Five Challenges Elorza Faces in His Second Term
GoLocalProv News Team
Five Challenges Elorza Faces in His Second Term
Elorza has made it known that he is interested in running for Governor in 2022.
However, he faces a number of challenges in the City of Providence before he can think about being a gubernatorial candidate. No Providence Mayor has been elected Governor since Dennis Roberts, who served as Providence Mayor during the 1940s before he was elected Governor in 1950 — nearly 70 years ago.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSince then, Providence Mayors Vincent Cianci, Joseph Paolino, and Angel Taveras all ran and showed poorly in their efforts to win the State House.
Both Paolino and Taveras lost in the Democratic primary. Cianci lost badly in the general election to Democratic Governor J. Joseph Garrahy.
For each of the Mayors, the issues of blight, crime, poor schools and corruption in the city have hung around their political neck like a noose.
Elorza faces challenges range from Providence schools to a massive unfunded pension and OPEB -- READ THE KEY CHALLENGES BELOW.
Five Challenges Elorza Faces in His Second-Term -- January 7, 2019
$2 Billion in Unfunded Liability
Providence faces a bleak economic future as pension and OPED unfunded liabilities have reached approximately $2 billion.
As GoLocal first reported and then editorialized in 2017, Elorza’s claims of operational surpluses were superfluous to the city's financial liabilities.
A GoLocal wrote two years ago:
GoLocal may have received one of the most absurd press releases -- ever.
The release was circulated from the press office of Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.
It claims that Providence has a surplus of $10 million dollars. It is analogous to celebrating that you have money to order pizza while your house is being foreclosed on and the car is being repossessed.
“This is a good day for the City of Providence," said Elorza. "While we still have a lot more work to do, we've turned an important corner and are seeing the results of our hard work and new budgeting practices pay off. We have eliminated the cumulative deficit three years sooner than expected and will establish a ‘rainy day fund’ for the city.”
The self-congratulatory press fluff failed to take into account that the City of Providence has nearly a billion shortfall in paying for the pension obligation of its existing and retired workers. The pension obligation is funded at less than thirty percent -- abysmal and the second worst of any peer city in New England. Hartford, CT, which is moving towards bankruptcy pension system is funded at 70% plus.
Providence Schools
Providence schools over the past year have been rocked by the murder of a 15-year-old in front of school -- a Rhode Island first, terrible test score performances, a two-week bus drivers strike, and now resolved, but lengthy labor unrest.
In his inaugural address in 2015, Elorza said, "It is vital that we bring...changes to our School Department as well. Over the past few years, the Providence Schools have begun to show some important signs of progress. But I’ve become convinced that what’s holding us back from becoming a truly excellent school district is not a shortage of great ideas or great people. What’s holding us back is our ability to execute on those great ideas and support our great people. We also need a School Department that just works.
Our future depends on it, and our children deserve nothing less than a city and a School Department that just works. And frankly, given the tax burden our residents bear, we deserve first-class city services and schools that we can feel proud to send our children to."
Running for Governor
Will Elorza's potential candidacy for Governor be a distraction to his governing in Providence?
The race has already begun.
As Joseph Molina Flynn, President of the RI Latino PAC, wrote last week in GoLocal, “The Governor’s race seems poised to be crowded. Potential candidates include Lieutenant Governor McKee, Secretary of State Gorbea, Treasurer Magaziner, Mayor Elorza, and former candidate Matt Brown.”
“All of the candidates have wide support from the Latinx community. In a race this crowded, it is difficult to identify which of them would secure the Latinx vote. Mayor Elorza and Secretary Gorbea will certainly play to their strengths and bring their own cultural background, experiences, language skills, and overall cultural awareness to the campaign trail,” wrote Molina Flynn.
He went on to say that he believes that the Latino community would be most likely to support Gorbea -- if the race were held today.
Fane Tower
Elorza has been a non-factor for most of the economic development projects in Providence as most have flowed through the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation rather than City Hall.
The one big economic development project pending needing Providence approval has been the Fane Tower project.
Elorza has opposed the project's height and location, and vetoed the City Council's approval of a height variance. Elorza ignored requests by labor, Governor Gina Raimondo and legislative leaders Dominick Ruggerio and Nick Mattiello. Ultimately, the Council overrode the Elorza's veto giving him his worst political defeat after four years in office.
State House Animosity
It is no secret that State House legislative leaders like Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Speaker Nick Mattiello have little fondness for Elorza.
The Mayor's handling of the proposed Providence PawSox Stadium began the friction and Elorza rebuffing the legislative leaders on their request to the Mayor to support the project.
Elorza's legislative agenda, including his desire to sell the Scituate Reservoir, is likely to fall on deaf ears.
