“Industry wants us to believe the sky will fall if there’s reform,” said Council President Rachel Miller. “But for working families, the sky is already falling…”
“In front of you is an ordinance that will protect residents,” said Providence City Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13), speaking from the floor of the council chamber. “It will do so while allowing property owners to have what they need to maintain their properties, invest in them, and ensure they earn an investment that can go back into our city. It’s also more than that: It is a fork in the road for the city of Providence.”
During Friday evening’s special meeting of the Providence City Council, nine city councilmembers (Jill S. Davidson (Ward 2), Sue Anderbois (Ward 3), Justin Roias (Ward 4), Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6), Juan Pichardo (Ward 9), Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), Althea Graves (Ward 12), Rachel Miller (Ward 13), and Shelley Peterson (Ward 14)) reaffirmed their commitment to rent stabilization by voting to overturn the veto by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. One city councilmember, Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), voted against overturning the veto. Five other city councilmembers, John Goncalves (Ward 1), Ana Vargas (Ward 7), James Taylor (Ward 8), Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), and Oscar Vargas (Ward 15) didn’t bother to show up.]
The battle for rent stabilization now moves to the elections, where all 15 city councilmembers will face voters. Landlords and housing lobbyists are already dumping money into the coffers of their loyal councilmembers and searching for candidates to challenge councilmembers who support rent stabilization. Two open seats are also up for grabs in Wards 3 and 5. Sue Anderbois (Ward 3) is running for Lieutenant Governor, and Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) is term-limited. Mayor Smiley is also facing a primary challenge from David Morales, who has made rent stabilization a pillar of his campaign.
“Together, this council has already made history,” continued Council President Miller. “We’ve made it clear to the residents of the city that the council is fighting for the beating heart of our city, the people who live here, and the people who call it home. We have heard from hundreds of people sharing stories about how their lives are on the edge of a knife. That a 40% rent increase since 2020 is too much.”
Excerpt from the floor speech by Councilmember Althea Graves (Ward 12)
“Even if this bill is defeated, and the mayor has succeeded in vetoing this, the fight is not over. We are here to fight for the city of Providence. We are here to fight for the citizens of Providence. We are here to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. You voted us into this office to fight for you, and we will continue to do so. We are not fighting for those who live outside the city, get all the money, go on vacation somewhere else, spend their money in another city, put their children in private schools, and do all these wonderful things for themselves, but do nothing for us.”
Excerpt from the floor speech by Justin Roias (Ward 4):
“This moment carries a different kind of weight for me because this council has already spoken twice on rent stabilization. Twice, this body voted to pass this ordinance. Twice, we said that tenants and Providence deserve stability, predictability, and protection from unchecked rent increases. And tonight, after the mayor’s veto, we are being asked a final question: Will we stand by the votes we’ve already taken for the people who sent us here, and for the tenants across this city who are counting on us to act, or will we back away?”
Excerpt from the floor speech by Councilmember Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5):
“Housing affordability is the defining challenge facing Providence families today. No one in this chamber disputes that, but the question before us isn’t whether we care. It’s whether this ordinance actually helps them. It doesn’t. This rent stabilization ordinance will not lower rent. In fact, the mere introduction of this proposal has already caused rents to rise. Across American cities, policies like this have produced the same predictable outcomes: deteriorating housing stock, shrinking rental supply, and intensified pressure on the very tenants that they were meant to protect. We cannot cap our way out of a housing shortage. This is simply bad policy.”
Excerpt from the floor speech by Councilmember Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6):
“People often ask me what my guiding principles are in this work. There are a lot of them, but one that comes to mind right away, in everything I do, is this quote from a former Mexican President, AMLO, on his way out. He said, ‘For the good of all people, first the poor.’ That’s something that I carry in everything I do. If we take care of the people who need it the most, then everyone will be okay. But unfortunately, that’s not the reality.”
After the vote, Council President Miller issued a statement which included the following:
“I’m profoundly disappointed that Mayor Smiley and a small minority of the City Council chose to side with developers and corporate landlords over Providence renters. With nine out of fifteen city councilors defying big-money special interests to support rent stabilization, it’s clear the grip the real estate lobby has over City Hall is slipping. But tonight, that grip was still strong enough to block much-needed protections for working families. Until the next effort succeeds, the unfortunate reality remains: In Providence, it is still legal for a landlord to raise rent by unlimited amounts, for any reason.”
After the vote, Representative David Morales, who is running for Mayor of Providence, issued the following statement:
“As our next Mayor, I am committed to working with Council President Miller and her colleagues to bring this legislation back, pass it, sign it, and begin enforcing it within my first 100 days in office. Rents in Providence have risen by more than 40% since 2020, and working people are getting priced out of the city they love. This bill is common sense and has the overwhelming support of our neighbors across age, race, income, and ideological lines.
“I find it shameful that, with Providence now ranked as the least affordable city in America for renters*, Mayor Smiley would veto this bill, which would have provided our neighbors peace of mind that they could continue to afford to call Providence home. I am disappointed in the council members who chose to stand with the Mayor and against the majority of their colleagues, especially those who supported this bill until they received campaign contributions from corporate real estate interests.”
*According to a Redfin report that measured rent as a percentage of the median income.