Dates set for special election on Providence’s East Side – The Boston Globe

PROVIDENCE — The special election to fill the vacant Ward 2 City Council seat on Providence’s East Side will be held on Dec. 2, the Rhode Island Board of Elections confirmed Tuesday, with a primary election on Nov. 4.

In a decidedly blue ward (86 percent voted for Kamala Harris last year), the Democratic primary is expected to be the main event, drawing a competitive field for an open seat.

The special election was prompted by the resignation of Helen Anthony, who stepped down for health reasons as she continues to recover from being hit by an ATV in California two years ago.

The winner of the special election will serve out the rest of her term, which goes through the end of 2026, and would be eligible to run for three more four-year terms. The seat is up for a regular election next year.

Ward 2 is in the wealthiest part of the city, including the Blackstone, College Hill, and Wayland neighborhoods, and contains part of Brown University’s campus.

The East Side typically has the highest voter turnout in the city and is highly influential in both state and city politics. In a non-election year with little else on the ballot in Rhode Island, the race could drum up outsized attention.

Candidates have to declare their intent to run with the Providence Board of Canvassers on Sept. 25 and 26. Four Democrats are running so far.

David Caldwell, owner of Caldwell & Johnson Custom Builders, and Jeff Levy, an attorney at Levy & Blackman, both announced their campaigns in the last two weeks. (Levy is married to former state Senator Gayle Goldin.)

Jill Davidson, the director of development and communications at the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, told the Globe Tuesday she is definitely throwing her hat in the ring. And Matt McDermott, a veteran Democratic strategist who works as senior vice president Whitman Insight Strategies, said he is announcing his campaign on Wednesday.

The all-Democratic City Council has 15 seats, and its current leadership leans more progressive than Mayor Brett Smiley, also a Democrat. A progressive win in Ward 2 could help council leaders have a veto-proof majority when they clash with Smiley, while a more moderate Democrat could align more closely with the mayor.

Smiley won every polling place in Ward 2 in the three-way 2022 Democratic primary for mayor.

Anthony’s departure also left open a seat on the Finance Committee, of which she was the chair. The powerful committee vets and approves the city’s budget and tax rates, contracts, and other spending.

Council President Rachel Miller appointed Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan to the empty seat on the committee, and the panel elected Ryan as chair Tuesday night. Ryan was previously the chair under former Council President John Igliozzi, but had not previously been part of Miller’s leadership team.

Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.