Former Mayor Calls Providence Race a ‘Jump Ball’

Former Mayor Calls Providence Race a ‘Jump Ball’

A former Providence mayor calls the Democratic primary race for the next mayor a “jump ball” while a leading political analyst says Steven Costantino has the strongest organization and is best poised to win the Democratic primary.  

Former Mayor Weighs in on Democratic Primary

“I think it’s a jump ball,” said former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino, Jr. “I think you got around 40 percent of people who are undecided. … I think a lot of people aren’t going to make up their minds until they get into the voting booth. It’s that kind of race.”

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Paolino—who is among those who have yet to make up their minds—said he is looking for a candidate who will address the wide range of issues facing the city—from the 1.5 million square feet of vacant space and the expansion of the knowledge district to the lack of city services, the budget deficit, and cost of living adjustments for retirees.

Paolino said he saw a lot to admire in all three major Democratic candidates. He applauded Angel Taveras for coming out against compounded COLAs. He said John Lombardi has the most experience when it comes to delivering good city services while Costantino is most experienced in dealing with fiscal issues, having served as the House Finance Chairman.

“So each candidate has their pluses and minuses,” Paolino said. “I probably know John Lombardi the best. I like Angel a lot. I admire the tough decisions made by Steven Costantino.” But none of the three is strong on all the issues and none of them has been able to break away from the pack, he added.

He said it’s possible he could make an endorsement in the race. "I’m going to keep watching it," he said. "I reserve the right to do something but I don’t see it happening soon."

“The thing that’s missing is—who’s got the vision?” Paolino added. “I think the person that comes out with a vision for the city of Providence and who can give the people a comfortable feeling will win.”

Political Scientist Says Costantino Has Strongest Organization

Victor Profughi, a retired professor of political science at Rhode Island College, agreed that no one has broken away from the pack. “If the question is who would win if the election was held today, I think the answer is anybody,” Profughi told GoLocalProv.

But he said Costantino has the strongest organization of the three. And because turnout in primaries tends to be lower, he said having a good organization is the single most important factor in pulling out a win.

Costantino and Lombardi are the most seasoned of the candidates, but the latter has not been able to keep up in the race for money, according to Profughi. “He’s not been able to make as much money as Costantino,” he said. “I think that’s frozen his campaign efforts in place.”

He said Taveras seemed to still be having trouble putting together a strong campaign organization. “I’ve been most surprised by his lack of visibility and his apparent failure to put together an effective ground game,” Profughi said. He also hasn’t seen any evidence that Taveras’ message “has caught on like wildfire.”

Political Analyst Calls Race ‘A Three-Headed Monster’

Joseph Fleming, a political consultant and regular commentator on Channel 12, says the three candidates have put together credible campaigns and have a “viable chance” of winning. “It’s a three-headed monster,” Fleming said. “I haven’t seen any sign of any one of them breaking away. At this point it’s getting late.”

He expects that the race will be close in the end and that absentee ballots could make the difference in who secures enough votes to win.

“I think a lot of the race is going to come down to the get-out-the-vote effort,” Fleming said. “It’s not always an easy thing to do. There’s no governor’s primary, so it’s harder to get voters motivated.”