UPDATED: Providence City Council Shake Up - New Majority Leader Elected

UPDATED: Providence City Council Shake Up - New Majority Leader Elected

In a rare mid-term shake-up, the all-Democrat Providence City Council has voted to remove Councilor Jim Taylor as the Majority Leader.

Taylor’s replacement is Pedro Espinal, who represents Ward 10.

The vote was held in an "unnoticed" Democratic Caucus over the weekend

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The vote is a blow to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, a close ally of Taylor.

Taylor, a retired firefighter, represents Ward 8.

Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, who was first elected in 2014 — and has previously served as a Majority Leader — told GoLocal on Sunday night that questioned the legitimacy of the process. 

“I don’t think there was a caucus. All I know is I got a call from the Council President who told me Jim was no longer the Majority Leader and that Pedro [Espinal] was going to be the new Majority Leader,” said Ryan, of getting the call on Sunday afternoon from Council President Rachel Miller. “I was never invited to a caucus, there was no caucus that I know of. I question the legitimacy of the process. It certainly wasn’t an open and transparent process — I’m not exactly sure what happened.”

Miller and Espinal did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

"What I was told by the Council President is there were nine Council members who apparently have indicated that they no longer want Jim [Taylor] to be the majority leader and they have identified Pedro Espinal as the [new] Majority Leader. The other change I was advised of was Sue AnderBois is the Deputy Whip. So we have Deputy, Deputy, Deputy."

"There should be a caucus. I question the procedure," Ryan continued. "There’s no transparency here. I don’t know how it happened — honestly, I don’t know if 9 folks had voted for it. It certainly isn’t the council body that met. 

“These folks decided they wanted a new leadership team,” said Ryan. “The full council was not engaged.”

According to Ryan, the nine members were Councilwoman Rachel Miller, Councilman Juan Pichardo, Councilman Pedro Espinal, Councilwoman Helen Anthony, Councilman Miguel Sanchez, Councilman John Goncalves, Councilwoman Althea Graves, Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris, and Councilwoman Sue AnderBois.

Ryan said she learned Councilman Justin Roias was also part of the faction supporting Espinal. 

Taylor said in an email to GoLocal: "The core responsibility of the City Council is to conduct oversight and to be the watchdog for the citizens of Providence. While some of my colleagues want to use the council as a platform to address national and international issues, my focus has always been on local concerns that mean so much to our neighbors. Sadly, it appears that my no nonsense approach to city governance has become an impediment to the council president who would rather focus on lofty ideology than practical city matters.
Although I was voted out as Majority Leader, my focus remains on serving the best interests of my constituents and advocating for their needs with unwavering dedication."

 

THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED 9/22/24 5:50 PM