New Providence Council President Pro Tem Says He “Earned” His New Job

New Providence Council President Pro Tem Says He “Earned” His New Job

Pedro Espinal, Providence's new City Council President Pro Tempore elected on April 13, says his rise to the spot was not meteoric but "earned" through hard work.

Espinal has served on the City Council for less than two years.

"The opportunity presented itself and I saw it as a chance to do work for the City of Providence," he said. "I earned it." 

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Espinal, a Democrat, was first elected to the City Council, replacing outgoing Council President Luis Aponte in a Special Election on November 5, 2019. He won the seat with 282 votes against Independent opponent Jeffrey Lemire’s 17 votes.

However, he first had to emerge out of a hotly-contested Democratic primary that fall for the seat -- which he did with 36% of the vote.

New Council Leadership

Another election for a top spot on the Council also took place on April 13. (Ward 7) Councillor John Igliozzi, a Democrat, was chosen President of the Council. His 23 years of service, the longest of all councilors, is a sharp contrast to Espinal’s less than two years on the board.

On the night he was elected, Igliozzi told GoLocal he “wanted to ensure that when many of us step down in 2023 there is not only a transfer of power but a transfer of institutional knowledge.” On that date, six Council members will be leaving their posts due to term limits that will go into effect on January 22,  2023. This will include some long-serving officials with a great deal of that institutional knowledge.

Espinal says he looks forward to his expanded duties and the challenges ahead of him in his new post. He called the upcoming months a "great learning experience."

Ceremonial or Influential

The Providence City Council’s President Pro Tem serves as acting President whenever the Council President is absent. 

"The President Pro Tem is a ceremonial position,” said (Ward 8) Councillor James E. Taylor. “The only thing you do is take over the meetings when the President of the Council is out. I’m looking more towards what is going on with the budget, and what Council President John Igliozzi, who has a lot of finance experience, can accomplish when the city gets X amount of money.” 

"I don't think it's ceremonial position but it is an opportunity for me to learn," said Espinal, who would not divulge if he plans to run for Council President in the future. He also did not defend his relative lack of experience in comparison to others on the council. "I want to focus on now, to perform as best I can. I will be there to assist with financing, and all issues of a capital, urban city."

Councilor Michael Correia (Ward 6), who resigned as President Pro Tem in 2020 following investigations into recordings of himself using offensive language towards a transgender activist, called Espinal "a man of his word. He has some very good ideas such as bringing the quality of life back to Providence, to make it a family-friendly place. He’s concerned about infrastructure, fixing the streets and sidewalks, and making sure everyone has a safe road to walk on.”

However, former Council President Aponte said he believes that Espinal was the "beneficiary of circumstance."

“During difficult times his presence was less than remarkable,” said Aponte, who claims his comments are not sour grapes nor a criticism of Espinal's experience. "Sometimes you are able through no effort of your own to ascend to be successful simply because you are in the right place at the right time."

"That's Aponte's opinion," said Espinal. "Since I came to the Council I've done nothing but work hard to earn the trust of my colleagues."

In 2018 then Council President Aponte was indicted in Providence’s Superior Court for embezzling a reported $13,942 from his campaign. He stepped down from his Council Presidency but kept his council seat, maintaining his innocence. He later reached an agreement with prosecutors and resigned from the city council.

Aponte said that Espinal had some financial and legal troubles of his own tied to back taxes owed on business properties. Espinal said the matter was settled out of court. Further, he said he's in the process of paying back a reported $93,332 in back taxes on four business properties he owns with his wife Clarissa Espinal.

"I don't have the records in front of me but I do know we are halfway paid off and hope to pay the remainder later this year," he said. Espinal would not speak further because he considered it a "family matter."

Councilor Correia would not speculate about Espinal’s chances to become Council President nor what he thought Espinal would plan for the budget. “That’s 18 months away, and totally up to the new council members,” said Correia. As to Espinal’s finances, “Everyone has financial difficulties,” said Correia. “I’m not going there.”

When asked about the budget, Aponte said that Igliozzi "guided the city through some difficult budgets and has been a responsible steward of the public trust." During Aponte's term, he was often not aligned with Igliozzi's politics. 

The following councilors have term limits ending January 2, 2023: (Ward 6) Michael Correia, (Ward 11), John Igliozzi, (Ward 4) Nicholas Narducci, and (Ward 14) David Salvatore. 

Further, former Councilor Sabina Matos' (D) ascension to the Lieutenant Governor's position left her Ward 15 seat open. Doris de Los Santos (D), former City Hall Chief of Staff, and community activist Oscar Vargas are both running for the seat.

BIO:

Council President Pro Temp Pedro Espinal is a self-employed real estate investor and a 40 year resident of Providence’s Ward 10. He attended Central High School and the University of Rhode Island.

Espinal, a Democrat, was chair of the Southside Broad Street Steering Committee and Chair of the Providence Latino Business Association. 

He was first elected to the Providence City Council in a Special Election on November 5, 2019, defeating Independent Candidate Jeffrey Lemire with 92% of the vote, 282-17.
 

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story listed Councilors Harris and Ryan as being term-limited. They are not.