Three to face off for Providence’s Ward 1 seat

PROVIDENCE — Three Democrats will vie Tuesday to represent Ward 1 on the Providence City Council.

The seat has been vacant since January, when former City Councilman Seth Yurdin resigned after 13 years.

The ward encompasses a portion of the city’s East Side, including Fox Point and parts of downtown, as well as the I-195 Redevelopment District where a controversial luxury apartment tower is proposed to be built.

Here are the candidates and their stances on some key issues affecting the ward. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name and their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Nick Cicchitelli, 34, real estate manager

What is your position on the Hope Point Tower?

I spoke against (the project) at the Downtown Design Review Committee. I’ve written against it to the I-195 (Redevelopment District) Commission. When the (City Council) took up the spot-zoning change, I was very concerned about the precedent for spot zoning and the deviation of that scale. I’ve been critical of (developer Jason) Fane at every chapter of the saga. But Fane is an outlier, and I don’t want it to cast a shadow over 195 development. I would like to see something there that honors the comprehensive plan, just like the Wexford (Innovation) Center did, and that will meet some of the stated goals, such as mixed-use development, retail office space or mixed housing. This is the knowledge district, and we want to get some knowledge economy infrastructure going.

How do you feel about a homestead exemption or progressive, tiered property tax?

What they tried last year was an 11th hour attempt to institute a tiered tax plan, and they chose the $350,000 of assessed value as the point to separate the tiers. It was de-facto geographical and you can’t be pitting neighborhoods against each other. Property values are not a good proxy for someone’s ability to pay. Just because there are wealthier people on the East Side that are willing and able to pay more, it’s false to believe that everyone on the East Side can and should pay more. The council’s new (Special Committee for the Study of a Progressive Tiered Property Tax) lacks people who I would think you would want to consult about these things, like economists, political scientists and municipal tax experts. The next formula needs to give exemptions and protections for people who are on fixed incomes and/or are socioeconomically disadvantaged. We also need to phase in changes from the revaluations.

What’s your stance on the newly proposed nightlife-related ordinances?

As written, I believe the ordinances should be open for more conversation. I don’t want to be creating new problems in an attempt to solve a problem. There’s a lot of good ideas in there, but they’re not ready for passage.

How has your experience prepared you for this role?

I’ve been around Democratic politics professionally since 2009. I’ve been in the close personal trust of a couple of different general officers statewide around policy advocacy for more than five years. I have two directly-applicable master’s degrees in political science and public administration, and I’ve also run a successful business.

John Goncalves,

28, educator at The

Wheeler School

What is your position on the Hope Point Tower?

I think we have to see the results of the (lawsuit that’s underway). If this thing goes through, which I will oppose at all costs, we have to figure out how we’re going to hold the developer accountable to making it more mixed-use and making it more reflective of what the community wants — everything from the design, aesthetics and public amenities it provides. But ultimately, the community is overwhelmingly opposed to this structure. For I-195 (District) development, I think we have to really think about ways that we can enhance public life, whether that’s more smart development that is reflective of what the community actually wants or mixed-use development. We need economic and smart development that’s going to increase our municipal revenue, but simultaneously, we have to be thinking about what’s going to best serve our community.

How do you feel about a homestead exemption or progressive, tiered property tax?

When these battles were actually happening, my competitors were not in the ring. I’m the person who’s sitting on the City Council’s (Special Committee for the Study of a Progressive Tiered Property Tax) because I was vocal about the issue. I think it’s important to mitigate the burdens on all communities, especially the most vulnerable. I don’t think the right mechanism for this is shifting additional tax burden onto our ward because it will lead to some really dire consequences that we haven’t studied. The issue with the last proposal is that it was done at the 11th hour and there wasn’t properly-vetted data on short-and long-term implications of the tax changes. What we have to do is protect the families and the senior citizens on a fixed income in our community. I propose circuit breakers; further studying and evaluating other municipal models across the country, including looking at commercial property tax; forging partnerships with tax-exempt institutions; and addressing the swings in the revaluations.

What’s your stance on the newly proposed nightlife-related ordinances?

Introducing new ordinances to make nightclubs and city life safer is important and that’s the way to go. Theoretically, I do support anything that’s going to allow establishments to conduct their business and also ensure the public safety of their patrons. What we need to do is really have more community outreach and conversations about what is going to be effective. I would like to look at them a bit more closely.

How has your experience prepared you for this role?

I am a 25+ year resident of this ward. I attended Vartan Gregorian (Elementary) public school. I graduated from Brown (University) for my undergraduate and master’s degrees. I serve on six boards right now. I spearheaded the Providence Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. I was selected as one of Providence Monthly’s “Who to Watch” for 2020. I also worked in a policy capacity with political leaders in Minneapolis, including Mayor Jacob Frey. That’s really important because I’ve seen how other models across the country work. I’m a champion for issues of real people in our community.

Anthony Santurri, 60, owner of The Colosseum and Free Play Bar Arcade in Providence

What is your position on the Hope Point Tower?

I’m against the Fane tower. It’s just not a fit for us. I wish we could return that land to a full public park. For the I-195 District in general, I want to see a hybrid. I’d like to see us create almost a restaurant row. When I go to other cities and towns, you ask, ‘Where do I go to have a good time?’ and they say, ‘Oh, this street, that street.’ We could pursue mixed-use development, so we can have a lot of shops there and restaurants and bars and other types of businesses. I’d like to see it become more of a walkable destination.

How do you feel about a homestead exemption or progressive, tiered property tax?

I’m not in favor of it. I don’t feel that we should be assuming that someone who has a home above a certain value necessarily has the extra money to be paying above and beyond the rate that they pay. For example, take young people who decided to work hard and save money and bought a nice home for their family that was maybe more than they could afford. I don’t think we should be taxing them more on that. Income tax already addresses the idea that if you make more, you pay more. I’m always up for a discussion, but I really want to get away from pinning this on the backs of those who we suppose have more money.

What’s your stance on the newly proposed nightlife-related ordinances?

I was directly involved in the discussions for Council President Sabina Matos’s working group. Unfortunately, some of the language afterwards got to be a little vague and not specific enough for everyone to be confident about the changes. We have to go back and revisit this and create more of a dialogue with the people who are going to be involved. My voice has been heard. We have to make sure that in the attempt to make things better and safer, which absolutely has to be done, we’re not doing any additional harm to the growth of a nighttime economy and a diverse nighttime economy that doesn’t lend itself to only nightclubs. If I were voting on the ordinances as they are now, I would have to vote to continue them for further discussion.

How has your experience prepared you for this role?

I have created a partnership and a relationship with the City Council and the administration over the years that I have been a business owner. My long involvement in small business has allowed me to really understand the role of a city councilperson and my work with neighborhood associations has led me to understand that the only voices we should be listening to are the people who live in our neighborhood, who work in our neighborhood and who own the businesses in our neighborhood. The goal of a city councilperson should be to listen, learn and understand and bring those voices back to the council. Amplify the voices of the community. mlist@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7121

On Twitter: @madeleine_list