EXCLUSIVE: Solomon to Run for Mayor of Providence in 2022

EXCLUSIVE: Solomon to Run for Mayor of Providence in 2022

Michael Solomon is running for Mayor of Providence in 2022. 

He is the former Providence City Council President and was a mayoral candidate in 2014. 

“Yes, I am planning on running [for Mayor],” Solomon confirmed to GoLocal on Wednesday. “I’ll have more to say soon.”

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Solomon, who owns Wes’ Rib House in Olneyville, will face a field that includes former Mayoral opponent — and Elorza staffer — Brett Smiley; City Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune, top Democratic political operative Gonzalo Cuervo, and possibly more. 

New Look at City’s Top Spot 

In the 2014 Providence Mayoral primary, Solomon had gained such endorsements as progressive former State Representative David Segal, and along with Elorza took the “People’s Pledge” to keep PAC money out of the campaign - which Smiley at the time refused to sign. 

Just weeks before the primary, Smiley bowed out of 2014 race and threw his support behind Elorza — and then later was named as a top advisor in the Elorza administration. 

ANALYSIS: The 2022 Providence Mayoral Race Just Changed

In the 2014 Democratic primary for Mayor, Elorza garnered 11051 votes to Solomon’s 9870 — 48.7% to 43.5%.

Of note, Chris Young — who died in a car accident in 2020 — received 1049 votes for 4.6%; Smiley despite dropping out weeks prior got 745 votes for 3.3% of the turnout. 

While Solomon’s campaign account currently has just under a zero cash balance — and an outstanding personal loan payable of $327,000 — Solomon 28 days before the 2014 primary had a cash balance of over $400,000. 

During his campaign, he called for additional police officers in a “vision for a safer Providence.”

“There is no overstating the need for additional police officers and my first budget as mayor will include funding for a 2015 academy to train an additional 40 officers. The current size of the police force is the smallest it has been in over 20 years,” said Solomon in July of 2013. “Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements and his officers have performed valiantly with limited resources-–violent crime is down 24 percent this year--but we need more officers on our streets to activate a true community-policing model.”