive evidence that these policies have broadly reduced property values.

They didn't halt construction and they didn't shift the burden on the single family homeowner in the way that it's suggested right now.

This didn't mean that there are no risks, but it did mean that the conversation needs to be grounded in more than the fear of the unknown.

So let me be very clear.

This ordinance is not gonna lower rents.

It is not a silver bullet for the affordability crisis that we're facing.

But that cannot be the standard that we hold every policy to, especially when the reality in front of us demands that we act.

Thank you.

This administration and this council have taken very proactive steps to continue moving density as a top priority to alleviate the pressures the city is facing.

But all of that has outcomes that will support in the future, and the reality is that we need solutions that are gonna help right now.

Our reality is that Providence is at a crossroads.

And for too long, difficult city decisions have been pushed off, left for somebody else to handle.

We're here and we're facing a city that's changing in real time.

Changing in its affordability, its economic trajectory, and who can actually afford to live here.

We really need to be honest about this.

We're building a denser city because we have to.

We nearly, with nearly when nearly, excuse me, half of our land is not taxable, where we rely heavily on our housing and commercial markets to generate revenue.

This is all very relevant.

In doing so, we have also created a system where housing has become a commodity first and a home second.

We're seeing it across our neighborhoods.

Communities that were once places for working families to build a future are now being priced out.

In places like Smith Hill, Wanscock, and before the West End, where once it was an entry point to stability has become an investment opportunity for those with more capital.

And that has fundamentally changed the playing field for everybody.

The truth is that the playing field is never been the same for everybody.

In this conversation, I've heard tenants talk about choosing between paying rent or paying food, about falling behind on utilities, and about the very real possibility of losing their homes.

I've also heard small landlords talk about rising costs and the pressure of maintaining their properties.

Both of these realities matter, but they are not the same, and they shouldn't, and we can't pretend that they are.

Thank you, during her Mayor Jorge Lores' administration, the city saw more than 4,000 applications for a guaranteed income program that offered $500 a month for one year.

That program strict had extremely strict eligibility requirements limited to households that earned under 200% of the poverty line.

Out of those 4,000 applications, only 110 were selected.

4,000 applications.

That level of need is staggering.

And if we're being honest, that need has not gone away.

It actually has grown.

When we put that number next to what we're seeing on our streets, with more residents facing housing facing housing instability and homelessness, it becomes clear that we are not all having the same conversation.

Some of these realities are simply not relatable to everybody, and I understand that, but that doesn't make them any less urgent.

My family came to this country with nothing, and like so many others in search of an opportunity.

That experience teaches you independence, resilience, and some families were able to build something from very, very little.

Others are still just trying to get there.

Neither should be villainized, and regardless of how far we've come or how far down the lineage we have to go down, all of our families share a similar story.

Today, our future generations are faced with an economy that cannot sustain with wages from one or even two jobs any longer.

And when I think about my own children, the reality that they've been uh they may not have the same opportunity that my husband and I had to buy early to stay in our city, that says something to me.

And it says something about where we're headed.

There was a time when one good paying job was enough to live comfortably and build towards something.

That's no longer the case.

Today we consider a good job often needs to be well into six figures to keep up.

Our younger residents are working two or three jobs just to afford to live here.

And the reality is it's not just our younger residents, it's our older residents, and it's a very real, it's a big reality that we're all facing right now.

This includes adults with post-secondary education, and not just the ones that haven't achieved that objective just yet.

And yet the median households in Providence is still on around $60,000.

Think about that who represents, about who that represents, excuse me.

Social workers, teachers, nursing assistants, artists, clerical staff, servers, medical technicians.

These are people that are keeping our city running.

And many of them are not earning enough to even afford a $1,500 rent.

They're not even, they're not earning enough to afford a $1,500 rent without being cost-burdened.

So again, we're not talking about the same realities.

Since 2025, we've approved roughly 1,200 permits, and fewer than 30 of those are filled are for single family homes.

We're not building pathways to ownership at scale here.

We're building a city that is increasingly renter-based.

So finally, so we have to ask ourselves if we're becoming a city of a city of renters or if we are a city of renters, don't we owe a responsibility to them as well?

Right now, one in four residents in Providence live below the poverty line.

That means 25% of our city cannot fully participate in our local economy.

They are not spending money on our small businesses, and we're seeing our small businesses close at a faster pace that we can control.

They're not building savings, and many of them are simply trying to stay afloat.

At the same time, we're seeing very real impacts of displacement.

We see it in our neighborhoods, we see it on our streets, we see it in the growing number number of people who are unhoused.

These are not projections.

This is what's happening right now.

We cannot continue pushing this problem off any longer.

And we also can't continue to blur the lines of this conversation.

There is a difference between small and local landlords who are trying to support their families and large corporate entities that are driving market rates and shaping entire neighborhoods.

If we're going to have an honest conversation, then we need to acknowledge that distinction and respond accordingly.

They are my priority, and I and what I hear from them is clear.

Stability is needed.

They need to know that they can stay in their homes, they need to be able to plan for their futures, and that they are not a situation away from being displaced.

And this is why, despite its imperfections, I am supporting this ordinance tonight.

Because doing nothing is not a neutral position.

It is a decision to allow the current trajectory to continue.

At the same time, my support comes with the expectation that we continue to refine this because we should be pursuing all solutions, increasing housing production, supporting affordable homeownership opportunities, providing rental relief, and ensuring that development reflects the needs of our residents and utilizing every method to do so.

So we have the creativity and we have the diversity, and now we need the stability to match.

Tonight, my vote is about recognizing the reality that's in front of all of us and responding to the urgency of this moment and taking a necessary step towards making Providence a city where people don't just come to live but they come to stay.

Thank you.

Counselors, further discussion on item 23.

Councilman Vargas.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

We are here to represent our constituents.

Inflation, inflation control.

How much is the gallon at this today?

Six dollars.

That means we pay more for the food that we're going to be eating tomorrow.

Yesterday, I pumped yesterday and I don't want to pump no more.

Interest control.

The banks we don't have no answers about how the banks is going to give me a loan if these ordinance goes through, though.

Because we don't know how much rent we will get.

Maintenance control on a property.

I changed my hot water tank yesterday, it cost me $700, plus installation went up to $1,100.

And the apartment is paying $1,200.

We have a rent fund ordinance.

It's in the books.

Went to committee.

They will see that is another help for the people who really need help over with rent.

It's a million dollars that we put there to hope.

It's a little bit.

We're trying to get it there every year.

But one more, who's addressing the electric company?

Who's addressing the gas company?

Now we we use $100 in electricity and they charge us $200 for delivery.

They're using the same cable.

They're not using a different cable to try to deliver the electric that we use.

How we can do better for our constituents.

How we can create more resources to avoid to avoid our business to be closing down because they need help.

How we can create more jobs where we can make at least $20 an hour, not $12, $13.

I know it's not enough per hour to leave in this city.

But we have to work and better resources.

But by doing rent control, it's not going to work.

Keep government out of my home.

Councilwoman Harris.

Yeah, it's definitely about poor people.

And more so, it's about just like what I've heard over and over from my colleagues who have thought through this as well as I have.

Listening, answering questions when you needed an answer.

This is about people remaining stable.

This is about people remaining in homes.

This is about a basic need.

This is about people being able to have a roof over their head without being immediately asked to.

Not all landlords do this.

And this is all respect to a lot of landlords that are doing their job or the things that they're supposed to do with their units and with their people, their tenants that's living there.

I've talked to a lot of landlords, and a lot of landlords are saying what I hear landlords saying today.

I really don't.

I think there should be a balance.

I think there should be a raise of rent.

And I think people should be prepared for that raise of rent.

I don't think nothing should be given or handed out to anyone.

We are we were born to work and to struggle and to make our way in life, but not at the pace of someone else's greed.

I have to say that out loud.

Because I've been in the struggle for a very long time, and I've been fighting for a very long time for other people that have opportunities, opportunities to do things that other people that are.

We have families that have moved over and over.

I have an office here.

All I asked for when I first came to the council, just give me an office.

I like learning from people.

I don't talk much because I'm a listener and I understand.

And I receive things from people.

I receive people's feelings, I receive how people feel about things.

I understand the hurt.

I understand what people are going through.

My ward, where I grew up.

Councilwoman.

I grew up, I'm sorry, uh, Council President.

I'm not talking to anybody Pacific.

But I love Councilwoman Gray's history because she reminded me of things that I've even forgotten over the years.

It's been a lot that have happened to change, especially South Providence.

And thank you for a lot of that history that were brought up because people need to understand that.

A lot of people have moved to the city.

A lot of people have a voice in this city.

I appreciate that because I believe in leaders.

I believe in people making things better.

I believe in people really speaking up for people who are not able to speak up for themselves.

And that's why I sit in this seat today.

Not because I have anything to gain.

I sit here because I want to be a voice for the people.

Years ago, years ago when I worked at DAIR.

This conversation was discussed way back then.

Rent stabilization.

I left DER in 2001.

No, I left in 2012.

I never left because it never let me leave.

But I, anyways, 2012 when I officially no longer received the paycheck for my work.

But I continue to work with DARE and to support some of the initiatives.

A lot of things that DARE have pushed for because DER is directly connected to the people.

I'm gonna bring this up and use DARE as an example, like my colleagues have already done, because this is not something new.

I just want people to know that.

This has been discussed for a very, very long time.

If you didn't have ears to hear, too bad.

Because my colleagues is right about this was not even received from another council body.

Because I don't know what people think about when they think about people's need and basic needs and the things that we're here to serve people for.

It's beyond taxes.

We've been able to get through a lot of things.

This tax has been out of control.

Our revenues and uh city tax have been out of control for years.

For years.

This is nothing new.

But what we do see that's getting even more out of control is more and more people not having a home, not having a roof over their heads.

More and more people being displaced.

And yes, a lot of it has to do with the increase of rent.

A lot of it has to do with that.

And we realize that.

I am this is my last vote that I'm gonna be taking that's just serious.

I'm gonna be making other votes, but this one is as serious as the votes that I had to take in the past.

In 2018, I had to take a vote with the Hope Tower because you know why?

Nobody in government was talking about housing.

Nobody.

Nobody was talking about housing.

Politicians were kicking the can down the road.

The crisis got worse.

But it took, it took a big developer who just really really blew control out of North Carolina where I'm from, really, develop everything, build it up to come here for people to say, no, no, no, no.

We need affordable housing.

Well, thank you, thank you, people of Providence for yelling affordable housing.

We have been busy at that, trying to figure it out ever since.

So I want to close with this to say I will be voting tonight.

I will be voting for the people that I have came here to defend and stand up for and will continue to stand up for.

I don't use a lot of words because I'm an action person.

I use a lot of action in everything I do.

I'm a woman of my word, and I have always stood up for the the things that I believe in.

And tonight, I believe this is the beginning.

You heard our colleagues say this is not perfect, but we gotta do something.

We gotta do something.

We cannot no longer continue to see people being kicked out of their homes.

Sorry for being so passionate about this, but the energy is in this room, and this is exactly what we need to be doing, talking through this stuff.

I I'm gonna be voting.

I feel bad for people who don't see what other people are seeing.

We are not in a place where we are doing something that's gonna hurt this city.

I've heard it over and over and over again.

So I heard it with the foreclosure movement, 2009.

I heard it with the civilian oversight.

All these things that cause fear and and definitely try to distract what the real issue is.

People are being pushed out of their homes.

And rent, I understand that people are trying to make profit, but right now we're having a time in history where we all have to help each other.

I want to close with I appreciate the work that has been done by this council because the only thing I came in here was chanting.

We have a housing crisis.

I came in in 2014 yelling the same exact thing that we're talking about tonight.

But since I am leaving, but I've seen great things have happened.

I don't feel like my work here, or my being here with my colleagues, of people that I serve with have been in vain.

And as I walk out the door, I will not feel bad about this vote that I'm about to take tonight.

Thank you all.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilman Gankhaus.

Thank you, Madam President.

I just want to say this has been a really good conversation to listen to.

Clearly, there are both people on both sides of the aisle on this issue, and I think that it's a very, very important discussion.

And I want to say this clearly, my heart in this work has always been in the right place.

We're not gonna speak over the counselor.

Thank you.

And that's exactly it.

I'm I'm not gonna give in to pressure.

I'm not gonna give in to people who are trying to push in a way that isn't productive.

I think we need to have thorough conversations about this, and that's what we're doing tonight.

And I think this is a good, good conversation.

It really is.

Yeah, there are people laughing behind me.

Um you can be disrespectful, but I'm I'm gonna say my piece in the 1990s, Fox Point, and uh the community that I know that was there, that was living there at the time, is no longer there.

That entire community has been displaced.

Uh I absolutely want every single person to stay in this room.

If you keep talking over, we're not gonna be able to have that, so go ahead, come.

And those are the people that I think about every single day.

And you can go to my ward and talk to my constituents, they will tell you that I deliver for them.

You can talk to the most vulnerable people in my community, you can ask them.

Those are the people that I probably talk to the most.

And I'm a renter, I'm someone who lived here for over three decades.

I'm a working class teacher.

So anybody can opine on my background or any of that, but I think ultimately I've always fought for people.

There's no question.

There's absolutely no question.

I've stood up to the large tax-exempt institutions like Brown University.

And there's one through line, absolutely one through line on this council.

I've always stood up for my single family homeowners.

I've stood up for the taxpayers, I've stood up for everyone.

My predecessor, I don't think does what I do in this city.

And so I just think, as we've heard tonight, and I'm about lowering the temperature, that there are people on both sides of this issue.

Now, you can say one side is right, one side is wrong, you can be disrespectful, you could be distasteful.

This is about having a discussion and having productive dialogue, in my opinion.

And like I've shared, I've always fought for the people.

And I've always fought to ensure that institutions like Brown pay their fair share because I do know how close this is to so many families, and especially those who are who are on a fixed income.

But that's what I also think about all the time.

There's so many people in my neighborhood.

So many people in my neighborhood who are elderly on a fixed income, and throughout this term, we voted twice to raise taxes on those those those same people.

And these people are literally hanging on by a thread.

Those are the people that I've been trying to preserve because I don't want to have what happened in the past happen again.

What happened in the 1960s when we had urban renewal?

My neighborhood, Cave Verdian, Portuguese, Irish when I was growing up, immigrant neighbors who like completely have been displaced from that community as a as a result of practically Brown University expanding into our neighborhood.

But that some of that stuff happened, of course, like well after I was uh or well before I was I was in office, and I think that one of the complexities of all of this is again trying to preserve the people in my neighborhood who are literally hanging on by a thread.

They have high property values.

That's not their fault.

I think Fox Point has just developed over the years, and as a result, their property values are significantly higher than other areas in the city.

And so, with that being said, there have been several things that I've asked for, and things that I don't think we've actually answered the questions on.

And in good faith, right?

Like we have projections ranging from 1.5 million to as high as 17 million.

And that kind of gap should give us all pause.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we study this issue to death.

Like we know that there's urgency out there.

Look, I'm a renter, I get it.

I'm a working class teacher, I get it.

But I also think that when we're making really big decisions, we sometimes have to put the like take a pause and really think about all the implications because this is not just a landlord versus renter issue.

This is going to impact homeowners as well.

Yeah, and and look a lot of people will think I'm like emotionless.

I have emotions.

And for anybody who tries to say that I don't, of course I have emotions.

I care about people, I care about my neighbors.

But I but I also think that we can't be mean-spirited about these discussions.

Like we have to do some of the homework, and there's several things that I've been asking for.

Number one, and I'm not going to talk about previous policy, but I just want to bring it up because I think it's relevant to this discussion.

We have two different perspectives.

Again, someone who's saying 1.5 million, someone who's saying Larry Mancini, who's saying anywhere from 10.3 to 17.5 million.

I personally would feel very comfortable, extremely comfortable, if we were able to get a third-party study.

That's not an unreasonable ask.

I think the reason why we thought we needed to hire an outside consultant was because we thought Larry Mancini somehow was biased.

I I've heard that from some people.

So I think the objective thing to do is to have someone else give us that information so we can make logical, reasonable, reasonable decisions that won't negatively impact anybody.

Because frankly, any decision, any decision, even a 1.5 million dollar shift in our budget, that makes a difference.

And I think that those same people have been fighting the gentrification.

And you know what's really sad about this whole ordeal?

I've had literally people who have just moved to Providence, and I've sat down with everybody.

I've sat down with Policy Link, I've sat down with Reclaim, I've sat down with all of these organizations, and these same some of these or these same organizations have had people who have lived in our city for less than a year, literally threatening threaten so I've lived here for over 30 years.

But when I'm my the point that I'm trying to share here is I've had people who've just moved to the city essentially telling me how I should be representing the people in my neighborhood.

And I think that they need to also talk to my neighbors, like the Pedrozos, for example, who they had a really beautiful, I just read it the other day, a beautiful op-ed talking about how they it's the American dream, immigrant Portuguese family, that when I was a kid suffering from food insecurity, you could ask my mom this story, when she couldn't afford groceries, that was the family that helped us, and they're opposed to this.

Go talk to my neighbors.

Go talk to the people who are the most vulnerable people in my community, ask them how much I talk to them and ask them how much I fight for them.

But what I've also heard, and maybe this is a byproduct of representing a more affluent neighborhood, is people who have no skin in this game.

They're not renters, they're not landlords, they're just well-meaning people who have written me hundreds and hundreds of emails.

If you want to see my email inbox, I will show you.

But what I can say is, based on what I've looked at, I lived in Minneapolis for several years and I lived in St.

Paul.

I mean, and I worked in St.

Paul.

That was a situation, for example, where there was rent control and there wasn't rent control.

We can call it stabilization as well.

But it is different, it's very different.

Um, and I think the exemptions I want to actually like I I will I'm not someone who's like gonna be spiteful.

I think like if people are doing important uh doing important things to the ordinance to make it better, that's that's that's good, right?

Like if if they're looking at how this works contextually in our market, that is good, and I appreciate all the work that's gone into it, all the amendments, all the hours, I get it.

But let's be real, like let's be real, like let's be real.

This ordinance was also introduced January 22nd.

I understand that there have been advocates working on this for years and years and years.

It is April 1st.

That's a that's that's uh a bit more than two months.

I intro I've introduced over I think 50 pieces of progressive legislation on this council.

Last term I introduced an ordinance to ban gas-powered leaf blowers.

You know how long that took us?

Five years.

That was an inconsequential piece of legislation in comparison to what we're voting on tonight.

Like the magnitude of this.

Okay.

Okay.

And if you say that I haven't been working on solutions, I'll tell you exactly what I just did a couple weeks ago.

Creatively trying to find solutions.

Introduced an ordinance for a million dollars in rent relief.

It's not a handout, it's a how is it a handout to landlords?

If you look at if you look at the ordinance, it's how is this germane to do if you look at the ordinance that helps people below 60% area median income.

That's how it's written.

It helps people who are dealing with that mortgage arrear or the utility bill that we're talking about.

It's it's targeted relief.

And and we I'm not saying that that's enough.

I feel like a million dollars is just scratching the surface.

I agree with that.

I think we need more.

Right, I'm sorry, councilman.

We're we're we're we're holding uh conversation to the ordinance in front of us.

Thank you.

Yeah, but but like don't try to say that we're not trying to do something about this issue.

And I think that look, no landlord, I'll say it on the record, because you know, people like to speculate, I'll say it out loud.

No landlord, and I I want to mention a specific person that people like think that you know no one has influence over the decisions that I'm making here, and I will be very, very clear about that.

But we also need to be really thoughtful about what we're doing, because I don't want again to have any unintended in consequences on the people that I know I really care about in my neighborhood.

And I think we I think we can do both.

I think we can do both.

You know, like I've asked for certain exemptions, the I-95 land, for example, they are building over a thousand units of new housing.

We just had a meeting with them the other day, and they told us very clearly that if those those properties aren't exempt, or the things that are the shovels that are going in into the ground, people are gonna walk away from from building real housing that we need.

That's a I and and my dynamics a little different because I represent you know, downtown, I represent, you know, the jewelry district, I represent ward one, which is different.

But I what I would say is that's a thousand units.

That's a thousand units potentially in the pipeline.

If we want to address the issue, we know supply and demand is part of the problem.

Stop interrupting, please.

Okay.

That's a thousand units.

And in my neighborhood, is is tough about development, as many of you know.

Parcel nine is a perfect example for them to put the financing together for that.

That took years and years.

Sixty percent of those units, and I worked with them intimately on this.

Our low-income affordable housing.

One of the reasons why we have the issues that we're having in this city is because we're making it harder to build that kind of housing.

And if we lose a thousand units, for example, and they've told us this.

This is not my words.

This is what they told us.

That is not gonna help the affordability issue in our city.

It's actually going to make it worse.

It is supply and demand.

And like, look I understand that I've had some privileges in my life.

You know, I where I've been able to, you know, sit down with literally Harvard professors.

I've you know, I have a two my degrees from Brown and from Harvard.

Like, but I'm gonna I'm gonna put that aside because I don't think about that in this discussion.

But I think like they're there, and I'm not trying to sound like out of touch, but what I'm trying to say is I talk to experts.

I'm talking to all these interesting people.

And and and and and and I also talk to the people in our communities.

And I talk to those people more, but I think like we we have to figure out paths together.

And I'm not trying to divide.

I've never been about that.

I've never been about that.

You could you could do that, but I'm not about that.

I'm about trying to do things right.

And if we do not study the implications of this and we've asked for it.

And I think we can do both.

We can support renters, we can protect homeowners, we can act with urgency, and we can be thoughtful.

And if you don't like what you're hearing, I'm just being brutally honest.

And and sometimes people they might not like what they hear.

But I think it's our obligation to really lean in and to look at the data and the studies on this.

Not asking for years.

I think we just need a couple more months.

We need more time to like look at this and to carefully study it, and that's just where I am.

Thank you, counselor.

Can you just give me a minute here?

Councilman Sanchez.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'm gonna continue uh the tradition today of staying seated.

Um I've been sitting back listening.

I you know, as people can see, I don't I don't have any uh pre-written speeches or or notes, no shade to to people that that do.

Uh but I like to, you know, speak uh you know, off the rip in the moment.

Like some of my colleagues.

Uh and it's important to to bring our passion and emotion to this work.

Um that's something that uh my mom told me uh when uh when I was first elected is whatever you do, uh Miguelito, uh always keep that that fire in your heart that you've always had.

And that's something I always do, no matter what room I'm in.

If I'm out in the community, uh I have it.

If I'm here in the chambers, I have it.

If I'm at a Pokemon show, Hot Wheel show, I I have it.

Um and I say that because it's important to stay grounded in your principles and in your beliefs in your morals uh while we do this work.

Um it's easy to get uh push in a certain direction, um, get influenced, uh just the way that electoral politics works in nature um allows it, uh unfortunately, you know, by the form of campaign contributions, and luckily, you know, there's some limits to that here in Rhode Island.

Uh in order to do this work, you need to have money in your campaign account.

And who primarily supports it in that nature here at the local level?

Special interest.

And one of those uh local somewhat powerful, you could say uh lobby is the the landlord association.

There's there's folks here in the crowd that have donated tens and tens of thousands of dollars to political candidates over the years.

Um, folks say they they aren't influenced a certain way, but the public sees you know one transaction happening and another vote occurring.

People uh you know get frustrated with Washington DC, and you know, people see Madam President, point of order.

That this has nothing to do with the legislation that is before us talking about campaign contributions.

Point of order, please.

Guilty by association, I guess.

I don't know.

We'll move on to to what's at heart here, though.

I've used this council C as a tool.

As a tool to make my community uh a better place, um, whether that's in my day job, whether that's on my council C.

I I've always tried to do uh something to move my my community forward and and obviously uh a big issue that has been occurring for decades now is the housing crisis.

So I'm not gonna get into every uh of the details of of all the work that folks have shared um of what we've done up to this point.

But what's important is to protect people that have called Providence home uh for decades.

Uh young people, you know, looking to live in an apartment, rent for a couple years, and and then have that opportunity to purchase uh their first-time property.

Um something that I just don't understand, and and that's why I was talking about like the first part of what I was saying, is that we've had plenty of opportunities for engagement.

Um every single amendment that got asked before this week uh has been included in the ordinance.

I I feel like that's something that people need to be aware of.

Is we started with a product that has been really researched.

Um in my opinion, I think it should be you know, three percent.

I think it should be more, but that that's not gonna get us across the finish line.

So I'm okay with having uh a starting point and then building from there and continuing the the work that that we're doing when it comes to housing uh development, when it comes to other tenant protections.

Because this is the the starting point.

It's only gonna get uh more intense um as we continue uh with this local economy.

Um it's important that that we ground ourselves um to why we do this work.

Um and I don't need to say I've said it plenty of times, but I I've seen the severe consequences, we've all seen the severe consequences.

It was brought up earlier of what we did with our unhoused neighbors last year, and the the positive outcome of it was this year's.

We didn't have to be so vocal because there was community involvement.

There was three churches that that stepped up here in Providence to uh house our unhoused neighbors, and that was a result of some of the work that we did last year.

So to say that we're using this as a political tool or as uh as uh a method to to satisfy a certain population, no it's been said in different polls recently in the past year.

70 plus percent of Providence residents support or somewhat support this piece of legislation.

So why does it seem like there's so much opposition because there's so much resource behind that opposition?

That's why it hasn't been introduced in other legislations.

Legislative bodies haven't had the courage to go against those powerful forces.

I don't care if I get a primary challenge because of something I supported.

At the end of the day, I all care about is helping my neighbors and sleeping at night with a peaceful mind.

Knowing that I tried my best.

And to wrap up my my comments, um I'm just gonna say that I'm extremely thankful.

I'm gonna remember this moment for the rest of my life.

No matter where life takes me, this is something that I'm gonna cherish and just appreciate.

I'm looking around.

Um I'm just locking in faces because this is something that I'm gonna take with me no matter where where I'm at, Council President.

Because we tried and we're trying, and we're gonna continue to try until everyone has the basic necessities to survive to live a life of dignity here in Providence.

That's our main job.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilwoman Davidson, I did not know you were waiting.

I apologize, please.

No problem.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, so I am new to this body, but I am not new to standing up for equity and justice, and I am not new to database decision making.

And with both of those lenses, I will be voting yes this evening on this ordinance.

Um I will uh one personal note.

Um, 21 years ago, my husband and I moved with our two young children, one of whom I'm happy to say is here this evening, to Sam to Providence from San Francisco.

We lived there for a long time.

We had our children there, and it meant a lot to me to be there.

But we wanted to move for a variety of reasons.

A big one was we wanted to be able to raise our children in a city where they could grow up alongside people from all walks of life, from all economic backgrounds.

I didn't want to raise my children in a city that was a increasingly becoming a bubble of privilege.

And I will note thank goodness for the rent control and rent stabilization in San Francisco because the only thing that allowed people who actually need that city run to stay.

Not enough of them.

But it was critically important.

Nevertheless, we moved here because we had a real vision of what Providence could be.

That vision is eroding quickly.

And I think it is critically important for other young families, whether they are want to come here or whether they're right within their here now, that they'd be able to afford to live here, whether they are renters or homeowners, and that we create more equity and more opportunity for everybody.

So that's part of the indication of how much I want to stand up for justice is I want to make sure that we can continue to create Providence as a place where everybody can be and can count on being, have some control over their lives and where they live, have some control over their finances.

It's critically important.

Now, a couple points, a couple data points, because we've heard a lot tonight, so I'm not gonna belabor it.

We have a huge problem here.

Uh I hear a lot that this if we were to pass this ordinance, it will cause pain.

It might.

I don't think that so based on the data.

I think there are gonna be shifts, I think we're gonna make adjustments.

What I do know is that families are in pain and homeowners are in pain and especially renters are in pain right now.

So I am not that convinced about the possibility of future pain when I look at what is happening to people in our city at this very moment.

We had 2,287 eviction cases in the past year.

We have had 200 2000, sorry, 2,287 eviction cases.

We've had 2,373 unhoused people in this state, many here in Providence.

That's not a coincidence that those numbers are similar.

Moreover, almost 20,000 households in Providence are rent-burdened.

That means that they can't afford a lot of the basics of life.

This is no way to live.

We have the ability to change this.

Another piece about the data.

When you look closely, and I am very convinced by this, when you look closely at data from Montgomery County, Maryland, Portland, Maine, and St.

Paul, Minnesota, there is no meaningful correlation between the rent stabilization policies they have there and the opportunity over time for developers to expand housing.

These are complementary policies.

We can do both.

We have to do both.

So there's nothing in the data that tell me that it perhaps individual developers may want to choose to stop.

Others won't.

This is happening in many, many jurisdictions around the country, and that data is not convincing to me.

It's threatening and it's scary, but I do not believe it's going to happen.

I do think we have to think carefully about the property tax issue.

I do want to note, I just I want to um correct one note about what um Mr.

Mancini shared with us.

He offered a range that started at 1.9 million dollars impact.

Um so and and perhaps could go up from there.

That's an extraordinarily wide range that he offered.

Um I was uh more convinced by Mr.

Segoros' data, which was based actually sort of on not speculation, but what we actually the picture that we have in front of us.

He also pointed out that we will adjust.

It will take time, but we will adjust.

And I do not think we can continue to perpetuate the status quo because the status quo has gotten to us to a terrible place.

I'll make one more point.

I have I have spent a tremendous amount of time talking to my neighbors, talking to property developers, talking to people on every side of this issue.

I've had a lot of coffee with a lot of people, and um, you know, I I have been very open to listening to everybody's points of view.

I also want, especially to listen to the points of view of the people who are in ward three.

And we all, I'm sure, have received a lot of email.

Sorry, ward too.

We all have received a lot of email, and I certainly have received quite a bit myself.

One of the things that I did is when I received email from people who lived in my ward, I immediately answered it, offered to meet, did everything I could to reach out.

It did not matter what side of the issue they're on, but because I recently, very recently ran for election, I'm also pretty familiar with addresses and names.

And I started to notice that I didn't always know the names of the people who were writing to me.

And I double-checked, and quite frequently, people who had addresses in my ward did not live in my ward.

I know it's a subtle distinction, but I'm not gonna go to East Greenwich to have coffee with you.

So for the for the people who live in ward two, who have reached out to me, I've done my best to answer emails, to meet, I've been to every single hearing.

I also missed just one of the neighborhood meetings.

It is incredibly important to listen to everybody's voice.

And at the end of all that, based on the data, based on my own lived experience, I'm very proud to vote yes tonight.

I see uh two uh two mics on from folks who have spoken already.

I want to remind everyone that our council rules uh prohibit speaking more than twice.

So if now's the time, that's fine.

Are there other people who haven't spoken yet before we go?

I think it's just you, councilman.

Do you want to speak?

You spoke already.

Okay, great.

Councilman Graves.

I keep hearing about um how fast this has been going.

Um was the housing task force.

And we explored a lot of things.

We were trying to figure out how we could keep people housed, how we could house the ones that were unhoused.

And out of that came rent stabilization too.

Our staff was working on that.

They did some study on that.

So this is not new.

Okay, you can't hear me.

I have to get up and get loud again.

Okay.

So this is not new.

This this we finished that last year, early in the spring.

And we talked about it before the budget came out and before the taxes came out.

Um it's not like we didn't know we were talking about this, and we were starting to do this.

So this isn't new, and then I find out from other speaking to a lot of my colleagues that you guys, some of the ones that were here before, had been talking about it the last little section.

So you guys have been talking about it for a while.

So this isn't new.

This isn't this isn't anything that just dropped out of the sky.

This is something that we've all known need to be done.

It's just that it's gotten worse, and the homeless situation has gotten worse.

And like I said time and time again, when are we gonna stop?

You know, we keep saying, well, let's wait.

Let's wait.

We need to wait.

And I don't know how many times I get keep telling you.

Martin Luther King told us about waiting.

We we keep waiting, it's never gonna get done.

We the people that sit there that's waiting for the this the trickle down, we know it's never gonna come.

So we're tired of that.

People are tired of this.

We have to do something and we have to do something now.

Because people's lives are at stake.

People's well being it's at stake.

If you don't think that a person, a child, let's let's even take the adults out of the equation.

You know, if you don't feel sorry for them, feel sorry for them babies.

Because it affects them.

If they're mentally getting up, not figuring out where they're gonna have, lay their head, and then they had to go to school the next day, and they don't have a place to lay their head, they're going in there probably in the same clothes that they had on the day before.

And we all know how cruel other kids can be.

That's a stigma that we're putting on these kids.

They're worried enough.

We shouldn't be adding all these things to their plate.

As for taxes and all these other things, we've been talking about taxes since the day I knew about taxes since I was a little kid.

We always knew things that there are always gonna be something.

Death and taxes is always coming.

So we need to stop talking about taxes, because that's the thing because we know it's gonna happen.

We also need to stop talking about the gas and the electric.

If we're not gonna control it, why are we talking about it?

Why are we talking about it?

That's something that the God we need to bring up to the next stage.

We need to go out and maybe pick and rail along with other people, but that's nothing that we can control.

This is something that we can talk about and control.

Let's do what we can do.

Let's do our step.

Stop raising past that.

Let's do our stuff.

We need to do what we can.

And we if we don't start now, then stop talking about it.

You know, and stop looking at the at the people in the streets and them in the encampments, stop talking about them.

Stop talking about the people that are gonna be homeless next time.

Stop talking about everybody, you know, because you don't care.

And I'm gonna tell you something.

We all we used to always say, you know, God, forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.

But we know what we're doing.

So we I can't even ask them to forgive us.

We know exactly what we're doing.

We're intelligent 15.

None of us are dumb, not a one of us.

So let not let's not be callous.

And also remember, yes, we have wards, but we're supposed to be fighting for the welfare of the city.

So don't worry about this one little family here and that one little family there.

Yes, we can.

I'm concerned about my one little family, but I'm concerned about the heart and soul of this city.

So let's start thinking about this.

Are you gonna be able to look in that mirror?

Michael Jackson said, I'm talking to the man in the mirror.

Tomorrow, after you make this vote, are you gonna be able to look in that mirror and say, oh, you know what?

I did what the best that I could do.

I did the best for my city.

Are you?

And be truthful with one another.

Tell to yourself, be truthful to yourself.

Because I can sit here and tell you what I'm doing it for.

I already have.

But sometimes I'm wondering, I'm wondering about some of the rest of y'all.

I really am.

I really am.

Please, majority leader.

Go ahead.

Thank you, Madam President.

And I'll be very brief.

Uh it's getting pretty late, but uh I wanted to conclude the night with uh my final remarks.

Um, you know, I I hear the passion and and and the reasons as to why, but I'm not just sure that we're helping uh renters by guaranteeing a rent increase.

I I just see it different than that.

You know, you know, you you help the renters by lowering their rents, not by guaranteeing a rent increase every single year.

You know, so so that that's why we're at we're at different.

And when we make reference to the people that don't live in the city, but yet they own properties in the city.

Well, you know, they're providing a service that we need as renters, they're providing a service, and they're paying the taxes that we need to run our city and also to pay our salary.

You know, everybody that's here is getting paid, and that's coming from people that live in the city, but other people that don't live in the city, but that having they have an investment.

Uh, because of everything that I stated previously that we needed a lack of information thereof that I was uh going to need.

I gotta categorize this uh signing a document without reading it.

You sign it, and then sometime down the road, you will find out what it was exactly that you signed for, and it just might be a little too late.

Yeah, so I I gotta say, I want to conclude by saying that you know, when you have restricted revenue at the same time that you have rising cost, that is the recipe, and that is an equation for financial failure, and that can sink the city into bankruptcy, and then if that happens, renters, owners, no one will be able to survive.

You know, there is a famous uh economist out there that once said, and I'm paraphrasing that there is no more effective way to destroy a city than rent control.

And with that, I'm presenting how I'll conclude my point.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Councilman Ryan.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I uh just want to remind my colleagues that it is renters that subsidize property taxes in the city.

Um because I was under the assumption, Madam President, that uh when folks refer to investment property, uh the sort of catch to that and the appeal is that your tenant would pay your mortgage, and so I've always been under the assumption that it's actually renters that uh pay their property taxes in the city.

Um I want to pivot for a second, Madam President, if I can to um it's relevant.

We've heard we've heard um, I've heard some of my colleagues talk about the Fox Point neighborhood.

And in fact, I have close ties to Fox Point.

I've lived there uh in my early years.

Um my grandmother uh lived at 174 Gano Street, took my brothers in when I was just a freshman at Hope High School, and as we know, decades ago, Fox Point um was a tight-knit working class uh neighborhood of Cape Verdeans, Portuguese Irish, as my colleague earlier had said, everyone knew each other.

Uh the community uh wasn't you know the the idea of a community wasn't just an idea, it was literally reality, and that's what made uh Fox Point special.

And we know unfortunately the consequences of uh history.

We know that Fox Point was labeled Blair, it was cut in half by a highway, families were displaced.

Um this was a community that was scattered.

Uh, and so we've been referencing a lot tonight um about history, and Madam President, what I would say is that history only matters if it informs what we do, and it informs what we do now.

Because when we talk about displacement in the context of rent stabilization, we should acknowledge that displacement in the city hasn't gone away.

It has just changed.

And after urban renewal in Fox Point came something different.

It was the powerful stuffation of that neighborhood.

An influx of demand drove up prices and slowly pushed people out.

And at that time, leadership understood what was happening happening and they acted.

Even Brown University of all places at the time discouraged student rentals because it recognized the impact on housing cost.

In former councilman John Murphy.

I want to say this very clearly.

He went further, passing an ornits in 1972 to limit the number of unrelated people living together, specifically to slow that pressure and protect the neighborhood.

And we know that story continued.

How home prices rose dramatically, long-time residents leaving, and uh Fox Point neighborhood transformed.

And here we are again.

Different moment, same pressure.

And some of my colleagues tonight have continued this parade of let's delay.

Because we're told that we need an independent study, that rent stabilization might impact property values that might shift burdens onto single family homeowners.

None of which, and I I remind my colleagues is supported by any available peer-reviewed research, no matter how many times it's repeated.

And those concerns are being used to justify why we should slow this down and why we should not take a vote for rent stabilization tonight.

But I think it's fair to ask, Madam President, where was the same concern when we approved tax stabilization agreements, or for those who may not know, tax breaks typically for developers.

Where was the call for an independent study on those tax breaks?

Because members of this body have supported in some cases led and secured tax breaks for developers in Fox Point.

And let me get let me go right into this plainly because we're talking about.

I am not directing this not anyone in particular, not any particular neighborhood.

I want to be clear that I am not uh calling anyone out.

I am directing my words to the Madam President.

So, in terms of these tax breaks, I want to kind of run through a quick timeline.

In 2024, this council approved a tax break at 165 Gano Street, which resulted in a over 700,000 in tax savings over 10 years for the developer of that property.

In the same year, this council approved a tax break for 180 Gano Street, saving the developer over 1.7 million in over 10 years.

Just recently, this council approved a tax break for at 157 gallons.

What does it matter?

We've appealed approved tax stabilizations throughout the city.

Why pick the white?

Why are we picking on just Fox Point?

Uh councilman, just speak to the president.

May I continue?

Move it towards the ordinance in front of us, please.

I will just finish uh my remarks by saying when we ask about how we're gonna pay for this, when we talk about the fiscal impact of this ordinance, I want you to have that same energy when it comes to handing out uh these tax breaks to these developers, have that same energy colleagues.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

All right, any further conversation any further comments on item 23?

Councilman Bartergas.

Councilman Vargas.

I might be the last, Madam President.

I learned a lot tonight.

But we had to work on creating jobs.

We need jobs, we need businesses, we need revenue.

We need to concentrate how to bring more businesses into the city.

Then we can make money and live happy.

I want to end with this.

A proper owner pay taxes and we sacrifice for 30 years.

20, 30, 25 years.

A renter only sacrifice for one year.

And he can move around.

Not us.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Madam President.

President Pro Tem.

Thank you.

As uh as we conclude with this, at least uh what I like to think that we're concluding.

Um, as I said before that I was going to speak again and let my colleagues speak.

But I often when we get up here, we want to talk about specifically to the legislation, but everyone share their story.

For me personally, um, this is also a lesson in my life, uh, living here in the United States for the past 50 years.

My mother brought me here from a small town in the Dominican Republic, poor family, lived in New York City, Washington Heights, my aunt lived in a rent control apartment that to even last year only paid about 700.

So I know firsthand, in a sense, after diving into this, what rent control is.

When my mother, as I speak to her, and I continue to speak to her, how much does she have as a single mom moving to Providence with three kids, me being the oldest, and she tells me she only had 200.

When we arrived here in 1979, my mother only paid $90 for an apartment.

Yes, that's about 46 years, 45 years ago.

I've had a wonderful experience in the city of Providence.

Always lived, we moved about nine times from Broad Street to Candon Street to Chad Brown, Miller, Washington Park.

And since then, as a young man going to school, wanting to live the American dream, decided to also stay in Providence.

At one point, I just wanted to leave, join the Air Force, which I did, and I retired from there 22 years.

Since those times, I've become a homeowner and also a real estate agent, a patient advocate at Rhode Island Hospital, knowing the tribulations of all our families.

So I've been in the front seat of seeing how difficult it's been for families over the years.

At times you want to always advocate for your neighbors and your people that you're going through so much hardship.

No matter what happens, you take that vote, your conviction.

And all around you in politics, those who have wealthier friends or networks always had the money.

But in our communities, we've always had those challenges.

This speaks of all of that.

Maria Lopes, if you remember, Mike Van Leeston.

These are the people that actually fought for the communities of color because they were being displaced from communities such as they used to call it the wealthier areas.

And that was the battle here.

Yes, things have changed.

The demographics have changed.

Well, coming to 2026, Rhode Island and Providence continues to grow.

For 25 years, they've had the same amount and they haven't created any affordable housing, and they're always fighting it.

And so here in our city of Providence, when we have been advocating to keep people in their homes, whether they're renting, whether they want to at least realize the American dream, I know what that is, because I went through it.

It continues to be that much costlier.

You know what I'm talking about.

But at one point, you decided to become an investor.

The return on investment.

This is about people, not this is about people over greed.

This is about gentrification, the economic pressure that's been happening in the in our city of Providence in the state of Rhode Island.

I've traveled to other cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas.

I've gone to I've gone to these cities 10 years after, and you can't recognize neighborhoods.

Because why?

It's hip, it's culturally, and it's been happening here.

Yes, my colleagues will all pass things here at TSA.

But do we we know what the answer is?

It's about making sure that investors are actually putting a deal together that at least has mixed income residents, affordable renters, and then those who can't least afford build more because we know we all know that supply and demand beats everything.

But while we wait, as we heard the testimony with one of the former state uh housing executive, said it will take decades before we actually get to the number of units that we need.

So that is data for you.

In the city of Providence, we have a population of about 190,000 people.

In the city of Providence, 190,000 people.

Black, 12 to 14 percent, other 7%.

The economics of it, the average income here, it's about what, 68,000 for the city of Providence in our neighborhoods, averages about 35,000.

And so when we're actually looking at data, and yes, this will have a financial impact.

That's what I heard, but it's worth taking and moving forward and figuring out these answers because we as a people that are low income that have gone through the tribulations and not having the the higher education, you're not gonna be here.

And so this rent control was established back in 1920 based on the fact that we wanted to house uh veterans in New York, and that has evolved.

This is not rent control, this is rent stabilization.

We have done the work.

I asked my colleagues to really dig in and value the work that we've done as a community while bringing our own experiences, while we all have moved to the city of Providence, and so we all know that Providence is facing a well-documented housing crisis, ranking among the worst in the nation for housing supply, affordability, displacement pressures.

This is not speculation, it is sustained, it is a sustained trend that demands policy intervention.

There is a broad consensus across every perspective.

Providence is a housing in a housing crisis, and inaction is not an option.

The ordinance is not a standalone action, but a necessary component that builds upon the coordinated legislative strategy the council has already initiated, including strengthening the housing trust fund, allowing accessory dwelling units by right, and advancing zoning reforms.

Our ordinance finds our legislative findings are clear.

Housing stability is fundamental, and the sharp rise in rents has outpaced income growth, creating instability, obstacles to long-term planning for both tenants and property owners.

A defined technically administered system for setting rent adjustment is necessary to bring greater steadiness to the rental market.

And we have done that.

This is what this ordinance does.

Providence is currently a city of scaffolding and displacement.

The families who form the cultural and economic heartbeat of our city, those in wards.

One, five, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, all of us.

And I commend our colleagues who are here with us that are more for from the affluent community for supporting the rent stabilization.

Because they believe they see the numbers.

Look at all your wards.

The medium household income hover around $35,000 in most of your other uh wards.

If you haven't looked at it, we have seen rent spike by double digits in the last two years.

Why?

Because when land when corporate landlords from out of state hike the rents by 20%, they are building an invisible wall that long-term residents cannot climb.

In Ownville, just in Ownerville, the pressures are cute, threatening to displace the artists, the immigrant communities and families who made the neighborhood vibrant.

The rent stabilization ordinance is the essential solution before you and us.

This policy is not a stagnant freeze, as critics suggest, but a predictability tool by providing an optional annual increase at 4% with a potential maximum of 10%, because landlords don't have to increase the rent, because the landlords, if they need to increase above 4%, they go before a board to justify that they replaced the roof, to justify that they had to replace the furnace.

We utilize a fair return framework that allows landlords sufficient return to maintain their properties while protecting tenants from 200 to 300 overnight rents.

It is a reliable foundation for planning for everyone involved.

Economically, rent stabilization acts as a social insurance policy.

When a family rent is stabilized, the money that stays in our local neighborhoods spent on the bodegas or the McDonald's, an Elmwood Family Dollars, or just a mom and pop, whether they're in Elmwood, Cranston Manton, or on a child's school supplies to support their education.

Furthermore, it actively prevents the churn of displacement that breaks local systems and dissolved social fabric.

Critically, it directly reduces the estimated 20 million dollars that the city and the state spend annually on emergency shelter and eviction services.

In conclusion, we cannot simply build our way out of this crisis that is happening now.

New construction takes years.

Stabilization protects people today and in the future.

Thank you and thank to all the organizations that helped us out, and I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this rent stabilization ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor.

Councilwoman Ryan.

Thank you, Madam President.

I agree we have a housing crisis.

We have an affordability crisis.

But this legislation is not the solution.

I do not support.

I do not support this legislation as drafted.

The reality is demand for housing in our beautiful city has exploded overnight.

It's forcing our prices up and costs are spiraling out of control.

As legislators, we need to find the balance.

It will kill the corresponding construction jobs that come with development.

Supply and demand is the issue.

We need to look at solutions at the microeconomic level, macroeconomic level, not micro.

Moreover, I do not support the politically appointed rent board that is suggested in this ordinance.

Many of you know.

Many of you know I've worked in housing for over 40 years.

My job as an asset product manager out of Providence College was to create programs for families so that they could afford to rent, buy, and keep safe, affordable homes.

I've done that for 40 years.

Housing market is cyclical.

Right now, we're seeing a shortage and escalated prices, just as we're experiencing gas.

It's an economic question.

Gas prices are rising.

Why?

There's a lack of supply.

So our charge as legislators is on to build more housing.

We can only solve this problem by building ourselves out of it.

Supply and demand will determine the price, not what we do here tonight.

Of course, the stories that we've heard about our constituents, heard from our neighbors, they're compelling.

And some of the stories I've heard from my colleagues are equally compelling and heart-wrenching.

But rent control is not the answer.

I admire my colleagues' passion.

Also, I don't feel we can afford we can't afford this legislation.

We heard cost estimates projected by Mr.

Segoris on my review.

That estimate is insufficient to implement the ordinance.

We've received uh I think each councilperson received a letter on asking from the administration asking for fiscal note that appropriately reflected the cost of this ordinance and what it was going to mean for taxpayers.

Because if we implement this uh legislation as is, it is going to change our tax structure significantly.

And the costs are somewhere between 1.5 and 10 million or 11 million dollars.

I think any business person would agree when you have when you have two quotes, when you have two different um evaluations or estimates of cost, what do you do?

You you get a third estimate, an indiv an independent estimate.

Why?

Because we're talking about a lot of money.

Um I think that's why some of my colleagues put forth an ordinance to uh request that we have another independent study, an analysis of the math.

Do we need to do something to provide relief?

Yes, we do.

I just don't think this is it.

I think we need to um roll up our sleeves, spend some more time and help and work together collaboratively instead of beating each other up, laughing and joking at each other, roll up our sleeves and get the job done and deliver relief for the families that we all represent.

So in closing, I'd like to say I admire my colleagues' passion.

I truly do.

But I respectfully disagree, and I will vote no on this ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

Further discussion.

Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the round.

Council President.

Oh, Councilwoman Peterson.

Sorry, I just wanted to uh acknowledge the comment that was just made, and I I have to say that I um as a final point, I agree with independent study.

However, I think we should do it for everything that we do going forward.

If we're going to be doing it for that, then we should have done it when the we had the purchase of payolino property at 444 Westminster.

When we did it for water when we purchased water fire.

Are we talking about this legislation or other people?

Absolutely referring to what the comment was done.

I agree.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Madam President.

Can we just move forward?

Yes.

Council President, may I speak a second time?

Addressing my colleague.

We had fiscal notes in the file that were certified and documented when all those decisions were presented and voted on.

Thank you.

Pro tempitard, uh, Councilwoman Peterson.

Pro Tempi Chardo, would you mind uh chairing so I could make a final comment here?

Okay.

Hello.

Thank you.

Uh I really wanted to preside over the vote, so I was avoiding the Councilwoman President Miller.

Recognized.

Thank you, President.

Uh so I really I'm I've got nothing to add that wasn't beautifully said.

Um I have the full respect uh of my colleagues who have really engaged this issue uh pretty deeply in both the you know four and opposed sides of this debate.

Uh there is one disappointment that I have to say, as as someone who really tried to move this process and tried to include people uh from you know last uh last year with the housing crisis task force and then since introduction more time was offered to people in this room uh and it was either ignored or denied.

Folks who are saying we need more time.

I need people to understand that there is a debate, there is an honest debate that we are having here because we care about these issues, not because we're motivated by some other thing, right?

We care about this issue.

Reasonable people can disagree about if rent stabilization is the right choice for providence.

Uh I have done a lot of research, I believe it is, quite obviously.

But reasonable people can't stand and say uh we need more time after having denied more time.

Reasonable people cannot honestly enter a debate after saying uh I do not want more time to include the issues that I am speaking on.

So I really appreciate my colleagues who have uh engaged this debate fully and honestly, I appreciate the outcome of the vote that's happening.

Uh I am disappointed about you know using moments uh in especially uh when I can't speak to them, using moments when I would argue dishonestly uh when I'm when I'm up there chairing and can't speak to the moment.

So thank you.

Thank you.

No further uh comments, Madam Clerk.

Please open the roll call, electronic vote.

The vote is open.

Council President Miller.

Aye.

Deputy Majority Whip Andrew, aye.

Councillor Davidson, aye.

Majority Leader Espinal.

No.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonzals.

Nay.

Councilwoman Graves.

Aye.

Deputy Majority Leader Harris.

Aye.

Councilwoman Peterson.

Aye.

Council President Pro Tempore Picardo.

Aye.

Councillor Royus.

Aye.

Councilwoman Ryan.

Nay.

Majority Whip Sanchez.

Aye.

Councilman Taylor.

Nay.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas.

I say no.

Councilman.

Councilman.

Councilman Oscar Vargas.

Nay.

And we need to put in electronic votes for Council Arroyas.

Councilwoman Vargas.

And the vote is closed.

You have nine ayes, six nays.

The motion passes, and the matter is passed for the first time on a roll call vote.

The motion carries at this time called by President Miller to preside over the regular session.

Item twenty four.

Second, Madam President.

Hearing none.

Any opposed, any abstentions.

The motion passes.

Item twenty four, twenty-five to the committee on ordinances.

So noted.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion on item twenty-eight.

All in favor.

Any opposed, any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Uh business and a calendar motion to adjourn.

Speak on the motion, please.

Thank you very much, uh, Madame President.

I just want to say to everyone to remember.

After here, we everybody's equal.

Happy Easter of everyone.

Thank you.

And happy Passover.

Very quickly putting personal expression.

Oh, I'm speaking on the motion to say that tomorrow's Councilman Royce's birthday, and I would just wanted to wish him a happy birthday.

Uh, all in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed, any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Thank you.