Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office begins accepting applications Friday for five open seats on the city’s school board. Voters on Tuesday already decided who will fill the other five.

For the first time since 1966, Providence voters had a say in who sits on the school board after a new, hybridized board structure was approved by the city’s voters in 2022, reversing a decision the city’s electorate made a half-century earlier. In 1968, about 56% of the city’s voters approved a change to make all seats on the school board appointed

According to unofficial, preliminary results, the winning, nonpartisan candidates are:

• Corey Jones in District 1.
• Miche’le Lee Fontes in District 2.
• Heidi Silverio in District 3.
• Mireya Mendoza in District 4.
• Ty’Relle Stephens in District 5.

The Providence Public School Department (PPSD) has been under state control since 2019. That takeover left the board’s powers severely limited, which means its members often act in a consultory or symbolic role, and have no direct influence over how the district spends money, or how it hires or fires teachers and staff. Those important decisions are made largely at the state level. 

Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green oversees the state takeover, which she extended in August, forecasting its end sometime in the next three years. Since board members stay on for four years, both newly elected and appointed members could enjoy more decision-making power in the latter portion of their terms.

Power limitations didn’t stop enthusiasm for the race, which saw endorsements from both union and charter stakeholders.

“Voters chose candidates that will ensure parents, community, students and educators will have a voice in the conversation and a seat at the table to strengthen our schools, collaborate on a fair funding formula, and chart a course for successful public schools,” said Maribeth Calabro, outgoing president of the Providence Teachers Union, in an email Thursday.

Jones, Silverio and Stephens had the teachers’ union endorsement, while Fontes was the sole victorious candidate endorsed by Stop the Wait RI, a pro-charter school organization. Stephens, who did not respond to a request for comment Thursday, was the only incumbent board member who won his contest. Three of his colleagues — Michael Nina, Toni Akin, and Night Jean Muhingabo — lost their respective races.

The defeated incumbent Muhingabo is hopeful he may still be appointed by Smiley, said his spokesperson Diego Arene-Morley in a text message on Thursday. Muhingabo, 25, ran for the first time. Arene-Morely noted that some of the candidates have been in Providence politics for as long as Muhingabo has been alive.

The City Council will presumably vote on Smiley’s nominees in February, said Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for the mayor. The school board will elect its president during a full meeting that same month. Erlin Rogel, the current president of the school board, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. 

“One of the hardest things in the education space is it feels like we keep doing the same thing over and over again,” Smiley said at a press conference Wednesday.

Smiley said he had spoken to and congratulated the newly elected board members, who were “full of energy and enthusiasm,” that morning. But he also noted they would need to learn the ropes quickly.

“In an attempt to not repeat the mistakes of the past or start from scratch yet again, we’re going to be working closely with them to brief them on the turnaround plan, brief them on the history of how we got to this point, and bring them up to speed,” Smiley said, referring to the guiding document for the takeover.

The mayor plans to interview finalists from Dec. 30, 2024, through Jan. 6, 2025, before sending his choices over to the City Council for their stamp of final approval.

Currently, the board has nine members, and their terms will expire at the end of the year regardless of when they were appointed.

Voters on Tuesday also approved a bond worth $400 million — the most expensive in Rhode Island this election year, at either the municipal or statewide level — to make capital improvements to the city’s schools. With interest, the bond’s estimated cost is $686 million, and the construction projects are expected to last from approximately May 2026 to June 2029.    

Funding fights continue

While capital improvement got a big boost from voters, the district’s finances are in seriously bad shape. Just how bad is a matter of contention between the district, RIDE, the mayor’s office and the Providence City Council. On Oct. 10, Mayor Smiley called a press conference to criticize the“ultimatum” Superintendent Javier Montañez made the previous day asking for $10.9 million for the district. 

Montañez warned that without the emergency cash infusion, schools could soon see programs slashed apart, including winter and spring athletics and bus passes.

Smiley promised $1 million in additional funding from city coffers — ones newly stuffed from payments in lieu of taxes from local, major nonprofits like Brown Health, formerly Lifespan. The City Council would need to approve the funding — which it did, offering another $1.5 million along the way on Oct. 22. But both mayor and council were aligned that their gifts came with a caveat: The school district would be subject to an independent audit of its finances. The City Council additionally asked that the emergency money be used to restore bus passes and sports. 

Montañez has not accepted the offers. He wrote to the mayor on Oct. 11 that “the City has money, but it’s choosing not to invest in schools,” and replied on Oct. 23 to the City Council’s Chief of Staff June Rose that their offer was “insufficient.” The City Council then held a press conference on Oct. 29, noting the superintendent had ignored a followup letter from Council President Rachel Miller.

The district’s money problems are something of a tradition. Back in 1968, the push for an all-appointed board was led by then-mayor Joseph A. Doorley Jr., who wanted to disassemble the elected board because of “muddled school finances,” the Providence Journal reported then. Mayor Doorley also noted that an independent audit of the district’s finances had found a $2.4 million deficit — about $22 million in today’s dollars but almost the exact same figure city officials are offering to repair the budget gap in 2024.

A City Council subcommittee was originally set to discuss this emergency funding — which would be pulled from pandemic relief that expires in December — Thursday. But the meeting was postponed, citing a court hearing earlier that day regarding a legal battle between the city and state. 

Following a request from Infante-Green to Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa to withhold $8.5 million in car tax refunds, Providence filed a Superior Court complaint on Oct. 16 to block the action.

“We now also need to resolve the recent withholding order as it will affect the City’s ability to provide any additional support,” said Josh Estrella, a Smiley spokesperson, in an email Wednesday.

Whoever ends up footing the bill, some students and their families are getting restless with the back-and-forth, and they congregated outside Providence City Hall on Monday to call for the district’s acceptance of the $2.5 million, even if it doesn’t meet the full amount needed. A video by Steve Ahlquist shows students speaking on the steps.  

“Brett Smiley, the city of Providence, and every adult in power: Do better,” said Nya Isom-Agazie, a junior at Providence Career and Technical Academy, who was recorded in Ahlquist’s video speaking on the steps. “I don’t want to be back up here.”

In the end, the attempt to oust Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio from the top Senate leadership spot proved unsuccessful.

Ruggerio clinched his eighth year as Senate president by a 14-vote margin among Senate Democrats at a caucus Thursday night. The 23-9 vote, with one abstention and one lawmaker voting “present,” acts as an affirmation of Senate leadership roles, until lawmakers are formally sworn in when the 2025 legislative session begins in January. Eleven senators instead opted for Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, whose growing feud with Ruggerio became a formal battle earlier this week, when Pearson confirmed he would vie for the no. 1 spot.

A much less divisive election — 32 yes votes, with one no and one “present,” — affirmed Sen. Valarie Lawson as Senate majority leader. Lawson, of East Providence, will replace Pearson as the second-in-command.

Ruggerio, a North Providence Democrat with four decades as a state senator under his belt, offered a bit of levity as he took the podium in a dimly lit event space at Providence’s Waterman Grille.

“Well, that was interesting,” he said. “I’ve never been through anything like that.”

Cane in hand, a deep cut healing on his forehead, Ruggerio insisted he was on the mend after experiencing health setbacks. He pledged to bring senators together to advance a long list of priorities: higher reimbursement rates for primary care providers, full funding for the state panel in charge of carrying out Rhode Island’s decarbonization mandate, and of course, balancing what is expected to be a tight budget in the year ahead.

Behind-the-scenes tension

Ruggerio’s health, and multiple absences during the 2024 session, sowed the seeds of separation between him and Pearson. The two met behind closed doors in March to discuss the Senate President’s physical condition. Pearson, of Cumberland, allegedly expressed interest in taking over the leadership spot, though he has refuted those claims.

Both denied any estrangement, even as rumors swirled. The behind-the-scenes feud was cemented in the public eye in October, when Ruggerio announced he was backing Lawson to be the next majority leader.

Pearson at the time was caught off-guard by the news, but indicated he would not give up the spot without a fight. Earlier this week, Pearson confirmed he would vie for the Senate president seat rather than majority leader.

In a Nov. 6 email sent to fellow senators, Pearson proposed an alternative leadership team, led by himself with Lawson, of East Providence, as majority leader; Sen. Dawn Euer of Newport as majority whip; Sen. Hanna Gallo of Cranston as president pro tempore; and Sen. Ana Quezada of Providence as deputy president pro tempore.

“Without a leader in the room every day working with Senators, the House and The Governor, the Senate’s effectiveness has suffered and our ability to deliver results for our constituents has been weakened,” Pearson wrote. “Senators have shared with me their many frustrations with the way business was conducted during the last legislative session, including the lack of communication, the lack of commitment to a legislative agenda, too much reliance on staff, and the waning of Senate negotiating power with the House.”

Euer, who nominated Pearson as president Thursday night, shared similar concerns over the consequences of Ruggerio’s absence this year.

“It has not allowed us to be our best,” Euer said, repeating the statement a second time.

Ruggerio’s supporters, however, highlighted his open door policy, decades of experience and dedication to his constituents as reasons why he should remain their leader.

“Donnie has shown a willingness to adapt and change, at times at a significant personal cost, something that is not lost on me as a pro-choice, openly queer senator,” said Sen. Melissa Murray of Woonsocket. 

Ruggerio drummed up support among longstanding senators along with all of the newly elected senators. In Pearson’s camp were several freshman and more progressive legislators alongside Euer, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Alana DiMario, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture.

Others backing Pearson were: Jonathan Acosta, Meghan Kallman, Tiara Mack, Quezada, Linda Ujifusa, and Bridget Valverde.

Sen. Pamela Lauria voted “present” while Sen. Sam Bell abstained.

Mack, who canvassed for Ruggerio ahead of his contested September primary, said she was swayed to back Pearson because she never received the signed letter from a majority of Senate Democrats calling for the caucus to be held, despite requesting it multiple times.

In an interview after the caucus ended, Mack, of Providence, said she felt like she and other senators of color had been excluded, frustrations echoed in a debate during the caucus meeting over transparency and inclusion.

Secret ballot proposal fails

Several senators sought to make the selection for senate president chosen by secret ballot, citing potential sanctions for those who picked the losing candidate. Critics insisted that a public, roll call vote was necessary for transparency.

“If we don’t have the gall to stand up and say how we feel, and who we’re voting for, that’s a disgrace,” said Sen. Frank Ciccone, of Johnston. 

The roll call option prevailed, ironically affirmed via a roll call vote. 

Speaking to reporters after, Ruggerio said he would not sanction anybody, including Pearson. Asked for his thoughts about his former ally challenging his leadership role, Ruggerio shrugged.

 “It’s a free country,” he replied.

DiMario said she had not received any threats or warnings of sanctions for not backing Ruggero. 

“Of course, it’s a possibility,” she said in a later interview. “I understood the risk.”

John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island, pointed to the fallout from the 2014 battle for speaker of the House as proof. 

“If history is any guide, there will be a price to pay for the price to pay for senators who end up on the losing side,” Marion said.

Cranston Democrat Nicholas Mattiello prevailed against Scituate’s Michael Marcello for the open leadership spot following former Speaker Gordon Fox’s abrupt resignation. The competition didn’t end up being a close one after all, with Mattiello securing 61 votes to Marcello’s 6, according to news reports. 

A flurry of surprising budget items and policy proposals in the months that followed hinted at deals Mattiello cut to win the leadership position. 

Marion suspected similar behind-the-scenes promises could have been brokered between Ruggerio and his supporters ahead of Thursday’s caucus.

“There are things that will happen 12 months from now that we won’t even know were promises made to secure votes,” Marion said.

To the outsider looking in, a failed political power play might not seem to amount to much. But in Rhode Island, legislative leaders hold an outsized amount of power, controlling which policy priorities advance to the floor.

“The vote for leader is ultimately one of the most important, if not the most important, votes of the next two years,” Marion said.

Despite the potential closed-door negotiations, Marion was pleased the caucus votes Thursday played out in the open.

“Given the impact of the vote for leadership, the public should have a window into what’s happening,” Marion said. “It’s healthy that these debates are happening in public.”

The four Senate Republicans caucused Wednesday night, reelecting Sen. Jessica de la Cruz as minority leader and Gordon Rogers as minority whip, according to Brandon Bell, the Senate Republicans’ chief of staff. 

House Republicans announced results of their 10-person caucus Thursday, affirming Rep. Mike Chippendale as minority leader and David Place as minority whip.

House Democrats will hold their leadership caucus at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Spain Restaurant in Cranston. The elections are also open to the public, though no challenges are expected to House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski.

The Rhode Island General Assembly is expected to reconvene on Jan. 7.

The 38-member Senate is slated to include 31 Democrats and four Republicans, while the 75-member House features 64 Democrats, 10 Republicans and one independent. 

However, question marks linger in two races, where trailing candidates have requested recounts from the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Preliminary election results late Wednesday showed Democratic challenger Peter Appollonio leading Republican Sen. Anthony DeLuca by 67 votes in Warwick Senate District 26. In Cranston’s House District 15, Republican Chris Paplauskas held a 31-vote lead over Democrat Maria Bucci.

Rhode Island leaders have been accused of dropping the ball on efforts to keep Hasbro Inc. from moving to Massachusetts.

On Wednesday night, a state panel took matters into its own hands, approving a legally binding resolution offering the toymaker exclusive rights to buy a 1-acre plot of land southeast of downtown Providence for $1. The only problem? They haven’t talked to Hasbro yet.

“We wanted to show them how committed and serious we are,” Marc Crisafulli, chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, said during the meeting. 

The commission unanimously approved the agreement, which gives Hasbro up to six months — with two additional six-month extensions — to buy the empty land adjacent to the downtown pedestrian bridge.

None of the company’s executives attended the meeting. Andrea Snyder, a spokesperson for Hasbro Inc., declined to comment specifically on the proposal.

“It’s early and we continue to explore options,” Snyder said in an email Thursday.

Hasbro executives have been in talks with Massachusetts officials since at least April over a potential move across state lines into Boston, as first reported by the Boston Business Journal on Sept. 16. Company CEO Chris Cocks has indicated in a series of internal emails that the company’s Pawtucket headquarters is outdated, expressing desire for “modern” and “collaborative” space with accessible public transit. Ahead of a relocation decision — expected in early 2025 — Rhode Island officials have scrambled to come up with a way to keep the century-old company, and one of the top employers, rooted in the Ocean State.

The former state highway land, home to an explosion of commercial and residential development, quickly emerged as a top alternative.

The I-195 commission’s vote specifically offers up the 1-acre site known as Parcel 42. Originally slated to host a controversial, luxury residential skyscraper, the land remains empty after the “Fane Tower” developers pulled out of the project in March 2023. 

But, if Hasbro has its eyes on other available space within the district, the commission is open to that too, Crisafulli said.

Mock designs presented by Utile, a Boston-based design consultant, show a 10-story, 286,000-square-foot building, complete with designated manufacturing space, a museum and a two-level underground parking garage with 150 spaces.

Tim Love, founding principal of Utile, said the renderings were not intended as a final design or concept but merely a “test run” to see if the site could fit Hasbro’s needs. 

The company’s existing, circa-1900 industrial space on Newport Avenue is 300,000 square feet. Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien’s office has previously indicated his desire to keep Hasbro in Pawtucket. 

Grace Voll, a spokesperson for Grebien, said the city is “in the process of finalizing” its own pitch to Hasbro.

“Despite the vote in Providence yesterday, we still remain confident that Pawtucket is a viable option for Hasbro, and we look forward to presenting them with their options in the City that they have resided in for the last 60+ years,” Voll said in an email Thursday.

Hasbro was founded in 1923 in Providence as a family-owned pencil-box maker, relocating its headquarters to Pawtucket in 1968. Now a publicly traded, multinational company with 5,000 employees — at least 1,000 of whom work out of Rhode Island —  the game and toy empire generated $223 million in profits for the three months that ended Sept. 29, its most recent financial report.