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By TED HAYES | thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com
Riding a wave of progressive momentum, Warren resident June Speakman handily defeated Richard Ruggiero in last Tuesday’s District 68 Democratic primary, earning 652 votes to Mr. Ruggiero’s 238. The result came in a House of Representatives district made up of 70 percent Bristol residents, and marked the first win there for a Warren resident. Ms. Speakman carried 73 percent of the vote.
Ms. Speakman, who championed former District 68 representative-elect Laufton Ascencao in last year’s General Election, decided to run for the House seat after failing in her bid to win a Warren Town Council seat last November, and after her former colleague was caught lying to her and others on the Warren Democratic Town Committee last December.
Following Ms. Ascencao’s decision to cede the seat, Ms. Speakman picked up the progressive mantle he had carried to a large victory last November, promising throughout her well-organized campaign this past month to fight for the issues she believes most Rhode Islanders stand for – sensible gun control, environmental causes and reproductive rights and affordable housing, among others. She will face Independents Kenneth Marshall of Bristol and James McCanna of Warren, as well as Warren Libertarian William Hunt Jr. of Warren, in the March 5 special election.
To view the complete article, visit Times-Gazette
Courtesy of the Times-Gazette
Updated: Mar 13, 2019 at 6:51 PM
Rep. June S. Speakman, a Democrat representing District 68 in Warren and Bristol, is formally sworn in to the House of Representatives Wednesday by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. Speakman, a professor at Roger Williams University, was elected March 5 in a special election.
To view the complete article, visit Providence Journal
Courtesy of Providence Journal
PAWTUCKET – Some of those who turned out last week for a hearing on a new district designed to prevent forcing residents out due to higher housing costs said the proposal doesn’t go far enough to protect those who live here.
Planning Director Sue Mara told the council that the proposed Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay District ordinance for the area around a coming new commuter rail station at 258 Pine St. seeks to prevent displacement of current residents while promoting investment in new affordable housing, creating a healthy mix of incomes.
All in attendance at the Sept. 25 hearing seemed to agree that no one wants to see Pawtucket residents priced out of the area and Boston commuters take their place.
To view the complete article, visit The Valley Breeze
Courtesy of The Valley Breeze
By Mary MacDonald- June 14, 2019 1:18 am
1. You decided to seek office while working at Roger Williams University. How did that affect you as a professor and how are you now handling the dual roles? The opportunity to run came up due to an unexpected resignation. Thankfully, my campaign began during winter break, and my spring course schedule was such that, for the most part, my teaching schedule and my legislative schedule did not conflict. And … I was teaching a course on state and local government, which offered nice reinforcement to my General Assembly work, and great stories in the classroom.
2. You were often interviewed by media as a political science professor. How is the reality of the Statehouse meshing with your understanding before the election? While the academic understanding of state politics does teach us a lot about what goes on in a state legislature, the finer points of the policy-making process, and the importance of personal relationships, cannot be accurately captured by an academic researcher.
To read the complete article, visit Providence Business News
Courtesy of Providence Business News
By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Managing Editor
PAWTUCKET – Facing overwhelming opposition to a plan to boost affordable housing in the area of a coming new commuter rail station, the City Council last week postponed action on the initiative indefinitely.
Of particular concern to a number of residents within the proposed incentive zone, where developers would be rewarded for developing affordable housing, were the ideas that this area is already overcrowded and that adding affordable housing would diminish home values.
Councilor Terry Mercer, who headed up a number of committee meetings in crafting the proposed Neighborhood Overlay Stabilization District over the past few months, said he and others thought this would work for the neighborhood, and moving forward with it was following the lead of district councilors Meghan Kallman and Tim Rudd.
PAWTUCKET – Preliminary drafts of the city’s new affordable housing ordinance do not include a mandate for a minimum of 10 percent affordable units within the Conant Thread district surrounding a coming new train station, says Councilor Terry Mercer.
Mercer told The Breeze significant progress has been made on what has been a controversial issue and he expects an ordinance to be ready to send to the full council by its first meeting in August. There are a number of kinks to still work out during one more planned workshop, he said.
The latest proposal addresses Councilor Meghan Kallman’s particular concerns about the “secondary creep” of gentrification, or forcing out of residents due to higher rents, in neighborhoods abutting the train station district, said Mercer.
The councilman said there will be a quarter-mile overlay district running outside the Conant Thread district, creating incentives to add affordable units.
City Planner Sue Mara said that district is proposed as the “Neighborhood Stabilization District,” which would accomplish two things:
• Create an overlay zone where projects that include affordable housing would receive density increases as well as some dimensional flexibility.
• And allow in-law apartments by right for single-family and two-family homes.
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 at 10:09 AM
The resolution does not implement the moratorium, but asks City Manager Joseph J.Nicholson Jr. and City Solicitor Christopher Behan to draft an ordinance to do so. Mayor Jamie Bova said her support for the resolution does not necessarily mean she will support the moratorium ordinance expected to be on the Sept. 25 docket.
NEWPORT — After passionate debate during a City Council meeting Wednesday night that lasted almost four hours, council members voted 4-2 to approve a resolution to “pause” development in the city’s designated Innovation District in the North End, giving the city time to determine the best mix of uses for the district.
To view the complete article, visit Newport Daily News
Courtesy of Newport Daily News
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