Providence Honors Unsung Former Public Servant, Rita Murphy
Robert McMahon, Sports Columnist
Providence Honors Unsung Former Public Servant, Rita Murphy
On Saturday, July 19th, city officials recognized the decades of work of Rita Murphy by naming a section of Rounds Avenue in the Reservoir Triangle neighborhood of Providence, Rita Murphy Way. Organized by Councilman Jim Taylor, Ward 8 Councilman, and emceed by Mayor Brett Smiley, Saturday’s event was attended by scores of neighbors, friends, former City department directors, ten current and former city councilors and former Mayor and Congressman David Cicilline.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Murphy lived on Rounds Avenue with her family for many decades while she served in the Providence City Council in many roles from 1982 to 2002, as the Deputy Chief of Staff in Mayor David Cicilline’s office from 2003 to 2011, and then as the Director of Constituent Affairs for Congressman Cicilline from 2011 to 2023.
While in the Providence City Council Office and the Mayor’s Office, she served thousands of Providence neighborhood constituents. For many Providence residents, determining who to contact to solve a problem can be challenging. Naturally, the first person many residents think of calling is their city councilor or the Mayor. When they reached out to the City Council Office or later at the Mayor’s Office, they would be connected to Rita Murphy. The questions and issues were many. “Who can I call to unclog the drain on my street? My neighbor’s dog barks all night. My street still hasn’t been plowed.”
And for many residents who had called a city department, but were still waiting for service, Rita Murphy, while in the Council Office and later the Mayor’s Office, was a “go-to” person they called to move things along. “I’m still waiting for my city tree to be trimmed. The trash trucks still leave a mess after they dump barrels on our street. When is our intersection going to get 4-way stop signs that we were promised?” She worked closely and persistently with City departments every day to solve problems and concerns.
There are scores of people past and present in Providence city government who answer the phone and help constituents to navigate the services of Providence City government. What made Rita Murphy different and so cherished by city leaders and neighborhood constituents?
In their remarks at Saturday’s event, former City Councilman Ron Allen and Cicilline both gave a sense of why Rita Murphy was so good. “Rita had a special way about her in helping constituents,” said Allen, “and that is why it is appropriate that we are naming this part of Rounds Avenue, Rita Murphy Way. She listened politely and patiently. She knew that was the only way to respect the constituent.”
Cicilline mentioned that “Rita treated every caller with dignity and respect. She understood the importance of public service, and she made every caller feel that their needs were important.”
She brought a respect for neighborhood needs to her job from her life in the Reservoir Triangle neighborhood. She was active in the Reservoir Triangle Neighborhood Association and the other major neighborhood association in the area, the Elmwood Little League. Her late husband, Vinnie Murphy, coached, and her three children played in the league. She had a strong neighborhood ethos and a solid understanding of the role that city services can play in the life of a neighborhood. She brought that ethos and that belief into her work life.
Public officials often acknowledge only the leaders and elected officials for public achievements. It’s nice to see someone who flew under the public radar be acknowledged for a lifetime of public service. Rita Murphy knew that it takes a team of public servants to make a successful city government, not just one person. And she knew that success started with, “Hi. This is Rita Murphy. How may I help you today?”